As the Dragon Boat Festival marked the beginning of summer, the 2023 Summer Joint Picnic was held on June 25 at Manorhaven Beach Park on Long Island. The event was jointly organized by the RUC North America Alumni Association (RUC-NAAA) and 22 other alumni associations representing universities in China and the United States.
More than 800 people attended, including alumni from dozens of universities in China and the United States, officials from the Education Office of the Chinese Consulate General in New York, local New York officials and representatives of the Chinese-American community, members of the Chinese community in the Greater New York area, and representatives of businesses and organizations.
Now in its 11th year, the annual summer picnic and community festival for Chinese university alumni associations has become one of the best-known and most widely attended signature events among Chinese university alumni communities in the eastern United States, with tickets often in high demand.
This year’s event continued the longstanding tradition while introducing several new elements. For the first time, the event adopted an annual theme — “Embracing All, Walking Forward Together” — symbolizing integration and unity. The number of co-hosting alumni organizations reached a record 23, including alumni organizations of two U.S. universities. Attendance also reached a new high, while the number of corporate sponsors more than doubled from previous years.
At the opening ceremony, Yan Weimin, President of the North America Alumni Association of Tianjin University and chief co-organizer, and Zhang Ruiwei, President of the New York Nankai Alumni Association, introduced the history and development of the event and expressed their sincere appreciation to the many participating alumni associations for their enthusiastic support and involvement.
Yu Yougen, Minister-Counselor for Education at the Chinese Consulate General in New York, attended the event together with Consuls Wang Kunpeng, Tian Songqing, and Yang Yicheng. He expressed his sincere admiration for the unity, solidarity, and enthusiasm of the alumni community and extended his best wishes to everyone. He encouraged alumni to continue serving as bridges for positive China-U.S. relations.
Former New York State Senator Anna Kaplan, North Hempstead Town Council Members Mariann Dalimonte and Veronica Lurvey, Christine Liu, representing State Assemblywoman Gina Sillitti, and George Geh, Chief Executive Officer of the Committee of 100, among other guests, attended the event and delivered warm remarks and congratulations.
Alumni Association Showcase
During the alumni association showcase, representatives of all 23 participating organizations took the stage one after another to introduce their alma maters and highlight the activities and character of their respective alumni associations.
The showcase was an important new feature introduced this year. It was designed to promote greater understanding among the participating alumni organizations while also energizing individual associations through a friendly spirit of competition.
In addition to an abundance of snacks, food, and fresh fruit, the picnic featured a rich lineup of cultural and artistic performances. Dozens of alumni from participating universities took the stage, presenting everything from violin performances and guitar-and-vocal numbers to Chinese-themed dances, street dance, musical theater, band performances, and original songs. The diverse lineup offered something for audiences of all ages.
Teachers and children from Sunshine Chinese School also delivered a series of wonderful performances, becoming one of the highlights of the event and receiving enthusiastic applause from the audience.
Special activity areas, including a Career Development Corner and a Matchmaking Corner, were also set up to address topics of particular interest to alumni, drawing broad participation and enthusiastic response.
The annual tug-of-war competition served as the grand finale of the picnic and once again proved to be the activity that best embodied the spirit of teamwork and unity.
Under the direction of Wu Yafeng, President of RUC-NAAA, this year’s competition introduced a creative new format. Based on the geographic locations of the participating universities, the teams were divided into a North Team and a South Team, with the Yangtze River serving as the dividing line.
The fierce competition drew everyone’s attention, while cheers and chants echoed throughout the park. In the end, the South Team prevailed and won the inaugural North-versus-South tug-of-war championship.
Co-Hosting Organizations
The participating co-hosts included:
North America Alumni Association of Tianjin University (formerly Peiyang University)
Greater New York Tsinghua Alumni Association
RUC North America Alumni Association
Greater New York Alumni Association of Wuhan University
Greater New York Chapter of the Jiaotong University Alumni Association of the Americas
Greater New York Alumni Association of the University of Science and Technology of China
New York Nankai Alumni Association
Greater New York Alumni Association of Peking University
East Coast Alumni Association of Jilin University
Greater New York Alumni Association of Xiamen University
Greater New York Alumni Association of Dalian University of Technology
Greater New York Alumni Association of Nanjing University
North America Alumni Association of Xi’an University of Finance and Economics
East Coast Alumni Association of Jinan University
New York Alumni Association of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies
Greater New York Chapter of the Zhejiang University Alumni Association of North America
Greater New York Alumni Association of Southeast University
New York Chapter of the U.S. Alumni Association of Xidian University
New York Alumni Association of the University of Hong Kong
Greater New York Alumni Association of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics
East Coast Alumni Association of Sun Yat-sen University
Columbia Business School Young Alumni Association
Manhattan Central Asian Musicians Association
The event was jointly title-sponsored by Uoffer and BCG Glass Industry, with generous support from dozens of companies and individuals, including 37 Ave Richouse.
Copy: Zhang Yong
Editor: Wu Yafeng
Layout: Wu Yafeng
Special Report
The recently concluded 2023 Summer Joint Picnic and Community Festival for Chinese University Alumni Associations attracted approximately 30 RUC alumni from the Greater New York area. Participants included alumni who had been living in the United States for decades as well as younger alumni who had only recently arrived in North America.
Dawson Lee, Chairman of RUC-NAAA, and Yue Jingsheng, a Board Member of RUC-NAAA, happened to be visiting New York and made a special effort to cancel other commitments and join fellow alumni at the picnic.
RUC-NAAA set up a tent as its home base at the event, complete with a prominently displayed association flag. It quickly gave alumni scattered throughout the large park a place they could recognize as “home.”
Alumni gathered under the tent to chat, catch up on their studies and careers, exchange WeChat contacts, and take group photos, creating a warm and lively atmosphere.
Led by Wu Yafeng, President of RUC-NAAA, RUC alumni raised the RUC flag and the RUC-NAAA flag and took the stage to showcase the spirit of Renmin University to fellow alumni associations.
Wu Yafeng introduced RUC-NAAA, noting that it was established in 2015 as a compliant 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. “Our alumni association is based in New York, covers North America, and reaches alumni around the world,” he said. “We uphold RUC’s motto of seeking truth from facts and embrace the spirit of RUC-NAAA — ‘Virtue Shines Bright.’ We bring alumni together, serve society, and hope to join hands with like-minded friends from all sectors to promote exchanges between China and the United States.”
“RUC alumni, always connected!”
The RUC alumni on stage shouted the powerful slogan together, receiving enthusiastic applause from alumni of other universities in the audience.
During the event, Yu Yougen, who had assumed his new position as Minister-Counselor for Education at the Chinese Consulate General in New York in May, visited the RUC-NAAA tent together with Education Consuls Wang Kunpeng, Tian Songqing, Yang Yicheng, and others.
They met with and expressed their greetings to RUC alumni and had a cordial conversation with Wu Yafeng and others. They also spoke highly of the work of RUC-NAAA.
RUC alumni played a central role in preparing, organizing, and carrying out the joint picnic.
Wu Yafeng served as a core member of the organizing team. In addition to coordinating sponsorship efforts, he personally oversaw the event’s overall publicity.
Executive Vice President Luo Kan led the Matchmaking Corner, helping connect young single alumni.
Management Committee member Sun Siyang served as an emcee, becoming a particularly memorable presence on the event stage.
Vice President Huang Beiqing and Management Committee members Zhang Yong, Li Yang, Lu Cuili, and others contributed to various aspects of the event, including the on-site operations team, publicity team, and Matchmaking Corner, working tirelessly to fulfill their responsibilities.
Joint Hosts
Organizing Team and Volunteers
Planning & Coordination Team
Yan Weimin, Zhang Ruiwei, Wu Yafeng, Chen Mo, Kang Tingting, Liang Shaohua, Jiang Tianchan, Li Hao, Wu Jiao, Hou Yanyan, Yang Zhaoyang, Lu Ning, Nie Linzhe, Su Chang, Xu Jie, Liu Guyan, Ping Yanni, Guan Jianfei, Ye Shasha, Ning Deng, Chen Xi, Wang Jianqun, Le Yanlin, Yang Jing, Sana, Shi Dawei, Guan Peng, Guan Shuyi
Sponsorship Team
Zhang Ruiwei, Wu Yafeng, Yan Weimin, Zhang Jing, Yang Zhaoyang, Chen Yulin, Wang Yu, Lu Ning, Mo Wenzhong, Li Qian, Chen Mo, Sana, Le Yanlin, Nie Linzhe, Hou Yanyan, Kang Tingting, Chen Zhan, Ye Shasha, Luo Kan
Publicity Team
Wu Yafeng
Food & Beverage Team
Jiang Tianchan, Guan Jianfei, Nie Linzhe, Zong Jianming, Han Xue, Li Guofang, Li Jialin, Ge Yang, Liu Qi, Yan Yu, Xie Wenlong, Liu Huanzhu, Chen Yulin, Zou Jingxuan, Annie Hu, Yuan Shurui, Chang Ji, Chen Zhenyu, Li Chenyang, Li Miao, Qiu Chen, Jiang Huijie, Liu Yafei, Zhang Qinghe, Zheng Jielan, Kuang Daning, Zhou Qiguang, Li Wenqing, Li Xinrui, Yan Liping, Chen Meiqing, Gu Shuoqiu, Guo Ning
Games & Recreation Team
Kang Tingting, Luo Kan, Wang Yifan, Peng Junhui, Chen Shiguang, Gao Tianhao, Zhang Yue, Guo Hong, He Yifu, Lu Cuili, Yuan Shurui, Chang Ji, Ye Sixiong, Cui Yuyuan, Xu Yaoying, Yi Zongbin, Lin Ruoran, Xu Jiayan, Wei Zirui, Zhao Haodong, Zhou Jiahui, Zhou Dongling, Wen Zhe, Xu Kai
Registration Team
Li Hao, Zhou Xintong, Zhu Jianing, Chen Tan, Gan Ruxiao, Liu Yating, Zhao Haodong, Liu Xiangyu
Emcee Team
Wang Hao, Ding Jieqing, Sun Siyang, Wen Xin, Wen Zhe, Yue Leiyu
Prizes Team
Wang Yu
Tug-of-War & Volleyball Team
Liang Shaohua, Huang Yuxiang, Zhang Qianhui, Liu Zhihan, Zhang Shulin, Zhang Jiajun
Alumni Association Showcase Coordination Team
Yang Xi, Luan Ruian
Performance Team
Wang Hao, Guan Peng, Xu Kai, Yu Qianni
Design Team
Lu Ning, Yang Jitong, Luo Kan, Gou Xiaoxing, Hou Yanyan, Yan Weigang, Liang Yi
Venue Team
Ping Yanni, He Hongbo, He Ping, Gao Liang, Huang Yuansheng, Kang Tingting, Wu Jiao, Chen Mo, Yang Zhaoyang, Mao Yu, Song Shengchun, Chen Ruohao, Stephen Huang, Kevin Kang, Jason Kang, Jackson Kang, Hong Shihao, Li Yang, Piao Ronghao, Huang Beiqing, Chen Zhan, Kuang Daning, Xie Wenlong, Zhang Zhi, Mao Yu
Finance Team
Yang Zhaoyang, Bai Fangwei
Transportation Team
Su Chang, Xu Jie
Media Team
Yang Xi, Chen Mo, Zhang Yong, Chen Jie
Photography Team
Chen Zhan, Zhang Fan, Hu Ningyuan, Chen Ye, Wang Yifan, Wang Muyang, Bobby Guliani, Li Zhuoguang
Safety Team
Ye Shasha, Zhu Zutao, Mo Wenzhong, Zhu Tianhui, Xiao Yonghong, He Xue, Tan Ping, Xu Li, Guo Xinxue, Mo Xilian, Xu Jing, Zhang Yan, Zheng Hong, Luo Weizhang, Li Jinghong
Cultural Performances
Xu Kai, Fan Yiming, Chen Yulin, Wang Mengxi, Wang Yanbing, Li Shanshan, Xu Chengyao, Chen Xueyi, Zheng Bowen, Liang Zhuowen, Zhou Ruisang, Yu Liwei, Wang Yanyi, Gao Shitong, Cao Quan, Miao Guangyao, Sun Zelun, Wang Miao, Zhang Xiaoman, Wang Yuchen, Huang Wei
Children’s Performances
Provided by Sunshine Chinese School: Vice Principal Xing Mengxia; students Ren Shuqi, Ni Youyou, Ni Meimei, Yan Sijia, Yan Zeyu, Yan Yingyu, Jin Beila, Mei Jina, Hu Wanqin, Guan Jiaxin, Guan Jiayan, Kang Qingyang, and Kang Qingquan.
