From October 13 to 17, 2025, the Renmin University of China – Nanyang Technological University Lien Ying Chow Scholars Exchange Program was successfully held at Renmin University of China. Following a rigorous interview and selection process by the Lien Ying Chou Memorial Scholarship Council, eight distinguished scholars from Singapore Government, business, and academic sectors gathered at RUC for five days of in-depth academic exchange and field research.

 

On the morning of October 13, Professor Zheng Xinye, Vice President of Renmin University of China, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech. Prof. Zheng extended a warm welcome to the visiting scholars from Singapore, reviewed the deep friendship established between the two universities through the Lien Ying Chou Program, and expressed his hope for further collaboration in talent cultivation and academic research in the future.

 

The program themed “China’s New Stage of Development: Strategy, Governance, and Globalization,” was grounded in China’s national conditions and focused on key contemporary development issues and the international landscape. The visiting scholars engaged in in-depth discussions with senior experts and scholars from Renmin University of China on a wide range of topics, including China’s macroeconomic strategy, energy transition and green development, demographic change and social development, innovations in social governance, financial reformation and globalization, and the process of urbanization. Combining theoretical interpretation with case analysis, the program provided the Singaporean scholars with a comprehensive framework for understanding China’s modernization development path, earning high praise from the participants.

 

At noon on October 14, Professor Han Xiaoning, Dean of the School of Continuing Education and Executive Dean of the School of National Governance at Renmin University of China, and Li Jie, Vice Dean of the School of Continuing Education, held a lively discussion with the Singaporean scholars on expanding multi-field cooperation between the two sides.

 

Beyond classroom learning, the scholars visited a series of landmark institutions: the National Archives of Publications and Culture as a  glimpse of Chinese cultural heritage; Alibaba Group as a touch of Chinese innovation; People’s Daily Online as a voice of authoritative communication; the Zhongguancun National Innovation Demonstration Zone Exhibition Center as an experience of the cutting edge science and technology; the Beijing Sub-Center Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, as the vision of future urban development; and the Grand Canal Museum, as the end page of ancient and modern civilizations’ converge trip. These visits offered a comprehensive display of China’s latest achievements in cultural preservation, technological innovation, and urban planning, providing participants with vivid, multidimensional insights into modernized China.

 

The Renmin University of China–Nanyang Technological University Lien Ying Chow Scholars Exchange Program was launched in 2009 with funding from the Lien Ying Chow Foundation of Singapore. The program aims to build a high-level dialogue platform for outstanding talents from China and Singapore, fostering mutual learning and exchange in the fields of culture, business, and social development. The program is administered by the Office of International Affairs of Renmin University of China and has been organized by the School of Continuing Education since 2018. Our school will continue to leverage this program to explore best practices in international training, strengthen RUC’s brand in executive and advanced education, and contribute to the deepening of cultural exchange and talent cooperation between China and the world.