Peking University officially kicked off the 2022-23 school year by welcoming 4,457 incoming undergraduate students on Sunday.

PKU Council Chair Hao Ping and President Gong Qihuang, as well as other university leaders and faculty members, greeted incoming students at the orientation event, extending a warm welcome and congratulations to the new faces.

A student orientation event was held at PKU's Khoo Teck Puat Sports Complex where incoming students were registered, got to know one another, and posed for photos with school mascots.

"The ethos of Peking University really impresses me…and I love its free atmosphere," said Zhang Kaiyue, a freshman at the School of Electronics Engineering and Computer Science. The 18-year-old disclosed that skating on Weiming Lake this winter was what he was looking forward to most at university, and that he was looking forward to getting to know like-minded classmates.

This year, 1258 international students are expected at PKU, including 363 undergraduates, 538 graduates and 357 nondegree seeking students.

Speaking of her impressions, Elena Kozhevnikova, a first-year doctoral student from Russia who received her master's degree at Peking University said, "I feel like the campus has become even more beautiful, with the newly decorated teaching buildings."

When asked about why she had chosen Peking University for the second time to study Chinese linguistics and applied linguistics, Elena's answer was simple. "Peking University has always been my one and only option," she explained. "To study and develop a deep grasp of the Chinese language, where else can I go?"