At the end of 2013, Wang Lihong suddenly exposed his marriage, allowing the keyword "Columbia University" (Columbia University) to overwhelm Wang Feng and climb the headlines of major websites and social media platforms. As time passed, many people thought that this wave of heat would eventually become a thing of the past.
Unexpectedly, in the spring of 2014, Liu Qiangdong officially disclosed his love affair with his milk tea sister. Coincidentally, the two met on the Columbia campus. Therefore, Columbia has become a love mecca for Chinese young people to meet the "goddess" and quickly out of the circle.
01.
Back to Columbia
If you think that Columbia has attracted the attention of the public through this kind of entertainment, you are very wrong. The origins of China and Columbia Can be traced back to more than 100 years ago, from 1872 to 1875, the Qing government sent 120 young children with an average age of 12 years to the United States in four batches for a period of 15 years of official study, in order to "seek the skills that foreigners are good at, and the map of China's self-improvement" is intended.
According to incomplete statistics, by 1880, more than 50 young children had entered American universities. Of these, 22 went to Yale University, 8 to MIT, 3 to Columbia University, and 1 to Harvard University.
There are many faculties at Columbia University, among which the East Asian Department has a deep history with China. Columbia's Department of East Asia is not only the earliest sinology department in the United States, but also a highland for the overseas dissemination and research of Chinese culture.
110 years ago, Ding Long, a Chinese laborer who worked as a servant in the United States, donated his entire savings of $12,000 to set up a department of sinology at a famous University in the United States to spread Chinese culture. His master, Carpentier, donated nearly $500,000 in succession in order to fulfill Ding Long's wishes.
In the following decades, scholars from China, such as Hu Shi, Feng Youlan, Xu Zhimo, Song Ziwen, Ma Yinchu, Tao Xingzhi, Chen Hengzhe, Pan Guangdan, Wen Yiduo, etc., left their footprints here; Gu Weijun, Zhang Xueliang, Li Zongren, and Zhang Guotao left valuable first-hand oral records here.
It can be seen that there are many well-known Chinese alumni in the history of Columbia University. As more and more Chinese go to the United States for further study, the alumni list continues to grow.
The attraction of international students at Columbia University is its strong comprehensive strength, law, business, medicine, engineering and other professional fields, all of which are the world's top level. In the era when the Internet was not yet developed, if any city had students admitted to top universities such as Harvard, Yale, and Columbia, they could even enjoy half a page in a newspaper.
They are the children of other people in the eyes of the public, but are they all gifted bullies? In fact, most of the students admitted to the top 10 in the United States have a process of gradual learning and growth, many students do not meet the requirements of famous schools at first, they are in perfect planning and preparation for the next step closer to famous schools.
02.
Meet Columbia
Some say that the daily routine of Columbia students goes like this: "Study politics at the United Nations, study finance on Wall Street, watch theater on Broadway, listen to music at Lincoln Center." "Located in the heart of bustling New York City, Columbia has taken advantage of its location and people, and has inherited the unique character of the city.
There is a joke that is widely circulated in the United States: "At Columbia, how many students do you need to change a light bulb?" The answer is 76. Of these, 1 student changed the light bulb and 50 held a rally to fight for the right not to change the light bulb, while the other 25 held a rally against the former's request. Although this joke is quite funny, it does reflect Columbia's distinctive philosophy.
Like New York, a highly inclusive city, Columbia is open to embracing diverse ideas and encouraging them to collide with each other and spark a more avant-garde and open spirit.
There is also a small story about Columbia. In September 2007, Columbia announced that it would invite then-Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak at the university. Soon, this news caused a lot of turmoil in Columbia.
Some radical students organized various protests on campus to resist the speaker they considered to have "serious authoritarianism." In order to protest that the principal, Bollinger, agreed to the invitation, some students even posted Bollinger's obituary on the Internet under the pseudonym "Ahmadinejad" to show dissatisfaction.
Bollinger was rather calm about these farces, and he kindly told his classmates: "Even if the other party is a person who is incompatible with our values, each other's ideas are still worth exchanging." Since everyone says this person is not good, why not provide a chance for this 'bad guy' to say two words. ”
In the end, Bollinger withstood the pressure from all sides and extended an invitation to Ahmadinejad. And his approach was echoed by then-U.S. President George W. Bush: "Invite Ahmadinejad to give a speech, and if Columbia University thinks it's nothing, then I don't think it's anything." ”
In fact, in addition to Ahmadinejad, Bollinger was still thinking about a shocking invitation list. "We should be skeptical of all established thinking," he said. Therefore, we will continue to invite people from all walks of life, all regions, with different cultural backgrounds, beliefs, opinions to the school, to discuss various events, and even fierce debates. I think this is the proudest thing about Columbia. ”
Former U.S. President Barack Obama is also a huge fan of Columbia. When Obama was a junior in college, he learned that the school he was attending had an exchange program with Columbia, and immediately decided to go to Columbia University to study. Since then, he has successfully graduated from Columbia University as an exchange student.
Those who have listened to his speeches have found that many of his ways of thinking and beliefs have been marked by Columbia. He was a very open-minded man, rigorous in his thinking, excellent judgment, and full of humanistic care, which is also the usual style of Columbia University.
03.
Walk into Columbia
Such a fraternal Columbia University has cultivated a group of outstanding talents. So, what do Columbia graduates look like? Is it academics in the ivory tower, or is it stirring up trouble on Wall Street, or is it talking and laughing in the office building?
In fact, these are our stereotypes of Xueba, and the real Xueba is three-dimensional and multi-faceted, with breadth and depth. True school bullies are fun and loving people.
Whether it is Ding Long, an ordinary hero who has a deep love for China, or US President Barack Obama, who won the Nobel Peace Prize, or President Bollinger, who pursues pluralism and freedom, they all illuminate the way forward with the light of their original hearts.
As Columbia's motto, "Borrow the Light of Ru, See the Light," says, a generation has a generation's mission, but they all embody the same spiritual core.
Whether it is a holy place of love or a world famous school, Columbia University will continue to shine, cultivate more outstanding talents, and stand in the center of the universe to call for love!