In the aftermath of World War II, under the influences of economic development, technological revolution, and globalization, nearly all countries and regions have undergone great changes. China has been no exception, and has also been undergoing a great social transformation of unprecedented rapidity and scope. Since the reform and opening up, China's GDP per capita has increased by 64 times in the past three decades. The country has rapidly completed the second demographic transition with fertility dropping significantly; and the expansion of our post-secondary education system has allowed 25% of the population in China to complete college education, which is comparable to the United States. Moreover, profound transformation has taken place in other fields such as social stratification, features of rural and urban areas, family, values and attitudes, etc. These social changes since the late 20th century have not only changed the lives of 1.3 billion people in China, but have also impacted the life of people across the globe.

As social science researchers, we are fortunate to live in such a unique era in Chinese history and to witness these profound changes. We are also privileged to live in an age where knowledge and information are highly valued. With the developments that have occurred in empirical social sciences, we are well-equipped with methods, techniques, and tools to document this phase of history, to study and understand the people of this era, including ourselves.

Against this background, Peking University established the Center for Social Research (CSR) in 2013. As the director of the center, my first expectation of the center is that it will grow into a world-class infrastructure for empirical social science research. I envision that it will facilitate rigorous and serious empirical research on myriads of social phenomena in Chinese society, and foster a more professional and tolerant atmosphere for quantitative social research in China. Currently, our studies mainly focus on three topics: (1) social and economic inequality, (2) family, (3) child development and education. We plan to broaden our work to cover other social issues such as (1) population change, (2) economic development and livelihoods, (3) the relationship between ethnicity and religion/education/health/attitudes, etc. By conducting this scholarly work, we will be able to more accurately and comprehensively capture and understand social change in contemporary China.

My second expectation of the center is that it will provide an institutional home to cultivate and train scholars who can advance the long term development of China’s quantitative social science research capacity. We will recruit competent scholars globally, create a good research environment, and provide rewarding career opportunities for researchers. Our goal is to strengthen the capacity and capability of academic research of Peking University and China through our research work. My third vision for the center is that it will become an institution that promotes the internationalization of Chinese social science research, and fosters both domestic and international collaboration among scholars. We hold regular seminars and lectures and invite scholars globally to share their work. We also conduct and participate in transnational research projects, cooperating with leading scholars from other countries.

I sincerely welcome scholars from all fields of social sciences at the Center for Social Research (CSR) in Peking University, and cordially hope that colleagues from other disciplines will work together with us to promote and witness the development of the CSR!