It was a memorable moment. On Sept 21, *entrepreneur Xiong Xinxiang and the president of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Li Yanrong, firmly shook each other’s hands on stage.

那是一个值得铭记的时刻。9月21日，企业家熊新翔和电子科技大学校长李言荣的手在台上紧紧地握在了一起。

Xiong, CEO of the Born Group, had just donated an *unprecedented 1.03 billion yuan to his *alma mater.

博恩科技集团董事长熊新翔，刚刚创纪录地向母校捐赠了10.3亿元。

“I have feelings for every blade of grass and every tree on campus. My heart always feels warm, when I think about my time in this very university”, Xiong said during the ceremony.

“我对电子科技大学的一草一木都是有感情的，每当回想我的大学时光都感觉很温暖”，在捐赠仪式上，熊新翔如是说道。

Xiong’s remarks reflect an emerging trend where an increasing number of alumni who graduated from Chinese universities are becoming more inclined to give back to their alma mater.

熊新翔的言辞也反映出了一个日益明显的趋势：越来越多中国大学毕业的校友愿意回馈母校。

Back in 2015, a total of 12 domestic universities received single donations exceeding 50 million yuan from their alumni. And a recent report released by the China Charity Alliance shows that alumni contributions have accounted for a large portion of the money received.

2015年，共有12所国内高校收到了超过5000万元的校友单笔捐赠。而中国慈善联合会近期发布的一项调查报告显示，校友捐赠已成为高校收入的一大部分。

Donations from alumni have been *utilized in a number of ways. Last year, Jiangnan University in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, founded an alumni association for its medical school to enhance contact with alumni at home and abroad, as well as to encourage cultural exchanges.

这些校友捐赠被用于许多方面。去年，位于江苏省无锡市的江南大学成立了医学院的校友会，以加强海内外校友的联系，促进文化交流。

A few months ago, the alumni association of Sichuan University sponsored a campus exhibition featuring work produced by its alumni stationed worldwide.

几个月前，四川大学校友会发起了一项校园展览，展示世界各地校友的作品。

And in Beijing, the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE) launched its own startup accelerator this year.

而在北京，对外经济贸易大学(UIBE) 今年也启动了自己的创业加速器。

Startup incubator

创业孵化器

As the first success of this *venture, named Uiber Innovation, a crowd-funded cafe-come-incubator designed in the style of a Starbucks coffeehouse was launched.

优博众创成立了一家星巴克设计风格的众筹咖啡馆，而它也是这一风险项目的首例成功案例。

Doris Li, operations manager of Uiber Coffee, says the site is also a startup incubator aimed at UIBE students and alumni.

优博咖啡的运营经理Doris Li 称此场所也是为针对外经贸大学学生及校友而设的创业孵化器。

Founded by executives, as well as regular MBA students of UIBE, the startup has already generated 2 million yuan in seed capital.

该创业项目由行业高管及对外经贸大学在读的工商管理研究生创立，已经产生了200万元的种子资本。

The first cafe is expected to help and coach more than 1,000 young people, breaking even in one to two years. The site could even *spawn a chain of similar facilities in areas where UIBE students and alumni work and live “nationwide” and “even worldwide as they are settled across the globe”, Li told China Daily.

首家咖啡馆预计将会帮助并指导超过1000名年轻人，甚至在一两年内打破这一数字。该咖啡馆甚至还能在对外经贸大学学生及校友生活工作的“全国”甚至“他们生活定居的世界各地”形成一系列类似的设施，Doris Li在接受《中国日报》采访时表示。

The UIBE alumni association has already committed to using the cafe as its regular meeting hall, and the business school of UIBE has created crash courses in innovation and entrepreneurship for the cafe’s customers.

对外经贸大学校友会已经将该咖啡馆用作例会的会议室，而对外经贸大学商学院也为咖啡馆的顾客们开设了创新和企业家气质的速成课。

In addition, free *mentoring will be on offer, with UIBE professors doubling up as part-time mentors.

除此之外，对外经贸大学的教授还会作为业余导师，提供免费指导。

“Our key goal is to offer a *serene atmosphere and infrastructure for tomorrow’s entrepreneurs to meet, brainstorm, develop ideas, make pitches and presentations to prospective investors,” Li said.

“我们的主要目标是为明日的企业家们提供一个会面、发散思维、发展创意、向潜在的投资者们演讲游说的平静氛围和设施，”Doris Li说道。

Alumni associations have gradually been one of the main forces providing vital support to universities. But at the same time, alumni have also been receiving benefits while contributing to their alma mater.

校友会已逐渐成为向高校提供重要支持的主力。但在为母校做贡献的同时，校友们也从中获益。

“It will create mutual benefits for universities and alumni,” Qiao Haishu, a professor from Hunan University, told China Daily.

“这为高校及其校友创造了共同利益，”湖南大学教授乔海曙在接受《中国日报》采访时表示。