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Kiwis at Peking University

Charles Rowe, our first Youth Intern, has spread his wings and is now the Liaison Officer for the New Zealand Centre  at Peking University where he is working and studying for a Master’s degree in International Relations at the School of International Studies, Peking University and he serves as a teaching assistant  for the NZ History and Culture undergraduate course (when in session).

Dave Bromwich and Charles Rowe (fourth and third from right) with Kiwi  youth leaders, at New Zealand Centre, Peking University, March 2014

NZCFS President Dave Bromwich (fourth from right) and Charles Rowe, liaison for the New Zealand Centre (third from right) with Kiwi youth leaders, at the New Zealand Centre, Peking University, March 2014.
Other attendees (from left to right) are:
Christiana Zhu of Wild China Group; Jessica Rowe of CCTV; Clinton Watson, James Bertram Scholar at Peking University; Ashton Jones of Beijing Language and Culture University; Mea Mackay of Wigram Finance, Dunedin; Sophie Mazzone-Olissoff of Tsinghua University; Simone van Nieuwenhuizen of Peking University and Marissa Toomata, also of Peking University.

Charles recently welcomed our President, Dave Bromwich, to the  New Zealand Centre, to meet an invited group of Kiwi youth leaders (who are all working in Beijing) to present recent developments involving the NZCFS youth initiative.   Amongst the group were visiting Confucius Institute scholarship recipients, China Government Scholarship recipients, a James Bertram Scholar and young entrepreneurs recently settled in Beijing undertaking various endeavours in the fields of journalism and marketing.

To read the whole story, click HERE

Charles has also had some very interesting encounters, some good and some challenging experiences:

He states that one highlight was a University of Otago alumni meeting for all the Chinese graduates from Otago living in Beijing. “It was absolutely brilliant, and the Otago alumni directors were simply astonished at the turnout and how positive everybody was – they’re scratching their heads how to make a network.”  He also attended the club arranged by the embassy for Kiwis passing through and living in China.  It was an opportunity to meet some good people from business circles. He feels strongly, however, that the NZCFS are the only people interested in getting behind a working network for youth in China and he’s of the opinion that it’s up to NZCFS youth to do it!”

Charles hopes to organise soon a big meeting, bringing all the Chinese graduates of NZ universities together and introduce them to the young kiwis living in Beijing.

Charles was initially supported by the NZCFS RAFE fund, but is now on a Chinese Government scholarship.

Teri France, April 2014