Peking University, Beijing, Apr. 15, 2010: PKU President Zhou Qifeng attended the 19th Annual Conference of the Committee of 100 (C-100) in San Francisco from Apr. 8 to 10 and delivered a keynote speech, sharing views on the leadership-oriented education.

President Zhou pointed out that it was a mission of universities to focus on the development of new generations of global leaders; thus the university should improve the level of education and broaden the platform for communication. He noted that the university has always took the responsibility to bring up talents of leadership with an international perspective and has provided students with well-rounded education. Meanwhile, PKU has always been active in enhancing exchanges in humanistic sectors and has focused on liberal education both in spatio-temporal scale and in quality-oriented substance. President Zhou took Yuanpei College as an example and mainly introduced the diverse and full-ranged teaching and research system of the university. He also mentioned in his speech the approaches to dissolving the distinctions among different majors, teaching students in accordance of their aptitude, and providing different modes of education correspondingly.

The theme of the annual conference of C-100 this year is “Envision Our Future Together”. During the two-day conference, Chinese-American elites and other celebrities of all circles from both China and the US have had their discussion on several issues, ranging from the outlook of Chinese and American economy, effective ways to educate the next generation of talents in the era of globalization, to Asian-Americans’ involvement in politics and technological innovations.

Cheng Siwei, former Vice Chairman of China's National People’s Congress, Lien Chan, Honorary Chairman of the Kuomintang of China, and three Chinese-American Nobel Laureates - Dr. Charles Kao, Dr. Daniel C. Tsui, and Dr. Chen Ning Yang - also attended the conference and received the Gala Awards.

About C-100:

The Committee of 100 was founded in 1990 by a group of concerned Chinese-Americans including famous architect I. M. Pei and cellist Yo-Yo Ma. The Committee aims at further improving the understanding between Chinese and American people and opening up opportunities for Chinese-Americans in all fields. Up till now, C-100 has already become one of the most influential civil organizations of ethnic Chinese in the United States.

Edited by: Jacques

Translated by: Sherry Chu

Source: PKU News (Chinese)