LAPost/City of Industry, CA (September 26, 2026) — By Richard Ren/LAPost

“Regardless of how far away we may be, our alma mater will always be our shared spiritual home and the bond that connects Xidian alumni around the world.”

That message from Xidian University President Gao Xinbo set the tone for an evening of memories, connections and celebration as the Xidian University Alumni Association of America marked its 10th anniversary and Xidian University’s 95th anniversary on September 26 in the City of Industry.

Nearly 200 Xidian alumni, family members and guests from across the United States, along with representatives of Xidian alumni associations from around the world, gathered for the celebration, reflecting on a decade of growth while looking ahead to the next chapter of the overseas alumni community.

Gao delivered his anniversary message by video, congratulating the Xidian University Alumni Association of America on its 10th anniversary and thanking alumni in the United States, former board members and volunteers who have supported the association and contributed to its development.

Looking back over the past decade, Gao noted that the association has gradually built an alumni network spanning the United States, from Silicon Valley and Southern California to New York and Houston. What began as a place for alumni to connect has grown into a broad platform for communication, mutual support and collaboration.

He also highlighted the association’s response during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when alumni organized volunteer efforts to collect and deliver masks, protective equipment and other urgently needed supplies to communities.

“You are walking ambassadors and among the university’s most valuable assets,” Gao said, emphasizing that Xidian remains a spiritual home for alumni overseas. He encouraged the U.S. Alumni Association to continue serving as a bridge among alumni and between alumni and their alma mater.

At the banquet, Yang Jing, president of the Xidian University Alumni Association of America and a 1987 graduate of the Department of Technical Physics, reflected on the organization’s development since its founding in 2016.

The association now has more than 20 regional chapters covering major cities and regions across the United States. Over the past decade, Yang said, it has provided alumni with opportunities for networking, collaboration and resource sharing, while also offering practical support related to education, employment, professional development and everyday life.

“A good alumni association is not measured by how many people it has, but by whether we are there when alumni need us,” Yang said.

In her view, an alumni association should first be “a home,” while also serving as a “bridge” connecting alumni with one another, alumni with their alma mater, and Xidian alumni with the broader communities in which they live.

That spirit of connection has expanded internationally. In 2022, with the initiative of the Xidian University Alumni Association of America, alumni organizations from the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong joined together to establish the Xidian University Overseas and Hong Kong and Macao Alumni Association Alliance.

The alliance has since organized events including overseas Chinese New Year celebrations, an overseas singing competition, distinguished alumni forums and community service activities, strengthening ties among Xidian alumni organizations around the world.

“The 10th anniversary is a milestone, but it is also a new starting point,” Yang said. She pledged that the Xidian University Alumni Association of America would continue serving alumni, supporting the university, participating in charitable activities and serving local communities, while carrying the Xidian spirit forward overseas.

Li Shan, president of the Xidian Southern California Alumni Association, said that over the university’s 95-year history, Xidian graduates have spread across the globe. The role of alumni associations, she said, is to reconnect people who may now live in different cities and work in different fields.

She emphasized the importance of unity and connection, invoking the phrase “Connect, Unite, Speak as One” as a message to Chinese alumni organizations overseas. She called for greater cooperation among alumni associations and continued engagement with local communities.

Chen Yong, president of the Chinese Universities Alumni Association Alliance of Southern California, noted that 2026 also marks the alliance’s 10th anniversary, making the two organizations’ simultaneous milestones particularly meaningful.

Over the past decade, the Southern California alliance has grown to include 88 member alumni associations, representing approximately five million alumni. Chen thanked Xidian alumni for their longstanding participation in the alliance’s cultural, charitable and networking activities, and expressed hope that the two organizations would continue working together to serve alumni and the broader community in the decade ahead.

One of the evening’s memorable moments came from Xu Bo, a graduate of Xidian’s first China-U.S. joint program who is now pursuing further studies at the University of California, Berkeley.

As one of the youngest alumni at the celebration, Xu recalled his first trip to the United States. After arriving at the airport, he and his classmates had to navigate several transfers before finally reaching their destination.

“At the time, we didn’t know anything,” Xu recalled, describing the journey as one of his most memorable experiences as a student.

Reflecting on the China-U.S. program, Xu said its strength came not only from combining educational experiences in China and the United States, but also from giving students early exposure to different learning methods and cultural environments.

Joining the U.S. alumni association gave him another kind of connection.

Xu said that a sense of belonging and a sense of achievement are important parts of a person’s identity. He traveled from Northern California to attend the anniversary celebration because he sees the alumni association as a place where younger alumni can meet senior alumni, seek advice and build a sense of community.

The presence of younger alumni added another dimension to the 10th anniversary celebration: a sense of continuity between generations—from earlier generations of Xidian graduates who came to the United States to study and build their careers, to a new generation pursuing education at American universities.

The afternoon program featured a Distinguished U.S. Alumni Speech and Forum on AI Frontiers and Technology Innovation, bringing together Xidian alumni and scholars from technology, education, medicine and business, including Zhai Shumin, Xie Bing, Shen Bazhong, Professor Shi Weishong and Professor Wang Fei. The speakers shared their experiences and perspectives on artificial intelligence, technological innovation, medical technology and professional development.

The evening banquet featured a 10th anniversary video celebrating the association’s history, along with congratulatory messages from Xidian University and alumni organizations in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Japan, Singapore and other regions.

Alumni representatives from different regions also shared their personal experiences. The program included the presentation of the association’s 10th Anniversary Distinguished Contribution Awards, as well as musical and dance performances.

For many attendees, the celebration was more than an anniversary banquet. It was a reunion.

Some traveled from communities throughout Southern California, while others came from Northern California, Arizona, Washington state, Texas, Florida, New York, New Jersey, the Washington, D.C., area, North Carolina and Delaware.

The evening concluded with alumni and guests singing the Chinese classic “Friends” together. As familiar lyrics filled the room, Xidian alumni from different generations and different parts of the country stood side by side, celebrating a decade of shared memories and looking toward the next ten years.

As Yang Jing noted, a decade of effort has brought Xidian alumni closer together. The 10th anniversary, she said, is not an ending, but a new beginning.

For Xidian alumni who have left campus and built lives around the world, the physical distance may continue to grow. But their shared identity as “Xidian people” remains a bond that brings them together.