On August 28, 2025, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m., the Center held its Fall Welcome Gathering and Academic Exchange to mark the beginning of the new semester. The event combined a community dinner with scholarly exchange, aiming to foster connections among visiting scholars and create an inclusive academic environment.
The program opened with remarks from Professor Yan Song, Director of the Center, who extended a warm welcome to all participants and offered guidance on making the most of their visiting experience. She expressed her hope that scholars would find their time both productive and enjoyable.
The academic session featured a presentation by Dr. Jiaqing Zhang, a Ph.D. candidate in Land Resource Management at China Agricultural University. His talk, “Can the Market Entry of Collective Commercial Construction Land Alleviate Local Governments’ Fiscal Dependence on Land? — Evidence from Double/Debiased Machine Learning,” employed advanced econometric techniques to explore the fiscal implications of land reform. The presentation sparked lively discussion and exchange among attendees.
The gathering not only facilitated meaningful academic dialogue but also strengthened connections within the Center’s community, setting a positive tone for collaborative research in the new semester.