Time flies, and the Peking University–Lincoln Institute Center for Urban Development and Land Policy (PKU-Lincoln Center) is now celebrating its 15th anniversary. It has been fourteen years since I first connected with the Center. Over these years, I have watched the Center thrive and expand, while the Center has nurtured me from an inexperienced student into a professional scholar specializing in urban research. Today, I carry forward the torch of knowledge passed to me by the Center and continue to share academic insights with my own students.

Looking back on these fourteen years, the Center has been like a devoted, tireless mother who spared no effort to foster my growth. I first visited the Center in September 2008. I had just entered my fifth year of undergraduate study and secured a postgraduate recommendation. I approached Professor He Canfei to pursue a master’s degree under his supervision, and he referred me to Professor Many Yun. Under the guidance of these two mentors, my postgraduate journey began. Like parents tutoring young children with their homework, they walked me through every detail: how to process data, construct research frameworks, and draft academic papers. Professor Many once used a vivid analogy: conducting empirical research is much like cooking. Once all raw ingredients are ready, different combinations of produce yield dishes with distinct flavors. With their patient, meticulous guidance, I gradually learned the fundamentals of academic research.

When I first embarked on independent research as a junior scholar, the Center offered me tremendous support. Following my doctoral graduation, the Center awarded me a two-year postdoctoral fellowship, which laid a solid foundation for accumulating research outputs and sharpening my academic capabilities. During my postdoctoral appointment, the Center also arranged a research exchange visit to the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy in the United States. There, I established close collaborative research ties with Professor Andrew Reschovsky and other academics, a partnership that endures to this day.

After I joined the Capital University of Economics and Business, I struggled with uncertainty over my research agenda, as I needed to align my studies with the school’s disciplinary development priorities. Dr. Liu Zhi, Director of the Center, repeatedly offered encouragement and guidance. Every conversation with him broadened my thinking, boosted my research confidence, and helped me define my interdisciplinary research focus. In addition, junior scholars generally face limited access to research funding, yet the Center’s Youth Research Grant provided stable conditions that allowed me to fully concentrate on my academic work. Supported by the Center and encouraged by Dr. Liu, my research team and I published multiple high-quality SSCI journal articles. Building on these existing research outcomes, I successfully obtained a National Social Science Fund project this year, paving the way for sustained research in the years ahead.

Beyond academic training and funding, the Center has built a broad, high-caliber research platform that vastly broadened my research horizons and expanded my academic network. As an international research institution, the Center regularly invites leading urban studies scholars to deliver lectures, training sessions and various academic events. Every time distinguished guests visited, faculty members encouraged us to engage in direct dialogue with them, creating abundant learning opportunities. Furthermore, the Center participates in numerous cross-institutional research projects. Taking part in these projects allowed me to connect with many fellow scholars in urban studies and build solid collaborative partnerships that have sustained joint research ever since.

The Center is a warm, caring big family that has brought me immense comfort in daily life. We are far more than mere colleagues working side by side — we are like family living together. Throughout my years studying and working at the Center, Sister Jin Tao, Sister Zhao Min, Liu Wei and Wang Zheng offered me countless forms of assistance. We shared all of life’s joys and sorrows together and forged close, lifelong friendships.

I am endlessly grateful to the Center. Happy 15th Anniversary!