Peking University · Full chronicle and history

On October 29, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited Peking University, where he was awarded an honorary professorship and delivered a speech. In his address, he mentioned Cai Yuanpei's experience studying in Germany, cited his advocacy for "freedom of thought and inclusiveness," and called for upholding this spirit.

A joint open letter signed by university students of the republic has surfaced on the Siyuan Lake BBS forum, listing 14 universities including Peking University and Renmin University, calling for the abolition of the unlimited term extension system for the president of the state and the implementation of people's supervision.

The eighth round of inspections by the 20th CCP Central Committee has officially begun, with teams stationed at the Ministry of Education and 31 centrally administered universities including Peking University and Tsinghua University.

Research shows that among the top 30 paper-publishing institutions at NeurIPS 2025, Chinese institutions rose from 6 in 2022 to 12, with Tsinghua University and Peking University ranking near the top; Chinese researchers account for 41% of paper authors, higher than the United States' 34%.

A review by netizens found that Peking University has spent more than it earned over the past 6 years, yet its surplus in 2025 still reached 9 billion yuan.

Peking University News subsequently published a report on Steinmeier's visit, detailing his activities such as playing table tennis with students and faculty and receiving a signed racket, but made no mention of his speech quoting Cai Yuanpei's principle of 'freedom of thought and inclusiveness.'

On September 30, the People's Daily WeChat account People's Sharp Commentary published an article in response, arguing that interpreting "living on a tight budget" as having no money is too narrow a reading; in recent years the budgets of Peking University and many other universities have all kept growing, and the key lies in whether funds are spent scientifically and yield results.

Around September 29, Peking University issued the "Implementation Measures for Meeting the Requirement of Living a Tight Life," making clear that meetings must not be held at 21 scenic and tourist areas, and restricting spending on meetings, training, and travel. The related topic trended on Weibo's hot search, prompting netizens to speculate that Peking University had run out of money.

The second joint "Survey of Chinese People's Private Lives" by Peking University and Fudan University (conducted in 2025) shows that among those aged 25 and under who have a steady partner, about 13% of men and 17% of women have no sex life at all.

On September 17, Peking University issued the "Implementation Measures for Fulfilling the Requirement of Tightening Our Belts," strictly controlling expenditures on meetings, business travel, and asset procurement, explicitly prohibiting holding meetings at 21 scenic spots including Huangshan and Jiuzhaigou. Recently, Beijing Forestry University, Anhui Jianzhu University, and several other universities have also successively issued detailed rules to curtail administrative extravagance.

On Sep 13, an interview featuring Zhao Hong, a professor at Peking University Law School, sparked heated debate after she stated that drug use is a form of self-harm and that cyberbullying reflects inadequate legal popularization. On Sep 15, netizens dug up multiple violent crime cases from the 1990s caused by drug use, questioning whether her remarks were detached from reality.

Peking University issued the "Implementation Measures for Fulfilling the Requirement of Living Tight Lives," drawing attention against the backdrop of an economic downturn.

On August 24, 2026, the Dandong Intermediate People's Court in Liaoning Province held a public first-instance sentencing in the bribery case of Ren Yuzhong, former standing committee member and vice president of Peking University, finding him guilty of taking more than 31.95 million yuan in bribes and sentencing him to eight years in prison plus a fine of 2.6 million yuan.

In August 2026, Peking University professor Zhang Dandan said in an interview that "flexible employment is in itself a form of welfare," triggering strong controversy and criticism among netizens, with critics accusing her of "why not eat meat porridge."

Chinese scholars Wang Hong and Deng Yu won the Fields Medal. When Peking University reposted the relevant report, it quietly deleted Deng Yu's answer regarding his overseas experience, sparking attention from netizens.

The official WeChat account of Peking University quietly deleted the response regarding encouraging students to have overseas experience from an interview with Deng Yu.

Gong Qihuang has been relieved of his duties as president of Peking University. The official announcement made no mention of any new appointment, and he will be succeeded by Gao Song.

Around May 15, 2025, overseas media published a signed article by Zhang Yingjie, an associate professor at Peking University, titled "No Way Out of the Predicament, No Rescue for the System," criticizing the system; afterwards, the editorial office received a letter in her name claiming she had been impersonated and demanding the article be retracted.

University forums such as Peking University's Weiming and Nanjing University's Xiaobaihe have successively restricted off-campus access and require users to register with their real names.

Yitaohutu Forum, one of China's largest campus forums, was shut down by Peking University because it was flooded with political commentary and active discussions about the Sun Zhigang case.

In 1988, Mao Xinyu scored only 109 in total on the gaokao. His mother tried to use privileges to get him into Peking University, but was refused by then-president Ding Shisun on the grounds of "welcome to apply."