Yu Tian Xiu Sociology Fund

Yu Tianxiu (1896-1969), a renowned Chinese-American scholar, was a key figure during the early development of sociology in China and played an active role in advancing the sociology discipline in China.

In the summer of 1920, at the invitation of Cai Yuanpei, then principal of Peking University, Yu returned to China to teach at Peking University. He lectured on courses including "Sociology Principles" and "Schools of Social Thought". Alongside Tao Menghe and several other prominent professors, they became part of the first group of sociologists to teach sociology in China. Over the next two decades, Yu served at several other universities, including Beijing Normal University, Fu Jen Catholic University, the University of Law and Politics (later renamed the Law School of Beiping University), Agricultural University (later renamed the Agricultural School of Beiping University), China University, Chaoyang University, and Cheeloo University.

In 1921, Yu founded the Chinese Sociological Association and served as its first president from 1921 to 1923. This was China's first national academic society in the field. In the same year, he established the Sociology Journal, the country's first national scholarly journal in Sociology. Between 1922 and 1932, the journal had published five volumes and thirteen issues, featuring over 200 articles. In 1933, Yu launched The Chinese Sociological Bulletin, which compiled and published articles from various newspapers and journals. Through founding academic societies and journals, Yu made significant contributions to the early academic development of sociology in China.

In 2012, Yu's daughter, Ms. Hu Yu Jinming, established and funded the "Yu Tianxiu Sociology Fund" at Peking University. The fund supports the Yu Tian Xiu Outstanding Sociology Doctoral Dissertation Award, the first national academic award for sociology doctoral dissertations. This award has been given out annually since its establishment.

PKU- UChicago- HKPU Program

This program encourages exchanges between students and scholars from the three universities. The program offers various scholarships and provides opportunities for master's and doctoral students to participate in international academic exchanges. The collaboration allows students to explore different research methodologies within the discipline. With the diverse expertise from each of the three universities, the program fosters innovative thinking and designs solutions to address societal needs and challenges.

In December 2016, students from the three universities participated in a two-week Winter Institute themed "Globalization, Urbanization, and Migration: Social Policy, Social Work, and Community Responses in Hong Kong, Mainland China, and the US." The event focused on issues related to globalization, urbanization, and migration, specifically examining the social policies, social work, and community development in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and the US. It provided students with opportunities for both theoretical learning and field studies. During the two weeks, participants visited community service centres in Kunming, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong, and engaged in discussions with professors through seminars and workshops.