China’s Peking University officially opened its first overseas campus just outside Oxford on March 25.

The event at Boars Hill, Oxfordshire was attended by 400 scholars, students, and representatives from China and the United Kingdom.

Founded in 1898, Peking University was originally known as the Imperial University of Peking before it adopted its present name in 1912. It was the first national university covering comprehensive disciplines in China and has been the nation’s leading institution of higher education since it was established.

The opening was part of a three-day event themed on “Integrity creativity futurity” which started on Friday and also featured a symposium and a Peking University history exhibition.

“Today, we stand in the UK campus of Peking University, in a sign of the internationalization of the university has entered a new stage”, said Lin Jianhua, president of Peking University.

“To become a great university, we need to have a more open attitude to participate in international cooperation.”

Liu Xiaoming, China’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, said Peking University HSBC Business School UK campus is a new platform from which to tell China’s story.

“China today has much more to offer than merely kung fu, Chinese food, lion dance. There still is a great more to do to tell the China story. Peking University HSBC Business School UK campus is an excellent platform for this.”

Liu said a good university is a symbol of the national spirit and helps build the cultural identity of a nation. “Peking University is such a university that China is proud of”, he said.

The business school was founded in 2004 to advance Peking University’s involvement in global economics, finance, and management research.

The campus, which began operation this spring, mainly serves students from the UK and Europe. Students will spend their first year on the UK campus and second year on the Shenzhen campus in China.

Additionally, all students enrolled in the Shenzhen program can apply to spend one semester at the UK campus. And the UK campus will offer short-term courses for corporate and business practitioners to learn about and update their knowledge of China’s economic development and policies.