From April 17-20, three Hopkins-Nanjing Center students stepped away from their academic routines to travel to Hainan for this year's Yenching Global Symposium, themed “Fortitude: Navigating the Tides of Change”. John Steinmetz HNC MAIS '26, Liu Yinuo HNC MAIS '25, and Eddie Witte HNC Certificate + SAIS MAIR '26 were selected from a pool of over 6,000 applicants to be three of the 90 delegates chosen to partake in the event. Launched by students at Yenching Academy of Peking University, the Yenching Global Symposium is a chance for various scholars and professionals to engage in dialogue surrounding current global and national challenges through academic panels and experiential activities. This post highlights John, Yinuo and Eddie’s experiences with the application process, their perspectives on the event, and their recommendations for future HNC students interested in applying.
Yinuo, John, and Eddie posing at the symposium (respectively)
The Application Process
The application for the Yenching Global symposium is thorough, including multiple essays and even a video component. John heard about the symposium through the weekly China / Asia Pacific Focused Jobs and Opportunities newsletter curated by Hopkins-Nanjing Center Career Services. After learning about the event in the newsletter, he was further encouraged by Eddie, who was already familiar with the Yenching Global Symposium and already planning to apply himself. Yinuo came across the opportunity when it was posted in the HNC Student WeChat Group and decided to apply as well.
For the application itself, HNC’s classes were very relevant and helpful in the writing process. “For a lot of my responses, I used content I had been learning in class,” said John. “For questions like, pick a modern issue that China has been dealing with, I discussed debt restructuring. Debt restructuring is something I had never heard about before taking a class taught by Professor Paul Armstrong-Taylor, and it was something nobody really talks about, so I believe it made my application stand out among all the other applicants.”
For future HNC students interested in applying for the Yenching Global Symposium, Eddie offered some words of advice: “It is important to align your responses to the theme of the event. Keep in mind the goals of the host organization and align that with your application materials. That is not to say you can’t have nuanced opinions, but it is important to keep in mind the tone and the type of program that they are running.” Eddie also recommended that HNC students continue to recognize and utilize their comparative geographical advantage during the application process, saying “The Yenching Global Symposium wants to include students from SAIS and the Hopkins-Nanjing Center. Although the Yenching Global Symposium did fly in people from all over the world, since we are already located in China, it's much more convenient and cost-effective for HNC students to attend.”
Perspectives on the Event
The event took place from April 17 through April 20, and included numerous academic panels led by experts invited to the event and moderated by Yenching students. Activities also included field trips and experiential learning, such as company visits and a trip to a local museum, and, of course, plenty of time to network among peers and with the experts presenting at the symposium. Reflecting on her experience at this year's Yenching Symposium, Yinuo said “Overall it was a great opportunity to hear opinions from all around the world. The symposium brought together students from all over Europe and Asia, including countries from the middle east and southeast Asia. I had the opportunity to hear a wide range of opinions on local issues.”
Eddie echoed this sentiment, describing the symposium as a valuable chance to “expose yourself to different ideas and backgrounds you otherwise would never interact with.” Eddie said, “I met a lot of people that had totally different perspectives compared with the predominately Chinese and U.S. centered viewpoints we are exposed to at the HNC. For example, I met students from African countries who have moved to China for their master's degree through programs connected to the Belt and Road Initiative. Without participating in events like the Yenching Global Symposium, it's difficult to get the opportunity to interact with someone like that as an American.”
These unique interactions that John, Yinuo, and Eddie describe also included numerous chances to network among peers and the experts attending the event. Furthermore, “the invited guests in the panels and the other students were very willing to chat privately as well as add WeChat, Instagram, LinkedIn or whatever form of connection you prefer,” said Yinuo. “Everyone who was there had the intention of connecting.” John agreed with Yinuo, saying “it was great networking with peers and experts with experience in the China sphere, and this was really supported by the event as there was even a LinkedIn group created at the end with all the delegates who elected to join and provide a way to stay in touch professionally.”
Hopkins-Nanjing Center students who are interested in applying for the Yenching Global Symposium in the future can do so knowing that our peers have had wonderful experiences and strongly recommend anyone interested in applying. John also would like to add, “since I have experience and I will be here next year at the HNC, I’d be happy to help people with their applications.” Incoming HNC students should feel free to reach out to him with any questions about the 2026 Yenching Global Symposium Application.
Written by Aidan James O'Loughlin MAIS '26
