2025 RUC International Summer School Commences

On June 30, the 2025 International Summer School of Renmin University of China officially commenced. With more than 180 faculty members from over 20 countries and regions offering courses and lectures, over 3,000 students from nearly 30 countries and regions have enrolled in the program.

Zhi Xiaoqiang, Vice President of Renmin University of China, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech. The event was joined by over 300 attendees, including representatives of faculty and students from the 2025 International Summer School, as well as delegates from various schools and administrative departments of the university.

Zhi Xiaoqiang emphasized that the International Summer School provides a platform for young students from different countries and cultural backgrounds to exchange ideas through academic dialogue and deepen mutual understanding via cultural interactions. He noted that the convergence of diverse cultures represents a treasured asset of the International Summer School. Moreover, the cutting-edge academic courses offered in the classroom, combined with extracurricular activities that blend tradition with modernity, will deliver a comprehensive learning experience for all faculty and students involved.

He added that students attending the International Summer School should strive to become “active learners”—not only absorbing knowledge but also daring to explore and innovate. They should also act as “sincere communicators,” approaching every culture with an open and equal mindset and taking concrete actions to break down biases. Furthermore, they ought to serve as “proactive ambassadors,” sharing what they see and experience in China with their home countries, helping the world hear authentic stories of China. In this way, they can enlighten minds through academics, measure cultures with their footsteps, and perceive China with their hearts.

Chloë Starr, a professor at Yale University in the United States, delivered a speech as a faculty representative of the 2025 International Summer School. She emphasized that the significance of the International Summer School lies in building a cross-cultural learning community, advocating for pushing the boundaries of knowledge through diverse interactions, and fostering growth through questioning and inclusivity. In the face of interpersonal alienation in the digital age, she stressed the importance of cherishing genuine interactions, rejecting academic shortcuts, and achieving intellectual renewal through sincere trial and error.

Meng Zeqi, an undergraduate from the Class of 2023 at the School of Foreign Studies of Renmin University of China, delivered a speech as a student representative of the 2025 International Summer School. She expressed that interacting with faculty and students from various countries at the International Summer School not only broadened her academic horizons but also taught her to view the world from multiple perspectives. Through dialogues across civilizations, she rediscovered her own value. She emphasized that true international education enables students to master global academic standards while confidently engaging in conversations with the world.

The opening ceremony was hosted by Xu Jiayang, an undergraduate from the Class of 2022, and Moritz Kurt Joachim Kuhlmann, a doctoral candidate from the Class of 2022, both of Renmin University of China.

Representatives from the Academic Affairs Office, the Office of International Exchange and Cooperation, the Office of the Leading Group for International Student Affairs, the Student Accommodation Service Center, and various schools participated in the segment introducing the International Summer School working team. Innovatively presented in the form of a musical, this segment used vivid and lively narrative language to artistically recount how different departments across the university have collaborated over the past 16 years to ensure the successful operation of the International Summer School.

During the "Harmony Across Borders" segment, which showcased achievements in aesthetic education, the programs meticulously curated by the Aesthetic Education Center and the Student Art Troupe of Renmin University of China seamlessly blended the profound richness of traditional Chinese culture with diverse contemporary expressions. These performances vividly illustrated an open attitude toward cultural integration and demonstrated a cultural confidence marked by confident openness and inclusiveness.

The International Summer School at Renmin University of China was established in 2009 and will welcome its sixteenth session this year. As a flagship initiative of the university to strengthen international exchanges and cooperation and enhance the cultivation of talent with global competence, the International Summer School leverages high-quality international educational resources by bringing together distinguished faculty from around the world to deliver lectures and courses. It is open to students both within and outside the university, as well as to learners from higher education institutions across the globe. Through these efforts, the program aims to increase access to top-tier international educational resources, build a high-quality global education platform, promote international exchanges and cooperation in talent development, and elevate the university's internationalization and global collaboration efforts.

To date, the International Summer School has offered a cumulative total of over 1,800 courses. It has engaged more than 1,900 faculty members from domestic and overseas universities, along with over 45,000 enrollments from its home university students and more than 5,500 participants from other institutions.

Prior to the opening ceremony, the university specially arranged a showcase session on international talent cultivation programs, comprehensively presenting the innovative initiatives undertaken by various schools and departments in fostering globally competent talent. The event highlighted 12 specialized camps of the International Summer School, including workshops on frontier work in international organizations, IMF simulations, artificial intelligence and innovation, among others. It also featured a range of English-taught master's programs covering six A+ disciplines of the university, such as Global Journalism and Communication under the Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese Economy, Chinese Law, International MBA, Development Economics, and Urban Governance.