T

he Ameson Chinese Elite Program (ACE) is the first China-wide program dedicated to providing a formative cross-cultural experience to top performing students from China and the United States.

The first ACE program was held in Shanghai and Wuxi, in Jiangsu Province, in June 2007. The second, held in Nanjing in 2008, hosted students nominated and selected from high schools ranked in the top 100 nation-wide. The ACE Program in 2009 included 300 students from China's top high schools and also saw lectures and workshops from distinguished guests from the University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, University of California Los Angeles, Vanderbilt University and the University of Michigan. ACE 2011 was the first year when American students were invited to participate in the program. 2012's event included nearly two dozen American students, most of whom were U.S. Presidential Scholars. In 2013, the program expanded to include Russian students for the first time ever. In future years, it is hoped that students from France and the U.K. will join in, making the program even more diverse and more valuable as a formative experience for students.

Program basics

Students on stage during the first-ever Model CPPCC eventThe ACE's goal is to help today's youth develop into tomorrow's leaders. The program brings as many as 300 students from top-ranked high schools across China and a few of America's top students together in an environment designed to foster leadership and cross-cultural understanding. Students hear lectures from and interact with academic and government leaders, elect representatives to organize clubs and events, and engage in international summit discussions. Students also participate in the program's flagship activity, the Model CPPCC, an event designed to give students an first-hand understanding of how policy decisions are made in the Chinese government by simulating the process used in the CPPCC: identifying social issues, drafting a proposal to respond to these issues, presenting a case for the proposal, and responding to inquiries and criticisms.  

Some lecutres and seminars that have been held in recent years include:

• Methods of cultivating dynamic personal skills
• Confronting large-scale problems like climate change
• The skills needed to be an elite professional on the global stage
• The particular learning environments at different schools
• Strategies for defining clear personal goals, and the procedure of working toward them

ACE is fully sponsored by the Ameson Foundation, which places a particular focus on students' talents and potential, rather than on their economic family background. Ameson covers students' tuition fees, food and accommodation, with further reimbursement for traveling expenses to those with financial difficulties.

Selecting elite students

Ameson identifies the best high schools in each province on the basis of public information and statistics from governmental agencies. For instance, in our first event, 92 elite high schools from 23 provinces were selected, and a letter requesting recommendations of the best students was sent to the principal of each high school.

In addition to being nominated by their schools, students must also pass Ameson’s entry tests specially designed for this program. No more than three students are selected from each school.Because students from different provinces have varied access to educational resources, Ameson's selection methods are designed to ensure equal opportunity to all students regardless of their regional background.