I grew up in a small village in Taixing County, Jiangsu Province, located in the Yangtze River Delta, which comprises Shanghai, Zhejiang, Anhui, and Jiangsu. In 1978, when China announced the Open Door policy, I was a 12-year-old dreaming of a life free from worries about basic needs. Today, the Yangtze River Delta region has become one of the largest and most economically dynamic regions in China and the world. It was here, in Haining, at the heart of the Yangtze River Delta, that the story of Zhejiang University International Business School (ZIBS) officially began in 2018, on the Zhejiang University International Campus. It was then that my new dream—the global rise of Chinese universities—set sail with the winds of ambition.
Guided by the Zhejiang University spirit of “Seeking truth and Pursuing innovation”, rooted in Zhejiang's entrepreneurial soil and the global prominence of the Yangtze River Delta, ZIBS carries the mission of driving the transformative development of Chinese business education in the new era. With the ambition to build a science & technology-focused premier global business school from China, ZIBS adheres to the core principles of our “5i” philosophy: International, Interdisciplinary, Innovative, Inclusive, and Integrative. Anchored by its strategic pillars of globalization, digitalization, and ecosystem, ZIBS is steadfastly advancing the high-quality, high-standard, and rapid development of “the world’s first ZIBS”, aiming to make positive contributions to the development of world-class universities and outstanding disciplines with Chinese characteristics.
As we entered the VUCA era - a time characterized by Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity, ZIBS keenly perceives the complexities of the shifting global landscape and the disruptive opportunities and challenges brought about by technological innovation. Guided by the principles of global vision, interdisciplinary integration, and innovation-driven education, we are committed to nurturing talents who will become pioneers of innovation, embracing the future and actively shaping the world’s path forward.
At ZIBS, we are dedicated to providing high-quality cutting-edge Business +” education, and building diverse, interdisciplinary exchange platforms.
At ZIBS, we aim to contribute unique strengths to global development and explore new paths to sustainable progress in the context of a shared global community.
At ZIBS, we are not only observers of global trends but also active drivers of transformative change on the world stage.
For us, ZIBS is far more than just a traditional business school; it is an innovation-driven ecosystem that brings together global leaders from government, industry, academia, research, and entrepreneurship, to amplify the impact of Chinese universities on the global stage.
Let us embrace ZIBS motto — Connecting the World, Shaping the Future—and join hands to let the world be the world of ZIBS!
BEN Shenglin
Dean of ZIBS
