What advice can you give to current SOAS students on what to expect while studying at Yenching Academy?

They can expect to be in a unique and very privileged position to really explore China and learn so much beyond that. Firstly, being part of Peking University provides exposure to leading experts in niche topics related to China, either as direct lecturers, thesis supervisors, or speakers. Moreover, thanks to PKU’s status as the top university in China, many doors open more easily when it comes to research, networking, and job hunting.

Secondly, the resources of the Yenching Academy and Peking University are one thing, which kept pleasantly surprising me the whole year. YCA itself and our student clubs would regularly invite distinguished academics, professionals, and diplomats, allowing us to closely interact. On top of that, many classes both at Yenching and PKU offer fully-funded field trips across China to complement the academic experience. One of my favourite classes was the spring part of China in Transition where small teams were matched with a supervisor based on stated interests, then had to build a research proposal, and finally travel in China to do field research. My team’s research focused on the ecological protection of the Yangtze River, which brought us to three provinces to interview foreign and international NGOs and local governments.

Finally, you can expect to be surrounded by people whose novel views and diverse experiences will humble you every day. My classmates have been a constant source of stimulation as well as a lot of fun. In a sense, the student body is a lot like SOAS –it comprises students from over 40 countries every year, which leads to fascinating discussions.

Ultimately, studying at Yenching is what you make of it.

An NPR article on 1^st August 2019 reported that at least five American graduates of the Yenching Academy have been questioned by the FBI since 2017 after their return to the U.S., due to perceived security threats over Chinese espionage and infiltration. This drew concern, and rebuke, from many former and current ‘Yenching Scholars’ around the World. Given this climate of growing suspicion and polarisation between China and the U.S., which has a knock-on effect Globally, how important is it to you that Chinese institutions such as the Yenching Academy exist and continue to attract inquisitive and talented international students, given the Academy’s stated aim of building bridges between China and the World?

Based on what I understand from my US classmates, the NPR article merely sensationalised routine security work. However, it is indeed reflective of the intensifying tensions and suspicion, which is why programmes that support people to people exchanges are needed. Speaking from personal experience at Yenching, it is a master’s programme like any other, only in a novel format. The overall level of intellectual engagement and calibre of many professors has been on par with SOAS. Moreover, the unique feature of studying in China is the opportunity to evaluate the narratives many of us have internalised in ‘the West’ and the way the perceptions of countries have been constructed, which closely ties into the on-going tensions. Even though programmes like Yenching are a rarity, it is encouraging that we can already see Yenching graduates engaging with China in their professional life in a nuanced, constructive way and this is what it is about for me.