Volume 12 of the Friendship Newsletter brings together member spotlights, scholarship announcements, cultural exchange updates, and a preview of the Academy’s upcoming quarterly calendar — a window into the vibrant community sustaining Nepal-China relations at the grassroots level.
Member Spotlight: Dr. Meena Karki
This issue’s featured member, Dr. Meena Karki, has spent two decades bridging Nepali and Chinese academic communities through her work in comparative linguistics. A Tribhuvan University professor who completed her doctoral studies at Beijing Normal University, Dr. Karki reflects on how the Academy facilitated her earliest connections with Chinese scholars — relationships that have since produced four co-authored research papers and a student exchange pipeline between her departments in Kathmandu and Beijing.
Scholarship Announcements
The Chinese Government Scholarship program for the 2024–2025 academic year has opened applications. This year, thirty-five full scholarships are available for Nepali students across undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs at partner universities in Beijing, Shanghai, Kunming, and Chengdu. The Academy serves as a coordinating body for applicants, offering document review workshops and interview preparation sessions throughout March and April.
Upcoming Events
- Nepal-China Youth Forum — April 2024, Kathmandu
- Chinese Language Proficiency Workshop Series — April through June 2024
- Delegation Visit to Lhasa and Chengdu — May 2024
- Trade Cooperation Roundtable — June 2024, Birgunj
Friendship is not built in conference halls alone. It grows in the everyday exchanges between students, artists, merchants, and families who choose to learn from one another.
Editorial Committee
The newsletter also includes a brief update on the Academy’s new website development, a call for article submissions for the next issue, and a photo gallery from the Chinese New Year celebration held at the Academy’s Kathmandu office. Members are encouraged to share their stories and professional updates for inclusion in future volumes.