Dear International Students and Alumni,

We hope you are well! How time flies! Yet another busy semester is coming to an end. 2020 is slowly starting to feel like a distant memory. No matter whether the changes be in time or in space, whether you be at PKU or miles away, the school always cares about you.

Over the past year, in the face of the challenges and uncertainties brought by the COVID-19 outbreak , Peking University students and alumni at home and abroad have answered the call and either stepped up and moved forward courageously; stuck to their posts, afire to do their best; facilitated silently behind the scenes; or generously assisted and actively spoke out, and, in this way, demonstrated how the people of Peking University take seriously their responsibility and respond with practical actions, uniting to strengthen their efforts and overcome the difficulties. As President Xi Jinping pointed out recently in his response to the Pakistani students at Beijing University of Science and Technology, “During the fight against the epidemic, many international students cheered and sent well wishes for the Chinese people in various ways. A friend in need is a friend indeed!” You international students and alumni have joined hands with the university and China to overcome the difficulties together, showing great compassion and helping each other out and behaving as one universal family, meeting the difficulties and striving for self-improvement.

Today, the pandemic is still spreading around the world. People around the world are still suffering from the pandemic, and their study, work and life are still more or less affected as they have experienced or are experiencing challenges in all aspects. Many students are still far away, isolated from each other, connected with the school and their classmates only via a screen, trying to overcome the time difference and all kinds of inconveniences. We know very well how difficult it is for you, and we can empathize with your difficulties, thoughts and hopes. In and out of class, every teacher and student of the school and countless others are working side by side to ensure the safety of those on campus and actively carry out online and offline teaching and research.

The school takes seriously the problems related to online learning brought up by you, and has conducted many special studies. All schools and departments have been making efforts to solve these problems. The Computer Center is online 24 hours a day, working to improve the quality of the network transmission through various ways. The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning is carefully testing and debugging the equipment in each classroom. If there are still problems such as poor sound and picture quality, please send an email to gclassvideo@pku.edu.cn, mentioning the class time, the name of the teacher, the name of the course and describing the specific problem(s), and we will deal with the problem and provide feedback to you as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the Office of Undergraduate Education, Graduate School of PKU and all departments have been holding discussions on multiple occasions, making improvements to strengthen teacher–student interaction and flexibly revising assessment methods as needed to ensure the quality of online learning of our international students. If you have any concerns about the assessment methods, please reach out to your teacher and teaching assistant directly to explain your situation. The teacher will determine the assessment method and how the results will be recorded taking into account your actual situation and the characteristics of the course, and you can also choose a pass/fail scoring system as an option. While some problems may not be solved by a single person’s efforts or in one single attempt, we believe that as long as we work together to overcome difficulties, we will continue to improve your online learning experience.

Life is priceless and health is paramount. In terms of epidemic prevention and control, both domestically and abroad, the pandemic situation is becoming increasingly severe. Please pay attention to common-sense safety measures, take personal protection in earnest, and jointly build a “safety line” or “life line” for epidemic prevention and control. Please remember to wear masks properly, wash hands frequently, maintain social distancing of one-meter and keep the room ventilated.Currently, if it is not absolutely necessary, do not leave the campus, Beijing, or the country, and do not gather in groups or go to medium- and high-risk areas. Develop good habits of rest, proper diet and exercise, and pay attention to your physical and mental state, trying as much as possible to reduce stress and get the emotional support that you need. Please pay close attention to the pandemic situation and prevention and control tips, and consciously abide by local prevention and control requirements. At the same time, please keep communication lines open and stay in touch with your family and school as much as possible. In addition to epidemic prevention and control, you are also advised to heighten your awareness of the need for self-protection, including of your daily personal and financial matters, being aware of traffic and other aspects of safety, especially preventing accidental injury or fires, or being a victim of theft and fraud.

Students and alumni, there is no insurmountable winter, nor a spring that will not arrive! Each seed that has survived the cold winter will surely blossom in spring. Let us cherish our youth, do our best with our full effort, fully live every day, putting forth all our efforts, and build a better future together. Although we come from different backgrounds, we are all a part of the Peking University family. We are not only carrying our personal dreams and those of our families, but we are also shouldering the heavy mission of improving our country and the whole world while “moving towards the greater good and taking a upward path.” Let’s be aspirational and work hard; love the world and build our future together! We believe that, wherever you are, you people of Peking University will always continue to make everyone proud! A bright future of a community with a shared future for mankind will be illuminated by the bright and promising light of youth from all over the world.

Let us work together to be ambitious, diligent and hardworking, to love the world and build the future together!

May mankind overcome the epidemic at an early date and the world will return to peace and tranquility!

We will finally get through the long night and wake up to a dazzling dawn!

At the moment when the New Year’s bell is about to ring, we wish everyone a Happy New Year, best wishes, good health, and a happy family!

International Students Division（International Alumni Division）

Office of International Relations

Peking University

December 31, 2020