Enrolling at NYU Shanghai as an undergrad, for Zoe Jordan the appeal of China was, in part, its distance from her Maryland home. Over time, NYU gave Zoe a close community of friends in Shanghai. For YCA, Zoe embarked on a second journey; this time, she moved to Beijing. Her new surroundings felt ...

30 April 2021

Zac Marcone completed his undergrad at Columbia University. Comparing the architecture of his undergrad college — an iconic American institution renowned for its Greek architecture — to Jingyuan, he could not help but feel that the latter reflected a distinctly Chinese aesthetic. Yet, at the sa...

30 April 2021

Coming from Hungary, Péter Sczigel found China to be drastically different from home. Yet, he adapted quickly. Soon, Péter was exploring both on Beida’s beautiful campus and in the outskirts of the city. As he carved out his own Beijing experience, Jingyuan became emblematic of university life i...

30 April 2021

Duanling Fu graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Wuhan University. As a self-described “pioneer” who loves trying new things, Duanling joined Yenching Academy in 2015 as a member of the 1st cohort. In her eyes, Jingyuan can be understood as the quiet witness of many enthusiastic and intense...

30 April 2021

For Paulina Zofia Uznańska who had previously studied Chinese language for a year at Peking University, studying in Beijing may not be a distinct affair. Yet, she could not help be enamoured by what she recounts as the ‘magical’ charm of Jingyuan. She found herself being drawn to it every day ...

30 April 2021

After 8 years of Mandarin study and several years in Shanghai, Olivia came to the Yenching Academy of PKU (YCA) with a firm Chinese cultural foundation. Yet, her time in Beijing still managed to strike her in surprising ways. It was several “cities in a city,” as Olivia notes. Developing at bre...

30 April 2021

A frequent traveler, Kourosh Houshmand  built on a lifetime of trips between East and West upon entering the Yenching Academy of PKU (YCA). Within Beijing, he quickly found his home through the restaurants of the city, carving out a personal nostalgia. Memory itself strikes Kourosh as an ephemera...

30 April 2021

University life at Beida was a big departure from Federico’s previous experiences in Argentina. The whole Beida campus appeared to move like a city, with Jingyuan at the center of it all. Memories of Jingyuan revolve around the friends made passing through its doors – and one unfortunate incide...

30 April 2021

“The opposite of loneliness,” quipped Dongwoo in a description of his time at the Yenching Academy of Peking University. Surrounded by colleagues that quickly became close friends, Dongwoo fondly remembers his time as a student in China as a period of unique comradery. Jingyuan marked the very ...

30 April 2021

A great lover of languages and history, Ashley found many homes within the YCA community. From taking extra classes to starting language learning clubs, Ashley has charted his own academic experience that defies the challenges of online learning. Despite having never physically visited Jingyuan, ...

30 April 2021