Imperial alumni association revitalised in South China

Over 100 alumni and their guests gathered in Shenzhen, China, on Saturday evening.

The reception, organised by the Imperial College Alumni Association of South China, aimed to revitalise Imperial’s alumni association in the region and was sponsored by alumnus Gavin Zhong (Chemical Engineering 2009), his company Southern Raytai Investment and the Association for Returned Entrepreneurs.

Professor David Gann, Vice President (Development and Innovation) hosted the reception, which was also attended by Ma Yongzhi, Chairman of the Shenzhen Federation of Returned Overseas.

The event included a light show, traditional Chinese music, and a fun group exercise designed to build unity, where the crowd passed a ball around the room by building a path with specially designed plastic tubing pieces.

Professor David Gann with alumnus Gavin Zhong

In his opening remarks Professor Gann said, "I am excited about this evening - it is an outstanding opportunity to build a base of colleagues and supporters here in Shenzhen. The fact that this evening is co-hosted by the Association for Returned Entrepreneurs is important, because entrepreneurship is something Imperial does very, very well."

Ma Yongzhi said that he was honoured to be able to attend the gathering. He congratulated the alumni association on its revival and said that he was pleased to have an opportunity to learn more about Imperial. He noted that as someone who had travelled extensively, he had realised that education was the key to the development of countries and he said he knew the talent in the room would contribute greatly to the future of China.

The current president of the alumni association is Yucheng Lin (Centre for Environmental Policy 2006), who pointed to the history of the association and noted that it was first dreamed up in 2006 and officially launched in 2007. He thanked the government officials for their support, and eloquently described his aspirations for the association, which was that alumni would continue to “grow together, win together, and share successes together”.

Gazin Zhong thanked the crowd and said that the collective memories of living in London and studying at Imperial brought him happiness, and reminded him of the group’s unity. He also spoke of his own studies in chemical engineering, which he said taught him how to be practical and how to make life decisions.

A crucial component of the evening was the opportunity for the alumni gathered to network and make new contacts. Many were unaware that there were so many ex-Imperial students living in the south of China, and the excitement and enthusiasm in the room suggested a bright future for the group.

Those wishing to find out more about the network can contact the current President, Yucheng Lin. Catch up on some of their activities:using the contact details here.