Harvard College Association for US-China Relations

http://www.hauscr.org

Overview
The Harvard College Association for US-China Relations (HAUSCR) promotes the exchange of ideas and opportuni-
ties between Harvard College students and their Chinese peers. Our mission is based on our four pillars: leadership,
scholarship, citizenship and entrepreneurship, which we uphold with our cross-cultural programs. These programs hope
inspire students from both continents through a combination of education, advocacy, and cultural conversations.

HAUSCR’s advisory board includes Professor William C. Kirby, Harvard’s Geisinger Professor of History and Director
of Harvard’s Fairbank Center for East Asian Research, and the former Dean of the Faculty of the Arts and Sciences, and
Professor Anthony Saich, the Director of the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation, the Daewoo
Professor of International Affairs, and the Faculty Chair of Asia Programs and China Public Policy Program.

History
HAUSCR was founded in Fall 2005 by a group of seven enterprising Harvard College freshmen. In our inaugural year,
we created the HAUSCR Summit for Young Leaders in China (HSYLC), an annual summer conference for Chinese
high school students ever since.

In the first year, HSYLC 2006 recruited 37 Harvard students to create and teach seminars at Xiwai International School
in Shanghai. With generous support from the Goldman Sachs Foundation and American Airlines, HSYLC brought to-
gether approximately 300 high school students from among thousands of applicants to participate in this one-of-a-kind
program. It received extensive media attention throughout China for its mission of cultivating active learning, cultural
exchange, and leadership.

HSYLC
The Harvard Summit for Young Leaders (HSYLC) is an intense forum for cross-cultural exchange between Harvard
undergraduates and Chinese high school students. Held annually in China, this conference aims to stimulate the ability
of China’s youth to lead innovatively, corporate effectively and think critically. It fosters a network of young people from
across China with a commitment to our organization’s four pillars. With the Goldman Sachs Foundation’s generosity,
HAUSCR is able to provide 100% need-based financial aid, which further increases the diversity of participant pool.

In the August 2008, HSYLC was held in Shanghai, China. Three hundred carefully selected Chinese high school
students from over ninety high schools across, along with fifty volunteers from China’s top universities, attended this
eight-day conference.

Seminars
The cornerstone of HSYLC focuses on small seminars led by experienced Harvard undergraduates. These seminars pro-
vide Chinese high school students with an intimate setting and facilitate active learning through discussion and debate.

In 2008, participants attended three daily seminars of their choice. The summit ran two cycles of seminars and each
student was exposed to a total of six seminar courses that focused on a wide array of topics, including international rela-
tions, photography, positive psychology and much more. Surveys showed 87% of respondents felt that HSYLC pro-
vided opportunities unavailable at their home school and 93% felt that their critical and independent thinking skills had
been enhanced.

Distinguished Speaker Series

HSYLC is also proud to be a gathering of prominent figures in the fields of economics, education and social entrepre-
neurship. The eight-day summit provides these Chinese students with resources and opportunities unavailable in most
Chinese high schools. Many students felt these lectures broadened their visions.

In the past year, HSYLC has been fortunate to host Larry Summer, the former president of Harvard University; Ziwang
Xu, the Former Managing Director of Goldman Sachs China; Jason Chen, an EA Games executive; Yuanli Liu, the As-
sistant Professor and Founding Director of China Initiative from Harvard School of Public Health; Huang Jingsheng,
the Managing Director of Bain Capital China; Vivian Wu, an Hollywood actress and the first Asian American judge at
the Cannes Film Festival; Nancy Barry, the former president of Women’s World Banking; and Liao Xiaoyi, a prominent
Chinese environmentalist.

Other past Distinguished Speakers have included: Richard Stanley, the CEP of Citibank in China; Paul Dipaola, the
managing partner of Bain China; and Zheng Han, the mayor of Shanghai.

ATVenture
Action for Tomorrow Venture (ATVenture) is designed to promote social entrepreneurship among Chinese young
leaders. Presented as a set of workshops that provide project designing, problem solving and presentation giving skills,
participants are asked to identify a societal problem, research and develop a comprehensive solution, anticipate possible
obstacles and draft a sustainable budget. Students present their plans at a symposium judged by business leaders and
professionals, based on project’s ingenuity, practicality and impact. Winning proposals receive funding from HSYLC to
help students materialize their plan.

Writing Program
Writing Program explores the fundamental differences between the writing requirements in Chinese high schools and
American colleges. Also taught in small classes, the Writing Program focuses on presentation of arguments and counter-
arguments, as well as writer’s distinctive voice. Broken into three tracks, Journalism, Academic and Personal, the Writing
Program teaches students about different writing mediums and helps them write college essays.

Extracurricular Activities
Adding to the already packed and engaging schedule, participants also have time to bond with each other and their
seminar leaders through extracurricular activities like Bhangra, jewelry making, basketball, swing dance, touch rugby,
ultimate Frisbee, Wushu, yoga, improv dance, jazz dance, and many more. These recreational activities further expose
Chinese high school students to different cultures and languages in an informal setting.

Talent Show
The talent show takes place on the final evening of the conference and is a unique celebration of the diverse talents of the
participants. It encapsulates the conference’s many memorable experiences.

Chapters

HSYLC is in the process of expanding its reach in China by establishing chapters that are coordinated by HSYLC par-
ticipants and volunteers. This will build the HSYLC alumni-network and become a source of new ideas and initiatives.
US Programs
The US Programs committee is planning a weeklong symposium for Spring 2009, which will involve lectures and panels
by distinguished speakers in the fields of business and politics, health and education, media and entertainment, and cul-
ture and society. In conjunction with the symposium, approximately twenty top college students from China will come
to Harvard to share their talents and perspectives on U.S.-China relations with Harvard students. The goal of the sym-
posium will be to increase awareness of the importance of U.S.-China relations and to promote academic and cultural
exchange between our two countries.

Last year, US Programs co-sponsored and co-organized the Initiating Mutual Understanding Through Student Ex-
change (IMUSE) 2008 event in February. Officially endorsed by the 2008 Beijing Olympics Committee, IMUSE 2008
brought fourteen delegates from Tsinghua and Beida Universities in China together with the Harvard community on
campus. Featuring keynote speaker Jet Li, IMUSE 2008 provided two exciting days of discussion and cultural exchange
activities, including Shaolin Meets Hollywood: A Conversation with Jet Li and Chinese Students, a Harvard Wushu
club performance, a panel discussion between the Chinese delegates and Harvard students and China, the West, and a
Salad on the Side: A Dinner Discussion.

Press Coverage
HAUSCR has been extensively covered in the Chinese media, including in print and on television and the web. In
2007, we were also featured on ABC News and the New York Times Magazine.

For more information, please contact:

Marion Liu
Media Director
mliu@fas.harvard.edu
201-606-3999