My Beloved Peking University Spirit

May 17-2019   

“Returning to Peking University is my most correct choice,” Prof. Yu Miaojie thus sums up his 20-year relationship with PKU. He pursued undergraduate study here in the 1990s, and came back to join the faculty in 2006 after finishing a Ph.D. program in the US.

He’s now the Deputy Dean of NSD at PKU and a renowned expert in Chinese economy and international trade. A meeting with Prof. Justin Lin, one of the founders of NSD (then CCER), helped make up his mind to specialize in the study of China-related issues. Perhaps best remembered for his prediction that the China-US rival would be the norm in the next 15 years, he actually has authored and published many influential books and papers.

Working at NSD entails a sense of mission. For him, PKU has kept alive its spirit over the last 120 years, which can be boiled down to two phrases – seeking truth and revitalizing the Chinese nation. So much strength can be derived from history, and so much new light can the May Fourth spirit shine, he says.