Harvard group has unforgettable China experience

At the end of the trip, Harvard students take a group photo at foot of the Great Wall, Beijing. Photo by Yan Dongjie / China Daily

A group of Harvard students have brought a better understanding of China and its people back to the US after a one-week trip to the country.

Organized by the World Youth Forum, 27 students from 14 different countries visited government departments, companies, cultural institutions and historical places in Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Nanjing through Harvard China Trek 2016, which concluded on March 20.

"It's been a fast four years. A lot has changed compared to my last trip in 2012," said Emily Shao, an America-born Chinese studying at Harvard Business School who has been to China for eight times and always found things different.

Harvard China Trekkers communicated with senior officials and successful businesspersons at places such as the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League, the National Poverty Alleviation Office, leading Chinese enterprise Alibaba, the Yangtze River Delta SME incubator and Chinese mainstream media.

For most of the students, the visit to Alibaba Group Holding Ltd in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, was the most impressive.

"They are really becoming more and more international, (with) more initiative and more ambitious," said Shao, adding that she felt her horizon expanded while visiting the Chinese companies.

"I was most impressed by the optimism and the excitement that Chinese people have," said Meagan Hill of Toronto, who added that she can see a great future for China with so much economic development occurring.

Harvard China Trek is a 10-year tradition at the Ivy League school.

Every year, 20 to 30 youth leaders from various schools at Harvard such as the Business School, Law School and Kennedy School, visit China, interacting with a diverse range of people. They get an insider's perspective of the country.

Liu Xi, starter and organizer of the World Youth Development Forum, a non-governmental, non-profit organization, wtih Harvard alumni in 47 countries participating, spoke on the importance of introducing China to Harvard students.

"The world's one-sided understanding of China has led to prejudice, and comprehensive understanding of the country (requires) real experience here," Liu said.

Liu said that after information about China Trek was announced in December, more than 300 students with diverse backgrounds applied.

"Only 12 percent were selected after interviews," said Liu, adding that the organizers took into consideration both the trip-planning and the team-building for better bilateral understanding.

Liu hopes that through the efforts of all sides, especially with the representation of top students who will lead different fields in the future coming to visit, the world will get a better understanding of China.

In addition to political and economic sites, the Harvard team also toured the Forbidden City and the Great Wall, where they personally discovered the rich history of China.

Anjali Thakkar, an Indian woman studying at Harvard Medical School, didn't know what the Forbidden City was for before the trip.

"It's amazing to see the hundreds of red houses in the palace for ancient Chinese emperors. It's even incredible when I learned that not even a nail was used," said Thakkar.

"How was that possible hundreds of years ago?" she asked.

Thakkar couldn't help but run around the Forbidden City with a surprised look and questions, like all the other members.

Thakkar also expressed concern about the environment in China, as the air pollution was so heavy in Beijing, she couldn't take her mask off.

"But I also trust that the Chinese government, which is working hard on the problem, will absolutely deal with it as successfully as possible," she said.

When asked to write down one word to describe the trip and their feelings, the Harvard students chose "history", "excited", "exploration", "optimism", "amazed", "coordinated", "pride", "respect", and "big", while "incredible" was the word heard most during the trip.

"Coming from the United States, we read certain things about China, and that can make us critical of its government or history. It's really impressive to see how welcoming and warm people are toward the US," said Andrew Hillis, a PhD student in business economics.

"Travel and exchange are super valuable," said Hillis, adding that young people from China and the US should learn more about each other and cooperate more going forward.

yandongjie@chinadaily.com.cn