On April 7, 2026, XJTU held a seminar to featuring the experience and insights of the university's alumni who have studied and worked in Japan. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the founding of the XJTU Japan Alumni Association. Zheng Haiyang, Chair of the Association, was invited to share vivid stories of Jiaotong University students' overseas study and career experiences in Japan, as well as offer professional insights into academic development and career pathways in the country. This event was chaired by Cao Hongquan, Director of the Japanese Department at SFS. Qiu Yuxiang, Vice-Chair and Secretary-General of the XJTU Japan Alumni Association, and Shi Yuxuan, Assistant to Dean of SFS, attended the seminar.
Zheng Haiyang began his sharing by referencing historical archives. From the late Qing Dynasty to the early founding of the People's Republic of China, generations of Jiaotong University students pursued knowledge and strived relentlessly on overseas grounds. At the turn of the 20th century, alumni from Nanyang Mission College were among China's first cohort of government-sponsored students dispatched to Japan. In the following decades, numerous Jiaotong University students pursued advanced studies at prestigious Japanese institutions, including the University of Tokyo, Hosei University, and Waseda University. They achieved outstanding academic accomplishments across science, engineering, literature, history, and art. More importantly, their experience reinforced their national identity and patriotism, forging a sincere commitment and dedication to their motherland.
Zheng Haiyang also mentioned that students from Nanyang Mission College were active in Chinese student associations in Japan. They participated in founding periodicals, which served as a vital source of enlightenment for the spread of modern Western legal and political thought across China. Influenced by the Russian October Revolution and the Taishō Democracy movement, numerous aspiring Chinese youth studying in Japan—including Li Dazhao, Zhou Enlai, and Guo Moruo—encountered Marxism through the works of Hajime Kawakami, a professor at the University of Tokyo. In the summer of 1918, Peng Kang departed for Japan to pursue his studies. The old-system higher schools and the University of Tokyo featured intensive curricula and rigorous assessments. Equipped with solid foreign language skills and a diligent academic attitude, Peng Kang successfully completed all courses offered by the Department of Philosophy, School of Letters.
Today, the XJTU Japan Alumni Association boasts rich event offerings and strong internal cohesion. It organizes regular alumni visits and seminars on cutting-edge technologies for XJTU alumni studying and working in Japan, sustaining a long-standing bond between alumni and their alma mater.
During the Q&A session, Zheng Haiyang, Qiu Yuxiang, and Cao Hongquan answered students' questions concerning overseas studies in Japan, major selection, career development, and academic and career planning against the backdrop of China-Japan relations. They encouraged students to broaden their global vision through China-Japan cultural exchanges, serve national development, and inherit and carry forward the fine traditions of XJTU.
