Yanda's Requirements for Going Global

The explanation report of Academician Su Wenxie's team on the Strong BSD Conjecture Proof has been made public, and the international Mathematics Community has taken action to begin studying Academician Su Wenxie's team's explanation report.

Shen Qi toured the country giving lectures, training many local cadres. His training courses, which combined scientific research and ideological and political content, received a positive and enthusiastic response.

Because he has recently been in charge of ideological and political work, some people jokingly call Shen Qi "Political Commissar Shen".

On this day, Political Commissar Shen attended a joint meeting of the Party and government leaders of Yenching University. At the meeting, he said, "One after another, global scientific problems have been solved by Chinese scientists, and one after another, our major national instruments and projects have been completed. Have we become stronger? Without a doubt, we have become stronger."

"The foundation of a nation's strength lies in scientific research and education. Yenching University's scientific research and education quality ranks first in the country and among the world's best. I have always advocated that Yenching University should pursue internationalization and become a top-tier international university."

"I am very pleased that Yenching University is making steady progress on this path and is gaining an increasingly greater international influence."

"For a university, what does internationalization mean? I believe the core elements are two: research and teaching."

"Scientific research inherently possesses an international dimension; the results of scientific research are international in themselves. By conducting excellent scientific research and producing results that benefit people worldwide, you will naturally become an international institution."

"What should internationalized teaching look like? Is the number of foreign teachers and international students the main evaluation indicator?"

"My view is that the number of foreign teachers and international students is an evaluation indicator, but it is by no means the primary indicator."

"Recently, I have observed some minor issues in real life, which I am raising at this meeting."

"I admit that the best results for teaching English are with native English speakers. However, I've noticed that some of the English teachers in the foreign language department are French or German."

"I'm not targeting the French or Germans specifically, but since we're hiring English teachers, could we hire Americans, British, or Canadians? If that's not possible, Australians or New Zealand would also be fine."

"Please have Dean Hu of the Foreign Languages Department verify this information."

Dean Hu explained, "That German English teacher, his father is German and his mother is British. He speaks fluent London English and fluent Mandarin, and he holds a PhD in Literature from Oxford University... Of course, Academician Shen is also quite right, and we will pay attention to that in the future."

"Really?" Shen Qi noted down this point of doubt and continued, "Yan University has international students in every college. Some of them complain that our tuition is too expensive and that there aren't even single dorm rooms available. We should pay attention to these international students' opinions and suggestions and make improvements. I firmly believe that whether they are Chinese students or international students, they come to Yan University not to enjoy themselves, nor to waste their time, but to study diligently."

"Let me share my personal experience. I did my master's and doctoral studies at Princeton University in the United States. I lived in a single room there. At Princeton, master's and doctoral students can live in single rooms as long as they can afford it. However, most undergraduate students at Princeton live in double rooms."

"Since we are pursuing an international path, our treatment of international students should be in line with international standards. Some of our disciplines, such as mathematics and physics, have already reached international leading levels. Therefore, the tuition fees for international students studying mathematics and physics should be consistent with those of Princeton, Harvard, Oxford, and Cambridge University."

"You should raise your prices if necessary, otherwise how can you align with international standards? I hope that all colleges will pay attention to this issue after the meeting and make improvements as soon as possible." Shen Qi seriously and earnestly put forward his insightful opinion on Yenching University's continued deepening of its internationalization strategy.

A high-ranking official from the School of Medicine remarked, "Isn't this putting too much pressure on international students? Yenching University already charges international students significantly more than domestic students. If we raise the fees further... Academician Shen, will international students be able to afford it?"

Shen Qi shook his head and said, "Princeton doesn't have a medical program, but Harvard does. I know Harvard Medical School fairly well. Nowadays, completing eight years of clinical medicine at Harvard Medical School costs over a million US dollars. That's why Harvard Medical School is considered an elite institution; the vast majority of Americans can't afford it, even if they sell everything they own."

"How much does Yenching University's medical school charge? Eight years of study, converted to US dollars, is $113,800. Even with an additional $30,000 for international students, it's still less than $150,000."

"I admit that Yenching University's medical school does have a certain gap compared to Harvard Medical School. Among Chinese medical schools, perhaps only Peking Union Medical College enjoys a high reputation in the world."

"Let's set a small goal first: to catch up with Peking Union Medical College in the field of medicine. Peking Union Medical College charges international students around $200,000. Our Yenching University School of Medicine will strive to catch up with Peking Union Medical College within five years."

"Finally, I'd like to summarize: we will continue to adhere to the international development path of 'bringing in' and 'going out'. All foreign nationals who come to Yenching University to work or study will be treated according to international standards. I, Shen Qi, will lead by example, and I hope all colleagues will strive to do the same. That concludes my remarks. Please feel free to continue speaking."

The next day, when Shen Qi went to work at the center, he found a foreign girl dressed in Hanfu sitting on the lawn next to their center building.

The young woman was blonde and blue-eyed, and quite pretty. But she looked depressed, even somewhat melancholic.

The foreign girl suddenly saw Shen Qi. Her beautiful green eyes widened as the Boss focused her gaze on Shen Qi.

Shen Qi said to the girl, "What are you looking at?"

"Oh, it's Teacher Shen! Hello, Teacher Shen!" The girl greeted Shen Qi in fluent Chinese.

Shen Qi is a household name at Yenching University, so it's normal for foreign girls to know him.

"Are you an international student at Yenching University?" Shen Qi asked.

The girl nodded and said, "Yes, my name is Annie John, I'm American, and I studied Chinese linguistics."

Shen Qi asked again, "Annie, I saw you seemed to be crying just now?"

"Sigh." Annie sighed and said, "I heard that tuition and accommodation fees for international students are going up again. I really can't afford to study in China anymore. I'm working three jobs, but the financial pressure is still too much. The cost of living in Beijing is much higher than in Boston!"

"You lived in Boston?"

"It's like this..."

Anne began to recount her background and experiences with a touch of sadness.

Anne was born in a small town of over 80,000 people in Alabama, USA. Her parents divorced, and she and her younger brother lived with their mother.

Her mother supported her and her brother by working odd jobs, such as a coffee shop waitress and a supermarket cashier. Her mother did all sorts of jobs, and her income was not very high, barely enough to support the family of three.

Born into a single-parent family, Annie realized from a young age that only knowledge could change her destiny.

Annie, an academically excellent student, has been admitted to MIT's Chinese Linguistics program, but her family is poor and cannot afford MIT's expensive tuition.

MIT provides student loans for underprivileged students, but such a large sum of money must eventually be repaid.

Annie, whose family was not well-off, applied to study Chinese linguistics at Yenching University, where tuition was more than half the price of MIT.

However, Yenching University's Fermat to increase.

Annie said with a worried look, "I've been in China for three years, and I get over 90 in every subject. In the US, that would be straight A's. Many of my classmates are Chinese. Why do we international students have to pay more than Chinese students for the same education? Teacher Shen, tell me, why?"

Shen Qi explained, "Don't Chinese goods also have to pay tariffs when they enter the US market?"

Anne: "..."

Shen Qi said admiringly, "I never say things like 'Your Chinese is really good' to international students. It's a must to learn Chinese well when you come to study in China, there's nothing to praise about that. But I want to say to Annie, your Chinese is so fluent, it even has a pure Northeastern accent!"

Annie said, "Passing the HSK is a must for studying in China. But just passing the HSK isn't enough. One of our professors speaks fluent Dalian dialect, and Dalian dialect fast, I can't understand him!"

"So, my American sister, my Canadian sister, and I—the three of us female international students—finally found a Chinese guy. He was from Northeast China and was a graduate student in the School of Mathematics. The three of us female international students then communicated with this Northeastern guy in Chinese to continue improving our Chinese. Now, I can finally understand Dalian dialect!" Annie explained the reason for her thick Northeastern accent.

"I see," Shen Qi thought to himself, "The boys from the Mathematics Department are really kind-hearted."

Yenching University students are all quite busy; how could one person have time to guide three foreign girls in communicating with Chinese?

In other words, the male student who studied mathematics was kind; he taught three female exchange students from North America to speak fluent Northeastern Mandarin.

Anne's experience is representative of that of international students at Yenching University.

In Europe and America, the tuition fees at those prestigious top universities are extremely high.

Students from Europe and America who come from poor families choose to study at Yenching University in order to save money.

Many international students at Yenching University are academically outstanding, no less so than their Chinese counterparts, and in some courses even surpass them.

The outstanding Annie received scholarships every year, but she found that her scholarships, plus the cost of working three jobs, could barely cover her various expenses during her studies at Yenching University.

"My American senior told me that Chinese men are always very generous to foreign women, paying for everything from meals and bars to hotels. But after coming to China, I found that Chinese men have changed; they've learned to split the bill... Sigh, dating Chinese men is really expensive. The only good news is that you don't have to tip in China. Otherwise, I would have gone bankrupt long ago."

She was physically exhausted, but mentally exhausted even more. Annie even considered returning to the United States early.

A girl from a small American town traveled thousands of miles to China to study Chinese linguistics.

She worked diligently and assiduously, achieving excellent grades with all A's.

What troubled her was money.

Shen Qi has always appreciated students who love learning, regardless of race or nationality.

We must never allow any international student to lose the precious opportunity to receive an education at Yenching University because of money.

Shen Qi offered a suggestion. "Annie, I think you should prioritize your studies while you're studying at Yenching University. You're working three jobs, which is taking up too much of your energy for studying. You should apply for a student loan from Yenching University. Yenching University adopts international standards and offers certain preferential policies on student loans to impoverished students worldwide. Even if Yenching University's tuition is high, it's still much cheaper than MIT, isn't it?"

After Shen Qi's encouragement, Annie finally cheered up and went to the International Student Center of Yenching University to apply for an international student loan for students from impoverished families.