On the morning of February 23, 2023, Huitong School and Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School (PKUSZ) announced a pioneering partnership and sighed a MOU on PKUSZ campus. Representatives from PKUSZ included Zou Yuexian, deputy secretary of the PKUSZ party committee, chair of the labor union, professor at the Information Engineering School; Wu Juan, executive vice-chair of the trade union; Zhou Hang, associate professor at the Information Engineering School and vice-chair of the trade union, and Zheng Lixin trade unionist. Representatives from Huitong included Chancellor Jim Hawkins, Chancellor EA Li Xiaoyun,Director of EMC Zhang Yannan,New media supervisor Liu Chang.
Before the signing ceremony, the two sides discussed international education, personnel training, and Shenzhen's construction and development. Professor Zou Yuexian and principal Jim Hawkins introduced their respective schools, educational objectives, key disciplines, and special programmes.
Professor Zou Yuexian pointed out that since being co-founded by Peking University and Shenzhen Government in 2001, PKUSZ has made remarkable achievements. At the same time, as a new city with vigorous development in the past 30 years, Shenzhen has attracted many high-end talents from home and abroad. Therefore, the supply of high-quality education resources is crucial. For those families who return from overseas, they have a great demand for international and personalized basic education. Huitong is an embodiment of Shenzhen's diversified basic education. PKUSZ is willing to shoulder the mission of building Shenzhen with Huitong to jointly promote the development of Shenzhen's international education.
Chancellor Jim Hawkins said that PKUSZ's development over the past 20 years is impressive, and Huitong is looking forward to reaching in-depth cooperation with PKUSZ. He emphasized: "Huitong is committed to cultivating lifelong learners, so we not only focus on academic and the results of college application, but also on the process of children's growth. We hope to provide children with unlimited opportunities and good learning experience to stimulate their interest in various disciplines, so that they can gain confidence and motivation. Through the development of special projects such as super curriculum, students from Huitong will be able to devote themselves to scientific research and creation at the basic education stage. Furthermore, we will introduce a wide range of reading materials, and encourage them to participate in or create interdisciplinary projects with social impact. We have established links with PKUSZ and other universities to urge students to form a diligent, rigorous, open and innovative university spirit while providing them with more sufficient learning resources. "
After the signing ceremony, the group of Huitong visited the campus of PKUSZ under the guidance of PKUSZ teachers. When seeing PKUSZ's rowing equipment, Chancellor Jim Hawkins talked about his experience as a rower and the achievements of the Huitong rowing team in recent events. Professor Zhou Hang said that rowing is a sport that can be engaged in for life, and he eagerly looked forward to the joint organization of rowing activities between the two schools to promote mutual exchanges. Chancellor Jim Hawkins reiterated that the two schools share the same educational vision, and Huitong hopes to work join hands with PKUSZ and contribute to Shenzhen's development as an educational hub in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.