25 Years of Bridging Educational Cooperation Across the Pacific:

A Celebration for the Center on Chinese Education at Teachers College, Columbia University

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Center on Chinese Education (CoCE). To celebrate this important milestone, the Center and its partners, alumni, and supporters organized a series of academic events and activities at Teachers College, Columbia University, from October 13 and 18, 2025. The anniversary celebration opened with a strong affirmation of the Center’s historic mission—to serve as a bridge for understanding education in China and to advance educational exchange between the United States and China. Since its establishment, CoCE has worked to advance this mission through three key pillars: research and development, education and training, and outreach and exchange. 

During the week-long academic program, the Center hosted seven scholarly events featuring more than thirty distinguished scholars from eleven leading universities across China, the United States, and Canada. Together, these events drew on philosophical foundations, educational inquiry, and cross-cultural dialogue, presenting a rich intellectual exchange that bridged ancient wisdom with contemporary practice. The 25th-anniversary symposium exemplified CoCE’s core mission—to promote understanding through research, foster mutual growth through dialogue, and advance future innovation through education.

Looking ahead, twenty-five years of dedicated development marks both a milestone and a new beginning. CoCE will continue to deepen educational exchange between China and the United States with openness and vision. May this dialogue continue to flourish, drawing together the wisdom and commitment of colleagues across borders: advancing cross-cultural scholarship and collaborative practice, and contributing to shared global understanding and peace.

The 25th anniversary of the Center on Chinese Education marks not only a milestone in the Center’s history, but also a renewed commitment to its founding mission: to deepen mutual understanding through education, scholarship, and global dialogue. Over the past quarter-century, CoCE has brought together generations of scholars, practitioners, and students from China, the United States, and around the world to share ideas, advance research, and build enduring bridges of trust and cooperation.

With openness, mutual learning, and a forward-looking vision, the Center remains committed to fostering educational collaboration that transcends borders, enriches communities, and contributes to a more inclusive, interconnected, and peaceful world. The next chapter begins with the same conviction that guided its founding: education is a bridge—and through dialogue and shared endeavor, we build a future together.

Read about the highlights of each session below: