Libby Passau of the New Zealand Centre Advisory Board Visits Peking University

10/10/2018  Libby Passau, Secretary of the New Zealand Centre at Peking University Advisory Board, visited the NZC and the New Zealand History and Culture Class and met with NZC Centre staff and academics PKU.

On the 10th of October, Libby Passau, the Office Coordinator, International Office at the University of Auckland and Secretary of the New Zealand Centre at Peking University Advisory Board, arrived at Peking University and was warmly welcomed by the New Zealand Centre. Meeting with Sam Steel, a Liaison Intern at the New Zealand Centre, Libby began the day with a tour of the Peking University campus, including the unnamed Lake and the Sackler Museum.

Afterwards, Libby met with Professor Liu Shusen, Director of New Zealand Centre at Peking University, and Associate Professor Liu Hongzhong, Secretary of the New Zealand Centre. They discussed the successful visit to New Zealand in August when, along with three fellow academics from Peking University, Liu Shusen and Liu Hongzhong had very productive meetings at five New Zealand universities (University of Otago, Victoria University Wellington, Waikato University, University of Auckland and Massey University). Libby advised that the call for the 2019 Visiting Fellowships to the New Zealand Centre had gone out, with applications closing at the end of the week.  In 2018 six Visiting Fellows have already visited Beida, with three more to come in October and November.

In the afternoon Libby attended the New Zealand History and Culture class run by the New Zealand Centre as an elective for undergraduates studying at Peking University. Professor Peter Lineham, a professor in History from Massey University, was the residing lecturer that week. As secretary of the New Zealand Centre Advisory Board, Libby is in constant contact with both the Chinese side and the New Zealand side of the Centre so it was excellent to have Libby observing the class and meeting with some of the students attending. Mia Chung and Sam Steel, two of the New Zealand Centre Liaison Interns, who assist with the marking and support for the students, also attended the lecture, as they do each week.

After class Libby joined a gathering hosted by Professor Liu Shusen. The party also included A/Professor Liu Hongzhong, A/Professor Bi Minghui of the School of Arts, and Dr Ma Naiqiang of the School of Foreign Languages, all of whom were part of the delegation to New Zealand in August. Professor Peter Lineham, Yuanhe Zhang a Beida PhD student and Daniel Cullen, a Liaison Intern at the New Zealand Centre, also attended the dinner which was a very enjoyable occasion.

The following day Libby was fortunate to be taken on a guided tour of the Forbidden City by A/Professor Bi Minghui and Yuanhe Zhang. She was amazed by the history and grandeur of the Forbidden City and lucky to have seen it on a blue sky day.

Libby said that she was very pleased to have been given the opportunity to visit the New Zealand Centre for the second time and was grateful for the very kind hospitality she received.

Click here to read more news and events stories...