{"id":76332,"date":"2025-10-14T21:27:36","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T04:27:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=76332"},"modified":"2025-10-15T08:03:20","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T15:03:20","slug":"academician-xu-zhihong-visits-los-angeles-and-reunites-with-peking-university-alumni","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=76332","title":{"rendered":"Academician Xu Zhihong Visits Los Angeles and Reunites with Peking University Alumni"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2014 Sharing His Educational Philosophy and Life Insights<\/strong><\/p>\n

LAPost \/ Orange County (October 14, 2025)<\/strong> \u2014 Xu Zhihong, Chairman of the Peking University Education Foundation (USA), Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and former President of Peking University, recently visited Los Angeles. During his two-day stay, he engaged in several warm and meaningful gatherings with Peking University alumni across Southern California.<\/span><\/p>\n

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From left: Xu Lei, Bruce Liu. Richard Lee, Xu Zhihong, Chen Yong, Pan Xing \uff08Photo by: Richard Ren\/LAPost)<\/p><\/div>\n

On the evening of October 13, former Chairman of the Peking University Alumni Association of Southern California, member of the Committee of 100, and renowned Chinese American entrepreneur Richard Lee (Li Ya) hosted a dinner in Orange County to welcome Academician Xu. Guests in attendance included Professor Janice Lu from Stanford University School of Medicine and alumnus Weining Yang, who drove two hours from Southern California to join the event.<\/span><\/p>\n

The event was hosted by Yong Chen, current President of the Peking University Alumni Association of Southern California. Also present were former presidents and current board members Dr. Xing Pan, Dr. Lei Xu (Professor at California State University, Fullerton), and Dr. Yufa Liu. Business and community leaders such as Mr. and Mrs. Shihai Li (Honorary Presidents of the Chinese American Chamber of Commerce), current President Ningguo Lin, and entrepreneur Chunli Zhao also attended.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Academician Xu Zhihong \uff08Photo by: Richard Ren\/LAPost)<\/p><\/div>\n

During the evening, Academician Xu fondly recalled his first visit to Los Angeles years ago. As a plant physiologist, he was inspired by research exchanges at UCLA related to traditional Chinese medicine ingredients. He spoke passionately about his belief that national stability and development are the foundation of people\u2019s happiness<\/em>, and emphasized that the mission of university education lies in cultivating talent in all walks of life<\/em>. \u201cEven the pig-farming champion from Peking University should make us proud,\u201d he said humorously, encouraging alumni to devote themselves wholeheartedly to their country, society, and careers\u2014wherever they may be.<\/span><\/p>\n

The atmosphere was both intimate and cheerful. Xu joked, \u201cPeking University students, both men and women, are outstanding \u2014 you don\u2019t necessarily have to look outside PKU to find your partner!\u201d He also shared stories from his post-retirement work in China\u2019s nature reserves, praised their recent progress, and expressed deep interest in the growth of younger generations and \u201csecond- and third-generation\u201d PKU alumni abroad.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Xu Zhihong signs books for alumni (Photo by: Richard Ren\/LAPost)<\/p><\/div>\n

Thoughtfully, Xu prepared a personal gift for every attendee \u2014 Plants of Yanyuan<\/em>, a book he co-edited \u2014 and signed each copy in person. One alumna, who graduated from the Department of Chemistry during Xu\u2019s presidency, pulled up a photo of her diploma on her phone to compare signatures, exclaiming with delight that \u201cthe signature is exactly the same as the one on my diploma!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Alumni celebrated Academician Xu Zhihong’s birthday (Photo by: Richard Ren\/LAPost)<\/p><\/div>\n

Toward the end of the evening, Richard Lee and Lei Xu surprised Academician Xu with a birthday cake celebrating his October birthday. The cake bore the words \u201cHappy Birthday\u201d and \u201cPKU\u201d in both Chinese and English, along with a symbolic pair of \u201cinvisible wings\u201d\u2014a nod to Xu\u2019s unexpected rise to online fame after performing Invisible Wings<\/em> during Peking University\u2019s 2008 New Year Gala. Xu smiled brightly as he took photos of the cake, while the song was played once again, filling the room with warmth and nostalgia.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Academician Xu Zhihong shakes hands with alumni one by one and bids farewell. (Photo by: Richard Ren\/LAPost)<\/p><\/div>\n

The gathering concluded amid laughter, music, and heartfelt farewells, with Academician Xu shaking hands with each attendee before leaving.<\/span><\/p>\n

Earlier, on October 12, Dr. Lei Xu hosted a luncheon for Academician Xu in Irvine, joined by renowned historian Professor Darin Fan and other alumni. That afternoon, Xu visited the University of California, Irvine (UCI) to attend \u201cWhen Weiming Meets the Future\u201d<\/em>, the second session of the Alumni Association\u2019s Education Salon Series. In a dialogue themed \u201cConversations Across Three Generations\u201d<\/em>, Xu shared his experiences in academia and administration, reflecting on the essence of education and encouraging the younger generation to cherish time, pursue excellence, and stay true to their ideals. His candid and humorous insights deeply resonated with alumni and their children.<\/span><\/p>\n

That evening, Xu reunited once more with alumni for dinner, where they reminisced about their cherished days at Yanyuan and exchanged thoughts on the future of their alma mater.<\/span><\/p>\n

Academician Xu departed Los Angeles for Beijing on October 14.<\/span><\/p>\n

(Written by: Richard Ren \/ LAPost)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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