[PKU excellent int’l alumni] Phichet Wongfu: Inspired to be a tenacious men
Jun 27, 2019
Peking University, June 27, 2019: If you have watched Informal Talks aired on HBTV or The Chinese Poetry Conference aired on CCTV 10, you’ve probably have heard of Phichet Wongfu, an oversea student from Thailand, also an outstanding graduate from PKU.
Disciplined, independent, even-tempered...these are the words one might use when introducing Phichet.
Phichet Wongfu
Confident and sedate as he appears on the screen, Phichet is more of an introvert guy. There’s no way to speak of Phichet without mentioning his love for music.
He prefers singing to himself in a quiet room rather than going to noisy Karaoke bars. As an early bird, Phichet values morning time the most, waking up early in the morning to get ready for the day while listening to his favorite music.
He started playing clarinet since 13 years old and singing since 15. Back in those days, Phichet was shy, but reality TV shows inspired him and made him realize that one should spare no effort to chase his dream. Passion together with talent brought Phichet numerous chances to perform on big stages including the time when he performed a Chinese traditional song for the then Vice President Xi Jinping during his visit to Thailand in 2011.
Phichet playing clarinet
Life at PKU
Phichet embarked on his journey of learning Chinese as a third language in high school and was successfully admitted to the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, Peking University in the summer of 2012. After graduation, he continued his studies as PKU at the School of Chinese as a Second Language. Seeing China’s rapid economic growth and reputation in the global village, Phichet had conceived the idea that coming overseas to China and study in a Chinese University would be a choice of outlook, beneficial for his future endeavors as a social elite. When asked about why he chose to study at PKU but not other prestigious universities in China, Phichet’s answer was brief and direct, “We should always follow our heart when we make life-changing decisions. As the saying goes, go gid or go home. So I came to China. And as I choose to learn Chinese, there’s no doubt that my first choice was coming to the best school in China, and there is none other than Peking University.
As soon as he started his college life, Phichet joined the PKU student choir. In 2014, the choir, representing Peking University, won gold medal in the 8th World Choir Games, a world-class singing competition. When reminiscing on those days, Phichet said,” The two-month rehearsal was indeed tough, but we were all very motivated and energetic. It was a great honor to be able to sing on behalf of our school and to work together with people who share the same dream and passion as I do. ”
Phichet singing in PKU Choir
When asked whether he experienced any culture shock after coming to China, Phichet replied, “No, not really. As I spend most of my time on campus, I had instead a little bit of Beida Shock. Chinese students are too diligent. They would stay up late or even skip meals for studies. It’s something conceivable in Thailand where study loads and external pressure are relatively less.”
Independent as Phichet is, there are certain things an individual can’t handle on his own. Whenever such time comes, he could always find the needed help from classmates, senior students and professors. Of all these people, Phichet especially wants to show his gratitude to his Chinese upperclassman who walked him through the basics to conducting researches as well as his graduate teacher who instructed four students at the same time and didn’t take a break even though she was seriously suffering from illness during the time. “In her, I saw the demeanor of an outstanding scholar. By her, I was inspired to be a tenacious men, sedated even in the face of challenge and hardship”
On the day of graduation, Phichet’s family all come to Beijing to gather and congratulate him on opening a new chapter in his life. Hardly had they arrived at the airport that they began exclaiming at the prosperity of the city. On top of that, the friendly and academic ambience of the campus also made a huge impression on Phichet’s family. “We are so glad to have made such a choice of sending him abroad for college. It proved to be one of the best choices we’ve ever made.”
Phichet in China
Job at CP Group
Phichet is working for the central and southeastern China’s office of Charoen Pokphand Group (CP) Agro-industry and food business and serving as a Thai affairs assistant to Senior Vice Chairman. At present, Phichet have such projects in hand as the introduction of South American white prawns, CP Group's sustainable development project, and the fruit and vegetable trade project to be launched recently.
When looking back at the six years he had spent in PKU, Phichet said that even though his job now had little to do with his major, the language skills and the spirit of PKU he picked up over the years was precious and indispensable in workforce. “For example, I learned how to look at things from different perspectives, feel and understand things with an open mind so that we can live in peace and harmony with anything that is different,” he said.
As a graduate from PKU, Phichet has always been grateful for the platform his alma mater provided and he wanted to remind those of us still learning here to cherish the time we still have on this beautiful campus and make full use of every opportunity PKU has to offer.
Reported by: Qiu Kanghua
Edited by: Zhang Jiang
