21 Students Visit ‘Harvard of China’

A group of 21 Harvard undergraduates visited Beida University in Beijing, China this month in the first student-initiated program between the two universities.

Beida, commonly dubbed the “Harvard of China,” hosted students from the Harvard of Cambridge, Mass. in order to bridge the cultural and geographic divide between the two prestigious universities. Beida will reciprocate by sending students to Harvard in the fall.

The Beida-Harvard Exchange Camp was led on the Harvard side by the Harvard in Asia Project (HIAP).

The group of six directors and 10 delegates, which left for China on March 26, spent most of its time there interacting with Beida students. Its schedule was planned by the Beida Students’ International Communication Association (SICA), which coordinates the Beida half of the program.

“I think a special recognition should go to the students of Beida who made our experience amazing, intellectually and artistically,” said Saritha Komatireddy ’05, a delegate on the trip.

Komatireddy said a trip to the Peking Opera and a Tai-chi exercise regimen were examples of the good treatment the Harvard students received from their hosts.

But Silas Xu ’05, co-chair of the Harvard delegation, said the highlight of the trip was the time—five hours daily—spent presenting and exchanging information with hundreds of Beida students.

Harvard delegates gave a series of lectures ranging from “Fighting for Social Change,” “Defining the Dating Scene in America” and the implications and social costs of the Chinese space program. Guest professor on the trip, Boas Professor of International Economics Richard N. Cooper, spoke about his projection of the world economy in 2015.

“Every delegate had a part in [the presentations], and the good thing about that was that it wasn’t any obscure academics,” said Xu, who is a Crimson editor.

SICA also arranged for delegates to speak to members of the ministry of health regarding the AIDS problem in China and to visit Beijing’s Zhongguancun Hi-tech Park as well as some non-governmental organizations.

Students also visited Tiananmen Square, the Summer Palace, the Great Wall of China and other tourist attractions.

The delegates stressed that this trip included much more insight than an average tour.

“We had much more access than normal tourists would have. We had the opportunity to speak to members of the ministry of health and editors of national newspapers. We were spending our time with the sharpest students in [China], and that enriched the experience a lot more,” said Komatireddy.

HIAP received much media coverage, including articles in Beijing News, the Beijing Times, sina.com and CC-TV, China’s national television program, which held a special TV series interviewing the guests.

The idea for this program was born in February 2003 when a group of SICA students from Beida came to Harvard to attend a Model U.N. conference.

These students spoke to Xu and David K. Yuan ’06, the other co-chair of the Harvard delegation.

Yuan had led a similar program before college, establishing a sister-school relationship with a school in Suzhou, China.

“I guess the general idea is to provide student exchange and resources for Harvard students interested in China study abroad and work abroad in Asia, as well,” Yuan said.

Both Xu and Yuan were pleased with the success of the pilot program and expressed hope for the expansion into exchange with other prominent academic institutions in India, Taiwan and the rest of the Asia-Pacific region.

Five members of the chess team accompanied the group, competing against the Beida team and, over the two-day period, mustering one “upset” win, Xu said.

The group was backed by the Office of University President Lawrence H. Summers, the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, the Asia Center and the Center for International Development, among others, said Xu. A group of students from Beida is expected to return the visit next fall.