“We share similar culture and rules when playing ice hockey, and this universal language played a big role through my childhood to university,” says Xu Hehao, an alumnus of Schwarzman College, who now pursues a career in physical education as an ice hockey teacher at Tsinghua.

Xu’s affinity for ice hockey began at the age of three, and the sport soon became a huge part of his family connecting all members. At Bates College, it once again bridged connections among peers from diverse backgrounds. This inspiration led him to initiate the 2019 Beijing International Collegiate Hockey Tournament, featuring teams from eight countries.

In Xu’s list of priorities, sports hold great significance, but he places even greater faith in the transformative power of education to promote sports. Envisioning a positive flourishing of the sports industry, he considers “No Sports No Tsinghua” as one of the university’s most compelling slogans, positioning sports as the university’s core value.