From March 25^ththrough April 1^st, twenty Tsinghua MBA students along with Associate Dean Zhu Hengyuan hosted twenty Stanford GSB students for the second part of the STEP (Stanford Tsinghua Exchange Program). This trip involved one full week of activities in business, social and academic.

During Stanford’s visit to Tsinghua’s campus inBeijing, they were able to immerse themselves in the whole Tsinghua SEM experience. The Stanford GSB team mingled amongst SEM students in special lecture classes by Associate Dean Zhu Hengyuan onMarket Growth Model and Strategic focus shifting in Emerging Market, Professor Li Dao Kui on Macroeconomics of China, and Professor Lucy Liu on Marketing in China, and Ning Tang of China Growth Capital onChina's Venture Capital Industry and Entrepreneurship Development - Local Observations and Practices.

STEP members at China Construction Bank

Also, Tsinghua SEM organized visits to meet with high-ranking executives from world-class companies: Lisa Du—the Executive Director of Gome, Shawn Wang—CFO of Baidu, Jerome Ma—Director of Government Relations, Michael Yu- Founder ofNewOrientalSchool, Zhou Kui—Partner of Sequoia Capital, Wang Zhi- PR manager of China Construction Bank.

STEP membership at Great Wall

Of course, it was not all hard work! Together, the students from two schools toured theForbidden City,SummerPalace,TempleofHeaven, and Great Wall. Also, students enjoyed a fabulous Acrobatic Show! They enjoyed a variety of delicious Chinese cuisine, having dinners of Peking Duck, Hotpot, Imperial Cuisine, Dumplings, and Dim Sum. The Stanford students now have a greater, more colorful and personal understanding of the Chinese history, culture and future.

STEP, the Stanford -Tsinghua Exchange Program, is between two premier business schools—one inChinaand one in theUnited States. STEP is part of Tsinghua's broader strategy to increase its international presence and provide its students with more global opportunities. The program's aim is to present Tsinghua MBA students with an opportunity to form a long lasting relationship with Stanford MBA students and provide a basis for greater understanding of doing business in China and the US as well as the context of China and the US in the global economy.

The exchange involves a one-week visit by the Tsinghua MBA students to the Stanford GSB during January, and a reciprocal visit by GSB students to Tsinghua inBeijingin the end of March. Visits are organized along three core aspects -- academics, business, and social activities-- with the goal of providing cross-cultural learning opportunities. The visit includes special classes for the exchange partners to work on cases involvingChinaand the global economy, visits to local businesses, and social functions.