This morning (February 26),
on the occasion of the 130th anniversary of Shanghai Jiao Tong University,
the donation signing ceremony for the “Ji Hotel Humanities Development Fund”
and the appointment ceremony of Ji Qi as a University Council Member
were held at the Conference Center of the Wenhui Building on the Minhang Campus.
Renowned entrepreneur and Founder of Huazhu Group,
Ji Qi, an undergraduate alumnus (Class of 1989) of the Department of Engineering Mechanics at SJTU and a master’s alumnus (Class of 1992) of the Department of Mechanical Engineering,
donated RMB 100 million to his alma mater
to support the University’s overall development initiatives.
Yang Zhenbin, Secretary of the CPC SJTU Committee; Ding Kuiling, President of SJTU and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Hu Weiwei, Deputy Secretary of the CPC SJTU Committee; Guan Haibing, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC SJTU Committee and Vice President; Zhang Ansheng, Full-time Deputy Director of the University Council; Yu Chaoyang, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC SJTU Committee and Director of the Publicity Department; Yang Ming, Assistant to the President and Director of the General Office of the CPC Committee and the President’s Office; as well as heads of relevant functional departments and schools attended the ceremony. Zhou Guangming, Chief Designer of Ji Hotel; Chen Hui, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer of Huazhu Group; Zhou You, Senior Vice President of Strategy; Zhou Yan, Senior Director of Partner Development; Li Yan, Director of the Office; Jiang Qionger, Chairwoman of the “Tianyi Culture Special Fund” under the Shanghai Culture Development Foundation; Wu Jiong, Chairman of Fenghe Investment Management Co., Ltd.; Yang Zhenyu, Founding Managing Partner of Hanyuan Asset; Huang Jia, Chairman of GLP Investment (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.; Shen Xi, Chairman of Singapore Terry Capital; and other distinguished guests jointly witnessed this warm and meaningful moment. The ceremony was presided over by Hu Weiwei.
In the presence of all distinguished guests, Ji Qi and Ding Kuiling jointly signed the donation agreement for the “Ji Hotel Humanities Development Fund.” Subsequently, Yang Zhenbin and Ding Kuiling presented Ji Qi with a donation certificate and a commemorative plaque in appreciation of his generous support.
Yang Zhenbin and Ding Kuiling jointly presented Ji Qi with the letter of appointment as a Member of the University Council.
From an Engineering Student to a Champion of the Humanities
Founder of Three Publicly Listed Companies
Yang Zhenbin expressed sincere gratitude to Council Member Ji Qi for his generous donation, stating that Ji has “deeply integrated his unique life insights, entrepreneurial wisdom, and humanistic spirit into every step of the University’s high-quality development, demonstrating the sense of responsibility and commitment with which SJTU members uphold the motto ‘Gratitude and Integrity, Devotion to the Nation and the University’ through concrete action.” The establishment of the “Ji Hotel Humanities Development Fund” will help rejuvenate the century-old campus with renewed humanistic vitality, enrich campus cultural life, and strengthen its humanistic foundation, presenting a profound and meaningful gift in celebration of the University’s 130th anniversary.
“Over more than three decades marked by the changing seasons, he set out from the SJTU campus and, with technology as his wings and the humanities as his soul, has written a remarkable life story—from an engineering student to a visionary builder of humanistic ideals.” On behalf of the University, Ding Kuiling delivered a tribute to Council Member Ji Qi.
The tribute outlined Ji Qi’s life trajectory through three phrases—“pursuing truth in scholarship, striving for excellence in enterprise, and reaching the pinnacle in pursuit of perfection.” “Pursuing truth in scholarship” reflects the diligence and perseverance with which he established a solid foundation in engineering at SJTU; “striving for excellence in enterprise” speaks to his founding of three publicly listed companies and his commitment to defining corporate missions as “serving people, bringing joy, and making life better,” embodying the ideal of achieving personal fulfillment by empowering others; “reaching the pinnacle in pursuit of perfection” captures his integration of aesthetics into hotel spaces and philosophy into corporate management, as well as his decades-long, profound exploration of the meaning of life.
Ji Qi’s story is familiar to many. As a benchmark figure in China’s serial entrepreneurship landscape, he founded three publicly listed companies—Ctrip, Home Inns, and Huazhu. Yet few people know that the softer, deeply rooted aspirations within this seasoned entrepreneur were planted more than forty years ago.
In the autumn of 1985, 19-year-old Ji Qi was admitted to Shanghai Jiao Tong University from Rudong, Jiangsu Province. Although he enrolled in the Department of Engineering Mechanics, he preferred spending long hours in the library. Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Heidegger—the lines in those philosophical works illuminated his world like beams of light.
One afternoon during his sophomore year, he sat beneath the plane trees on campus, contemplating a question: What is the purpose of life? Years later, when asked whether he preferred to be called an entrepreneur or a thinker, he replied, “I simply want to be a living, breathing human being.” That answer perhaps explains every choice he made thereafter.
In his remarks, Ji Qi reflected on his years of study at his alma mater. “The seven years I spent studying at SJTU were the most important period of my life. What the University gave me was not only professional knowledge, but also the cultivation of humanistic values and a group of like-minded lifelong friends.”
Speaking about the rapidly advancing era of artificial intelligence, he shared his reflections: “In the age of AI, I hope to invite world-class masters to campus, providing students with opportunities to slow down and experience the spirit of the humanities—so that they may gain as much as I did during my years at the University.”
Alumnus Ji Qi has long remained deeply concerned about the development of his alma mater and has returned to campus on numerous occasions to participate in related activities. At one Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lecture, he shared with SJTU students his decade-long entrepreneurial journey and the extraordinary path he had taken, expressing great pride in his identity as a member of the SJTU community. In 2016, he was appointed Co-Chair of the First Council of the Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Association under the SJTU Alumni Association. In June of the same year, he was invited to speak at the “Symposium on Innovative Talent Cultivation” hosted by the School of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Civil Engineering and at the 205th session of SJTU’s “Inspiration Forum,” where he reflected on his experiences of “Studying at SJTU” and more than two decades of innovation and entrepreneurship, engaging in discussions on pathways for cultivating innovative talent. In 2021, on the occasion of SJTU’s 125th anniversary, Ji Qi returned to campus for交流 and expressed heartfelt gratitude for the University’s nurturing education, great pride in its rapid development, and hope that more outstanding SJTU graduates would contribute to the cultural and tourism industry in the future, advancing the sector’s growth.
Ji Qi attended the 2016 “Innovation · Entrepreneurship · Venture Capital” Alumni Forum
hosted by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Alumni Association
Giving Back to His Alma Mater on the 130th Anniversary
Donating RMB 100 Million in Support of the Humanities
The University will make prudent and effective use of every contribution to ensure that the “Ji Hotel Humanities Development Fund” serves as a bridge between technology and the humanities, enabling more SJTU students to cultivate a warm and compassionate spirit upon a strong foundation in science and engineering.
Where will this fund be directed? The answer is both clear and heartening—
To invite more world-class masters to campus. They may come from diverse fields—philosophy, literature, the arts, or history—but share a common mission: to engage in dialogue with young minds at SJTU and to pass on the spark of ideas to the next generation.
When the insights of great masters become part of everyday reflection, and the nourishment of art permeates youthful minds, the seeds of truth, goodness, and beauty will take root in the hearts of SJTU students, ultimately growing into a lifelong spiritual foundation that sustains and guides them.
Through concrete action, Ji Qi has offered a heartfelt response to the spirit of his alma mater and to the questions of the times, embodying the University motto of “Gratitude and Integrity, Devotion to the Nation and the University.” At this moment, forty-one years have passed since he first stepped onto the SJTU campus.
This gesture of generosity will nourish scholarship and sustain the continuity of culture, like a stone cast into the long river of time. The ripples it creates will inspire generation after generation of students to find their own answers at the intersection of science, technology, and the humanities.
Contributed by: Office of Development and External Relations
Photography: Visual Creativity Center
Editor-in-Chief: Chen Yuyang
Translated by: Zara
Proofread by: Rebecca
