Academy aims to increase worldwide understanding of China

After five years' development, Peking University's Yenching Academy aims to become a world-renowned master's program and a major platform for youth exchanges between China and other countries.

Fan Shiming, the academy's associate dean, said scholars are immersed in an intensive learning environment where they can explore China and its past, present and future roles in the world. The goal is to provide new generations of global citizens with a nuanced understanding of China.

The academy enrolls some 120 new scholars from China and abroad annually. International scholars comprise about 80 percent of the student body, while those from China make up the remaining 20 percent, Fan said.