The same culture that built a great wall is now building a great bridge.

A collaborative effort spanning several years is strengthening Chinese connections among U.Va. alumni, students and officials, and the network has affected everything from admissions to fundraising.

“China will be a strategically important market for U.Va. as a leading global institution,” says Zhiyuan “Jerry” Peng (GSBA ’03).

A moving force in the UVaClub of Beijing, Peng has helped coordinate events ranging from a send-off for Chinese students headed for U.Va. to a recent visit by President John T. Casteen III to China.

The Beijing group is only one card in the deck. Others include the UVaClub of Shanghai, active student groups on Grounds, outreach by admission officers and energetic involvement by U.Va.’s Office of Engagement.

For Parke Muth (Col ’79), director of international admission at U.Va., the efforts are already bearing fruit. The number of Chinese students applying to U.Va. has skyrocketed from 17 a decade ago to 800 this year.

“We have more people attending send-off parties in Beijing and Shanghai than in most places in the United States,” says Muth, who credits Darci Spuck, assistant director of regional engagement, with creating energy among the groups.

More than 100 people—new students, parents, alumni and others—attended the send-off in Beijing this year; in Shanghai, which held its first such event, more than 80 participated. “It was a huge success in terms of turnout,” says Xiaowei Li (Engr ’07).

“It was exciting to see such participation, having been here for so long now and not realizing there was such a U.Va. presence in this city,” adds John Cox (Engr ’02).

The burgeoning Chinese presence on Grounds is reflected in the growth of groups like the Chinese Students and Scholars Society and the Mainland Student Network (MSN). The latter, begun in 2006, has 200 student members and sponsors job fairs, karaoke contests, seminars and a China Day in March.

“The main objective of MSN when it was founded was to ease mainland Chinese students’ transition to U.Va. and help them adjust to American culture,” says president Wenhao “Gary” Chen (Com ’11). “Now I have another goal. That is, we bridge the connection between China and U.Va. and help raise awareness of U.Va. in China,” Chen says.

Max Quillen (Col ’00), a co-founder of the UVaClub of Beijing, agrees that raising awareness is critical. “In recent years, some key high schools in Beijing and Shanghai have become aware of U.Va., but in general unless someone actually knows an alum there is little chance they have heard of us.”

Alumni in China are equally eager to build academic ties in that country. Li helped arrange a recent U.Va. faculty visit to Shanghai Jiao Tong University, where he does research.

Cox anticipates a bright future for U.Va. in Shanghai and beyond. “I think all of us are looking forward to the success and growth of the Shanghai club as China continues to take on a greater role on the global stage.”

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