First overseas media salon at Tsinghua

On May 20, Tsinghua University hosted its first overseas media salon introducing its tradition and current progress in international exchange and communication to journalists from top international media.

Vice President Professor Shi Yigong addressed the audience at the event.

The event also showcased how innovation and entrepreneurship education works at Tsinghua. In addition to the more than 140 regular courses offered to current students, over 100 online courses are open to the public in this area, and have attracted more than 50 thousand registered learners.

Student innovators who have worked closely with Tsinghua x-lab, an innovation and entrepreneurship education platform at Tsinghua, shared their stories with the audience.

From an interest in technology to becoming a student entrepreneur

“Tsinghua’s creative education system has had an enormous impact on my life and entrepreneurial experience.

I spend half of my time here doing research in the lab and the other half studying different courses outside of my major. Everything I have worked on and experienced here has helped me to understand how businesses operate in the real world.”

“Tsinghua provides an impressive platform that has helped me to grow in many areas. I have gained valuable leadership skills along the way, which I have discovered is an integral part of owning a business. I am looking forward to continuing my journey so I can develop further. ”

Ahmed Alsayadi, from the Department of Computer Science and Technology, is CTO of the project “A Big Dream Entertainment” (ABD Entertainment), which is a data-driven business intelligence startup that focuses on the Chinese entertainment market.

A new chapter in life

“The experience thus far has been more than I could ask for. People who I first knew as classmates went on to become colleagues, friends and mentors.

Tsinghua’s culture of striving for excellence motivates me to achieve my best.”

“Here, I was able to develop business ideas, learn and test strategies while working closely with faculty, industry experts and peers.”

Theodora Lai Xi Yi, the graduate student from Tsinghua-MIT Global MBA program, is the founder of the mobile Chinese language learning platform “PrepForChina”.

The platform aims to build an online community of learners, and increase the accessibility and quality of Chinese language educational resources.

Much easier to get a start here

“Although it is not easy to have your own business in China, Tsinghua has a great support system that makes it much simpler to get started.

I think that this is invaluable to students. Most questions and problems can be solved on campus. The teachers are very experienced and helpful and are ready to assist in any way they can.”

“The learning experience is imperative for my development as an entrepreneur. In my research area, only Tsinghua can provide me with the opportunity to make use of some of the best equipment and recourses.”

BluePHA is a biomaterial company formed by Li Teng from Tsinghua’s School of Life Sciences, along with other students. Its primary focus is to tackle the issue of white pollution by providing biodegradable PHA materials by using their “Blue Water Technology”.

Prepare me well for the future

Looking back to my time at Tsinghua, the chance to develop my entrepreneurial spirit and ability gave me the tools needed to make a new start after graduation.

The multidisciplinary curriculum built my confidence in taking on new challenges and made me more persistent when faced with obstacles. My experience at Tsinghua also helped me learn to communicate with different kinds of people across various domains.

“I conducted a series of research projects in various disciplines, ranging from computer science, physics, mathematics, to management science. The comprehensive research process enhanced my abilities of identifying and solving problems, especially those challenging and complicate problems.”

Wang Gang, who earned his double major in mathematics/physics and economics at Tsinghua University in 2009, is the Chief Executive Officer and founder of ApplySquare.

ApplySquare has expanded to become the largest worldwide online platform for students’ academic development, covering more than 4000 universities in 48 countries and 63 academic disciplines, as well as a data-driven solution provider for higher education organizations.

The event is organized by the Office of Global Communications and Outreach. It is the first time Tsinghua has launched a salon for overseas media and more than ten media representatives attended, including journalists from Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, CBS, Bloomberg Businessweek, Los Angeles Times, The Straits Times, We Wei Po, China Radio International, China Daily, People’s Daily (USA) and Phoenix Satellite Television.

Writer: Robert Warman Editor: Jade Kong Designer: Ma Xin Photos by Wang Zhirui Zhao Zhenhao