On January 25, 2025, the 2025 Hurun Glorious Future Education Awards was successfully held at the Shangri-La Hotel, Shanghai Qiantan. With the theme “Boundless Intelligent Education: Coexistence and Advancement,” the event gathered global education experts, renowned school principals, industry leaders, and cross-disciplinary elites. They engaged in in-depth discussions on core topics such as technology-enabled educational equity, global talent cultivation, and the construction of an industry-education integration ecosystem, injecting innovative momentum into sustainable educational development. Professor Chen Xiaoyun, Chairman of Star Teenagers International Group, Chairman of the Board of Kuala Lumpur University of Science and Technology (KLUST), and President of Anhui Lvhai Vocational College of Business, was honored with the title of “International Education Influential Figure” for his outstanding achievements and dedicated practices in the field of vocational education internationalization. This accolade reflects the industry’s high recognition of his efforts in advancing vocational education internationalization and promoting deep integration between Chinese and foreign education systems.
As a pioneer with over 30 years of dedication in vocational education, Professor Chen Xiaoyun has consistently upheld the original aspiration of “delivering quality education with love,” forging a distinctive path for international educational exchanges through a global perspective and innovative thinking. At the ceremony, a representative from Hurun Research Institute praised him, stating: “With vocational education as a bridge, he has built a connecting link between China and the West, serving as a model figure in the practice of international education in the new era.” This evaluation precisely captures the core significance behind his receipt of this honor.
Deeply cultivating the fertile soil of vocational education in China, Professor Chen Xiaoyun proposed the “Star Youth Talent Training Model”, adhering to the concept of “innovation and entrepreneurship, moral and technical education”, and successfully building Anhui Green Sea Business Vocational College, a provincial-level “double high” institution. The school currently has nearly 10000 students and has provided a large number of versatile talents with excellent skills and humanistic qualities for regional economic development over the years, laying a solid foundation for its subsequent internationalization practice in vocational education and demonstrating its educational philosophy of “empowering education and benefiting the world”.
In response to the national “the Belt and Road” initiative, Professor Chen Xiaoyun led the merger and acquisition of IUKL with keen strategic insight, upgraded and renamed it KLUST, and created a new paradigm in which China led the development of overseas universities. This university, which covers an area of 600 mu and a building area of 340000 square meters, has students from more than 40 countries around the world. It has established the school running concept of “digital foundation building, intelligent drive, AI empowerment”, and has been outstanding in the ranking of ASEAN application-oriented universities. It has become an important member of the “the Belt and Road” strategic alliance of universities. By introducing Chinese vocational education standards and optimizing the curriculum system in combination with the needs of ASEAN industries, precise adaptation between Chinese vocational education standards and international industry demands has been achieved.
In the operational practice of KLUST, Professor Chen Xiaoyun stated that a diversified international education system will be established: a bilingual curriculum standard in Chinese and English will be developed in collaboration with domestic 985 and 211 universities, and will be certified and promoted by relevant departments in Malaysia; Collaborate with multinational corporations such as Siemens and Huawei to establish laboratories and promote a dual track training model of “degree+skills certificate”; Build a “dual mentor system” teaching and research team to promote two-way communication between Chinese and foreign teachers. At the same time, Jilin University of Science and Technology offers 28 undergraduate programs, 16 master’s programs, and 10 doctoral programs, covering more than 50 professional directions, striving to build an international chemistry center that focuses on cutting-edge technology and innovative applications, allowing the wisdom and experience of Chinese vocational education to shine on the ASEAN stage.
When delivering his award speech on site, Professor Chen Xiaoyun said, “This honor is not only a recognition of the individual, but also a recognition of the internationalization of vocational education. Education knows no borders, and we will continue to deepen China ASEAN practical cooperation in education with KLUST as the fulcrum, promote mutual learning of civilizations and people to people exchanges. ”He also reiterated that he will adhere to the original intention of “vocational education going global”, integrate the Party’s educational policies into the entire process of international education, and contribute to the cultivation of innovative talents with an international perspective.
At this education ceremony, Cen Jianjun, former director of the International Cooperation and Exchange Department of the Ministry of Education of China and chairman of the Study Abroad Service Branch of the China Education International Exchange Association, delivered an opening speech titled “Several Characteristics and Trends of International Education in China Currently”. Before giving the report, Director Cen warmly received Professor Chen Xiaoyun and had in-depth exchanges. He fully affirmed and highly praised his pragmatic measures of leading the acquisition of KLUST and deepening international education cooperation in ASEAN. Cen Jianjun stated that the friendship between China and Malaysia has a long history, and the foundation of people to people exchanges is profound. As an important ASEAN country, Malaysia has always maintained a unique and stable good relationship with China. He firmly believes that KLUST can play an important bridging role in deepening education cooperation between China and Malaysia, as well as between China and ASEAN, and reap fruitful results.
During the event, Professor Chen Xiaoyun also had a cordial exchange with Ni Minjing, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and curator of the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, Hu Run, chairman of Hurun Baifu Group, and other leaders and guests at the meeting. Focusing on issues such as the promotion of the internationalization of vocational education and the deepening of the “the Belt and Road” education integration, he exchanged in-depth views and gathered consensus.
In an interview with relevant media, Professor Chen Xiaoyun stated that in the future, we should further promote the “Chinese+vocational skills” model to go global, rely on artificial intelligence technology to optimize the overall allocation of cross-border education resources, and enable more young people to benefit from the dividends of global education. At the same time, as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Kuala Lumpur University of Science and Technology, he issued an invitation to welcome Chinese and foreign educational institutions and enterprises to visit and cooperate, and work together to build a new pattern of mutually beneficial international education ecology.
