PHBS Welcomes 77 International Students from 35 Countries
 
This year HSBC Business School welcomed the arrival of 77 international students from 35 different countries to the start of the new academic year.  Among this years international student body, PHBS has 40 full time international students and 37 exchange students making the 2014 class the largest international student class in PHBS history. 
 

 
On August 18^th and 19^th the new students arrived to the University Town campus to check into their dormitories.  Upon arrival, students were given Chinese survival guides as well as introductory information regarding the university and the city of Shenzhen to assist them with their integration into PHBS as well as the PKU community.   On the 20^th students arrived at H Building for university registration.  With the help of staff and volunteers, the students officially registered as students at PKU, received campus cards, and were given university t-shirts, marking their first day as official PHBS students. 
 

 
During the two weeks of university orientation, students participated in several activities aimed at helping them adapt to their new lives in Shenzhen.  Activities included a campus tour where students were taken to the new PHBS building, neighboring university town campuses of Tsinghua and Harbin Institute of Technology, the nearby town of Ping Shan Village and the University Town Metro Station.  Students also toured the city of Shenzhen including places such as Window of the World, OCT Loft and the Shekou Temple.  Students were excited to get to know one another throughout these two weeks and very enthusiastic about exploring the exciting city of Shenzhen.
 

 
On Thursday, August 28^th, PKU held its 2014 Opening Ceremony.  The stands were filled with this year’s new students and staff, both domestic and international, while on stage sat many distinguished guests and leaders.  2014 welcomes a total of 1,004 new students to campus, bringing the total to 2,928 students.  The ceremony was hosted by Class of 2012’s Jing Menglong and Ombline Richard, an international student from Belgium.  The opening ceremony included speeches from two current students as well as Professor Francis Snyder from the School of Transnational Law and Executive Vice Chancellor of Peking University Shenzhen, Bai Zhiqiang.  Students were given advice about making the best of their time here in Shenzhen, and heard from fellow students who spoke about the worries and hopes of someone just beginning their career at PKU.
 

 
Since the first admission of overseas students in 2009, Peking University HSBC Business School has continuously increased the number of admitted international students every year.  In 2014, PHBS received over 150 overseas applications from a total of 51 countries.  “None of the world-class universities only have domestic faculty and students”, said Professor Wen Hai, Founding Dean of HSBC Business School. He emphasized Peking University HSBC Business School’s ambition of becoming a world-class international campus to new students. In his opinion, a standard of a world-class international campus is attracting the best faculty and the best students to work and study, and he feels PHBS is already ahead of the curve.  Students of PHBS graduate with the ability to view the world’s cultures with broad vision and an open mindset.