By Mianmian Fei, Junior Project Manager - Academic Relations

swissnex China, the Science Consulate of Switzerland in China, is the official representative of all Swiss Public Universities in China. Every year, swissnex China holds the Swiss Alumni China gathering in Shanghai, which is the annual biggest Swiss University Alumni event in China, for a network of over 3,000 Alumni from Swiss Public Universities.

The Swiss Alumni China Soirée 2020 took place onboard a cruise ship along Shanghai’s iconic Bund waterfront on 16 October 2020. More than 200 Alumni from over 20 Swiss Public Universities attended the event, some traveling from Beijing, Hong Kong, Taipei and beyond for this special occasion.

This year’s gathering was graced by the presence of the Swiss Ambassador to China Bernardino Regazzoni, who kicked off the event by giving a welcome address. He traced today’s gathering back to the very first Alumni event organized by the Embassy in Beijing in 2008 with only 20 people, and said he was glad to see the awareness as well as the number of attendants growing over the years. He then acknowledged the important roles of Swiss Alumni in China, whose shared experiences in Switzerland as students have not only created personal bonds but also strengthened the friendship between Switzerland and China.

The Ambassador then emphasized that 2020 marks the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relationship between Switzerland and China, and the close ties that the two countries have built over time are a result of countless endeavors and exchanges between the governments as well as between universities and individuals. By the end of last year, there are257 agreements between Swiss and Chinese universities. Over 2,000 Chinese students had chosen to study in Switzerland, while more than 800 Swiss students came to study in China.

This year, the Covid-19 has posed many challenges in maintaining academic exchanges. The Ambassador stressed that Switzerland keeps issuing visas to Chinese students all through 2020 even under the pandemic situation, and he expectsSwiss students to be able to continue their studies in China as they used to do soon. He concluded his address by wishing international mobility to return quickly and people and ideas to circulate unhindered again.

Following the Ambassador’s address, the floor was given to active Alumni Chapters in Shanghai to share the latest news and present their activities. This year, Alumni from the University of St. Gallen formed the biggest group, counting 33 of the attendants. EHL also had 32 Alumni coming, followed by 30 from ETH Zurich, 24 from the University of Zurich, 20 from EPFL, 18 from the University of Geneva, and 11 from IHEID. This was also a chance for the Alumni from the other universities to gather, thus paving the way for new chapters to be created.

The rest of the night was a networking reception complemented with a job fair activity, offering a high-in-demand platform for exchanging job perspectives. At the same time, it was a great opportunity for Alumni to stay connected and share ideas while enjoying an evening cruise along Shanghai's iconic Bund waterfront. The event highlights Switzerland’s excellence in education, research and innovation, with the goal of fostering a strong community in China.

The swissnex China Team would like to give a special thank to the chapters and to our generous sponsors, Shanghai Mingxin Cruise Co.,Ltd, Hero, Lindt, Movenpick, Ricola, and swissmooh! We look forward to seeing everyone again in 2021!

What the Alumni had to say:

“(The event) is cool! I like it! I was quite surprised that there are so many people. Coming here is quite a privilege to me. I took the chance to fly this morning from Shenzhen. I met interesting people tonight, both Swiss people and people across China. I am looking forward to the next event!”

“(The event) is great! You can see the Huangpu River all around. It is beautiful especially at night. On the other hand, you can get to know students who also have experience studying at Swiss Universities.”

“You see so many friends from Switzerland and from China. I would like to thank swissnex China for the great organization of the event.”

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