On November 22, 2024, the usually quiet courtyard at 71 Nanchizi Street, Beijing, was bustling with activity. Nearly 30 teachers and students from Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Renmin University of China were invited to the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs (CPIFA) as visitors for the Institute’s first Open Day event.

Wang Chao, President of CPIFA, extended a warm welcome to the visiting teachers and students. He said, the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs is as old as the People’s Republic of China. Established on December 15, 1949, it is New China’s first institution dedicated to people-to-people diplomacy. The Institute was personally initiated by Premier Zhou Enlai who served concurrently as Foreign Minister at that time, and Premier Zhou acted as its honorary president until his passing. We will soon celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of CPIFA. Over the past 75 years, CPIFA has adhered to the principle of making friends for the country, and has done a large amount of work in stabilizing state-to-state relations, promoting people-to-people friendship, facilitating practical cooperation and conducting dialogues among different civilizations. On the new journey, guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, CPIFA will remain true to its original aspiration, keep  forging ahead, and make unremitting efforts toward the goal of  promoting China's major-country diplomacy on all fronts and advancing Chinese modernization by further deepening reform comprehensively. By holding the Open Day event and launching a WeChat official account, we hope the public would gain a better understanding of CPIFA and its work of people-to-people diplomacy. We welcome your ideas and suggestions to jointly contribute to promoting friendship between the Chinese people and people of other countries, growing state-to-state relations, and building a community with a shared future for mankind.

In Siyuange, the teachers and students stood in front of the bronze bust of Premier Zhou Enlai, remembering the remarkable contributions of this great man in pioneering the people-to-people diplomacy of the Communist Party of China and New China, appreciating the profundity of the foreign policy made by the revolutionaries of the older generation, including Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai that we should “ground our work in the people, keep the people in mind, and place our hopes on the people”. The historical photos on the wall reflected how the successive generations of major leaders of the People’s Republic—Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping valued and were personally involved in the cause of people-to-people diplomacy, recording the development of CPIFA over the past 75 years and some of the major diplomatic activities it participated in. It was a truly inspiring experience.

Yingbinlou is the oldest building in the CPIFA compound. It was built in 1919, and was originally the library of the Chinese Social and Political Science Association. The staff of CPIFA introduced the historical evolution of the building, and showed the visitors the historical archives, literature and CPIFA periodicals on display.

The on-site survey by relevant departments suggest that the underground of CPIFA backyard contains the foundation of imperial buildings of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. This place was originally used by Emperor Jiajing to worship his late biological father, and later in the Qing Dynasty, was Menshenku, the storehouse of door-god ware. Today, the three quaint, charming buildings are finely modeled on the original courtyard layout and architectural style, and are venues for CPIFA in receiving foreign guests. In the largest Juxian Hall, the East and West Hall, gifts from foreign guests, as well as pictures of the historical relics of the Ming Dynasty buildings and certain objects unearthed in the courtyard of CPIFA are on display.

The International Conference Hall was the last stop of the Open Day event. CPIFA Vice President Zou Xiaoli, talked about his understanding about people-to-people diplomacy in the new era in light of CPIFA work and his own experiences, and interacted with the visiting teachers and students. Deputy Secretary General Zhang Lu chaired the session.

Yu Jinsong, Secretary General of CPIFA, attended the Open Day event.