Ten Years Together, Making the Most of Our Time

Jun 27, 2025 · 1 view

NEW YORK, June 22, 2025 — On the afternoon of June 22, Eastern Time, the RUC North America Alumni Association (RUC-NAAA) held a grand reception in New York to celebrate its 10th anniversary under the theme “Ten Years Together, Making the Most of Our Time.” Nearly 100 guests attended, including members of the RUC-NAAA Board of Directors and Management Committee, representatives of the Chinese Consulate General in New York, and RUC alumni from across North America.

The RUC North America Alumni Association traces its roots to the East Coast RUC Alumni Association established in the 1990s. From late 2014 to early 2015, the organization was restructured as the RUC North America Alumni Association, with formal bylaws and a governance structure established. It was officially registered in Delaware on June 22, 2015, and in March 2018, received recognition from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

The reception opened with a video titled “Ten Years of RUC-NAAA,” which revisited a series of important milestones since the Association’s establishment in 2015, summarized its achievements and experience over the past decade, and offered a comprehensive look at its growth and development.

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Dawson Lee

Dawson Lee, Chairman of RUC-NAAA, delivered the opening welcome remarks. He led the audience through the history of the Association’s founding and reflected on the journeys and contributions of generations of alumni.

“The Alumni Association hopes to be a safe harbor when you are weathering a storm, a place to rest when you are physically and emotionally exhausted, a shoulder to lean on when you are desperate and in tears, and a cheering station when you are competing in the F1 race of life,” he said.

He also encouraged younger alumni to become more actively involved in building the Alumni Association and to carry its traditions forward and make them flourish.

Huang Beiqing

Huang Beiqing, Secretary-General of RUC-NAAA, read a congratulatory letter from the alma mater. In the letter, the RUC Alumni Association wrote:

“RUC-NAAA is not only a warm bond connecting the alma mater with RUC alumni living across North America; it is also a strong bridge between Eastern and Western civilizations, promoting dialogue, exchange, and mutual understanding.”

The letter expressed hope that RUC-NAAA would build on its achievements, pass its spirit from one generation to the next, and remain true to its commitment to “always striving at the forefront of the times.”

Yu Yougen

Yu Yougen, Minister-Counselor for Education at the Chinese Consulate General in New York, noted in his remarks that there is a saying in Chinese higher education that places Renmin University of China alongside several of the country’s most distinguished universities.

He said that RUC has made significant contributions to China's educational development, while RUC-NAAA has likewise upheld the University's motto of “Seeking Truth from Facts.” Through building platforms for communication, drawing on the University’s academic strengths and cultural connections, and deepening China-U.S. educational cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, the Association has continued to contribute to mutual understanding between the peoples of China and the United States and to dialogue among civilizations. He said these efforts reflect the sense of national responsibility and commitment to the times shared by RUC alumni.

Xiwen Fan & Yue Jingsheng

Xiwen Fan, Founding Chairman of RUC-NAAA, and Yue Jingsheng, former Chairman of RUC-NAAA, also delivered remarks.

Fan spoke from a humanistic perspective about the importance of alumni relationships, noting that, alongside family and friends, alumni form one of the most important social connections in life. He encouraged the Association to organize more events of this kind, creating an atmosphere in which alumni can relax, connect, and enjoy one another’s company.

Yue shared stories from his own life and reflected on the importance of passing the torch and on the power of collective effort. He encouraged alumni to remain true to themselves and continue on their own paths.

吴Wu Yafeng

Wu Yafeng, Vice Chairman and President of RUC-NAAA, delivered a keynote address titled “Ten Years Together, Making the Most of Our Time” on behalf of the Board of Directors and Management Committee.

Looking back on the Association’s decade-long development, Wu said that RUC-NAAA has consistently taken a broad view while paying attention to practical details, seeking new opportunities while consolidating its foundation, and pursuing development through innovation. Over time, the Association has gradually developed its own distinctive identity and brands.

Guided by its mission of “supporting the alma mater and serving alumni,” RUC-NAAA has adopted “RUC Alumni in North America Are One Family” as its development vision. It has established a dual governance structure centered on the Board of Directors and Management Committee, defined a three-in-one role as a learning, platform, and service organization, and adopted compliance, regularity, professionalism, and diversity as its guiding principles.

The Association has also developed a regular program built around five flagship activities — the Alumni New Year Gala, Summer Gathering, Fall Welcome, Mingde Forum, and Mentorship Program — supplemented by flexible activities and supported by both online and in-person engagement. These efforts connect alumni across regions and industries while strengthening collaboration between the North America-wide Association and its local chapters.

Together, these initiatives have helped create a trusted “home” for alumni — a place where people can support one another, grow together, and find warmth, connection, and mutual encouragement.

Wu said that everything accomplished over the past decade should be viewed as a beginning rather than an end. Taking the 10th anniversary as an opportunity, RUC-NAAA will seek to unlock its internal potential, mobilize external resources, focus on key priorities, and translate plans into action, with the goal of taking its work to a new level.

He said RUC-NAAA would continue to strengthen its compliance and governance, actively support the alumni initiatives of the alma mater, play a leading role among RUC alumni organizations in North America, further develop the North American alumni community, and promote collaboration between the Alumni Association and alumni businesses and professional endeavors.

Wu also announced that Mingde Forum 2025, the Association’s flagship professional forum, would for the first time adopt a main venue + satellite venues format, with events planned for November 15–16 in New York and Vancouver.

The reception was also attended by business representatives and distinguished guests who have supported RUC-NAAA and Mingde Forum over the years, as well as representatives of alumni associations of Chinese universities in the New York area. Wang Shuguang, President of the Greater New York Chapter of the North American Alumni Association of Xi'an International Studies University, presented a calligraphy work bearing the theme “Ten Years Together, Making the Most of Our Time” as a congratulatory gift.

Around the anniversary reception, the RUC Alumni Association, the Chinese Consulate General in New York, RUC alumni organizations in China and overseas, and alumni associations of Chinese universities in the New York area sent congratulatory letters and videos to celebrate RUC-NAAA’s 10th anniversary.

Lifelong Learning, Growing Together

At the anniversary celebration, RUC-NAAA continued to embrace the philosophy of “Lifelong Learning, Growing Together” by presenting two special sessions, giving alumni an opportunity not only to reconnect and socialize, but also to broaden their perspectives and continue learning.

Li Shanquan, a renowned financier with more than three decades of experience on Wall Street and Honorary Chairman of RUC-NAAA, shared his reflections on his career in a presentation titled “A Life in Finance” as he approached retirement.

Rich, engaging, and deeply personal, the presentation resonated strongly with alumni. Li recalled that as a young man he had studied veterinary medicine and served in the military before the true turning point in his life came in 1978, when he was admitted to RUC’s Department of Planned Economy. His education there gave him a foundation combining both theory and practice.

While pursuing a master’s degree in international finance at Brandeis University in the United States, Li wrote a paper on exchange-rate forecasting that received high praise from his advisor and ultimately became his entry point into Wall Street.

For younger alumni interested in pursuing careers in finance, Li encouraged them to identify the right “point of entry,”make full use of existing platforms or build platforms of their own, and develop their influence within the industry. He also said that retirement would give him more time and that he would be happy to continue supporting the Alumni Association and staying connected with fellow alumni.

The session was moderated by Ming Cen, Vice President of RUC-NAAA.

In a separate featured dialogue, Xiwen Fan analyzed the China-U.S. trade landscape, the dominant role of the U.S. dollar, and structural challenges facing the U.S. economy from multiple perspectives, drawing on data and long-term trends.

Fan noted that the U.S. dollar has maintained its dominant position for decades, while its recent appreciation has been unusually pronounced, prompting renewed repricing across global markets. He observed that the United States had for decades consumed more than it produced, while federal debt has now reached $36 trillion, raising questions in the market about the sustainability of dollar-denominated assets.

Fan also suggested that new economic models could emerge in the future. If technological dividends continue to be realized, he argued, the potential for growth in per-capita GDP could be enormous: “We may be moving toward a new stage in which GDP could be a hundred or even a thousand times larger than it is today.”

The session was moderated by Liu Jing, Vice President of RUC-NAAA.

As RUC-NAAA celebrated its 10th anniversary, alumni organizations around the world, fellow Chinese university alumni associations in North America, and friends and supporters also sent their congratulations through videos and letters, alongside greetings from the alma mater and the Chinese Consulate General in New York.

RUC-NAAA expressed its sincere appreciation to all those who sent their congratulations and looks forward to continuing to work together in the years ahead.

Organizations sending congratulations, in chronological order:

Hubei Alumni Association
GDUFS New York Alumni Association
Hangzhou Alumni Association
Southern California Alumni Association
Hebei Alumni Association
Fujian Alumni Association
University-Enterprise Association Overseas Expansion Club
Shanghai Alumni Association
Jiangsu Alumni Association
Chicago Alumni Association
Sichuan Alumni Association
Hainan Alumni Association
Guizhou Alumni Association
Europe Alumni Association
Canada Alumni Association
Henan Alumni Association
Sino-American Financial & Economic Club
Chongqing Alumni Association
Boston Alumni Association
Tianjin Alumni Association
Yunnan Alumni Association
Taiwan Alumni Association
Inner Mongolia Alumni Association
Guangzhou Alumni Association
Australia Alumni Association
Hunan Alumni Association
Michigan Alumni Association
Hong Kong Alumni Association
Mingde Forum Guest Ji Mo
San Francisco Bay Area Alumni Association
Korea Alumni Association
Shaanxi Alumni Association
Zhejiang Alumni Association
Jinan University East Coast Alumni Association