“I have developed lifelong friendships with my co-fellows. Spending two years with people who shared a similar curiosity about the world ... was a unique blessing for which I am forever appreciative.”
Strengthening friendships across generations
Yali Society
About Yali Society
The goals of Yali Society are simple: strengthen the Yale-China community, connect current and past program participants, and support Yale-China's work. The work of Yali Society is already being done in classrooms and coffee shops around the world, and we are now simply giving it a name.
Former program participants and students of Fellows who live in one of these geographic areas are encouraged to reach out to their regional coordinator; there will also be general opportunities for mentoring, program support, and career networking over the course of the year.
If you know Fellows or students who should be included in our list, or if you would like more information about Yali Society, please contact Yale-China's education program staff at education@yalechina.org.
Regional Coordinators
The following volunteers coordinate the activities of the Yali Society's regional chapters. Feel free to reach out to them if you are in the area.
Boston | Veronica Zhang | ys-boston@yalechina.org
Chicago | Caroline Grossman | ys-chicago@yalechina.org
DC Area | Hugh Sullivan | ys-dc@yalechina.org
Hong Kong | Andrew Fennell | ys-hongkong@yalechina.org
New Haven | Brendan Woo | ys-newhaven@yalechina.org
New York | Jeremy Kutner and Jonathan Lowet | ys-newyork@yalechina.org
San Francisco | John Tang | ys-sf@yalechina.org
Singapore | Adam Click | ys-singapore@yalechina.org
Twin Cities | Jan Kleinman | ys-twincities@yalechina.org
Reconnect
Anyone in our community is encouraged to send contact information updates to yale-china@yale.edu at any time. If you would like more information about Yali Society happenings in a specific area, reach out to one of the regional coordinators.
Let your community know what’s happening in your life and career by sending your “class note” to Yale-China’s 'Roving Ambassador' Mark Sheldon at sharksheldon@hotmail.com.
About the Logo
The Yali Society logo was created by Ming Thompson, an Old Biscuit from 2002, a Fellow at Yali Middle School in 2004-2006, and former Trustee of the Yale-China Association. It incorporates the depiction of Hsiang-ya (Xiangya) Hospital – one of Yale-China's earliest endeavors in both health and education – from the Yale-in-China logo, which was in use before the organization changed its name to Yale-China Association in 1975. This component emphasizes the longevity of the Yale-China tradition and reminds us of the Changsha roots of our work.
The Chinese calligraphy in the logo was executed by Cheng Hao (程浩), a student at Xiuning Middle School in Anhui Province. Xiuning Middle School was the newest site in the Yale-China fellowship portfolio at the time the Yali Society logo was created, and the youth of both the calligrapher and this institutional relationship symbolizes the vision that the work of Yali Society will carry on into the future even while drawing on the past.
The use of both English and Chinese in the logo represents the two-way exchange of teachers and students – whether American or Chinese – that continues long after these individuals have completed their direct involvement with the Yale-China program.
The name "Yali" is drawn from the Chinese name of Yale-China, Yali Xiehui (雅礼协会), and is derived from the transliteration of "Yale" that was in use at the time of Yale-China's founding in 1901.