Brought up in a shabby and cramped small apartment, I was fascinated in my childhood by the exquisite houses and condominiums I watched on TV in images that had been shot in the developed countries. It has since been my dream to build up in China the same kind of quality human habitat. I believe that this dream can come true if I get to undertake advanced studies in architecture at your university.

I am now erecting fundamental building blocks towards the realization of my dream at the Harbin Institute of Technology (known as HIT), from which I am scheduled to graduate next year. This elite institution accepted me in 1995 in recognition of my strong performance in the National University Entrance Examinations, held once every year nationwide to screen high school graduates for higher education. Here, I have received vigorous training in structure engineering, an area of study that is essential to the country's frenzied construction industry.

Deeply in love with my chosen area of studies, I have turned my mind into an engine of creativity during three years of disciplined learning. Courses of my major, particularly structure mechanics, architecture material, and survey of engineering, fascinate me so much that I am sometimes completely enthralled in studying them. Looking now at the reinforced concrete structures around me, I not only detect the configuration inside easily but also arrive at some preliminary assessment of its strengths and weaknesses quickly. Everything that comes into my sight presents itself in the framework of some form of structure. Carefully groomed as the only child in my family, I cannot stand being the second best in any group and situation, especially when it comes to a contest of intellectual caliber. At HIT, I beat the odds and excelled all most of my fellow students in academic studies, making myself the undisputed academic leader of the class. Students and faculty alike are so accustomed to my academic excellence that everybody would be surprised in class if I happen not to be able to answer a question better than others even once. My motto is : one either comes out the first, or he is a failure. The university has awarded me a string of scholarships and other accolades in praise of my academic achievements.

But I am no bookworm. In fact, I am constantly engaged in a host of extracurricular activities, for which I have been conferred a Special Commendation for Participation in Social Activities. I have run and won the position of monitor in my class during my first semester, which made me a natural student leader. Active on campus, I was then appointed the recreation officer of the Student Association, in charge of organizing entertainment and other recreational events for the benefit of the students. I now also serve as the president of the Society of Student Architects and Engineers. Such involvement in the student affairs has tempered my skills in leadership, organization and communication. But more importantly, it has broadened my horizon and deepened my insights in terms of what constitutes beauty, grace and strength, which I believe will always help me in my engineering designs.

I would like to mention here my passion for a uniquely oriental sport called weiqi, known as the go in the English parlance. An intricate chess game, it is challenging to even the best and brightest minds. One usually has to be a full-time player to play it well. Not to be daunted, I not only joined the Weiqi Club on campus but also taken part in a national contest, in which I won the 12th place and the HIT team I led won the 3rd place. My achievement in the weiqi sport testifies to my superior mental power and intellectual resourcefulness.

To tap fully into my intellectual resources, I would like to take up the greater challenges of helping to design my country's skylines in the 21st century. For that, I need better training that what I have received. An American education will expose mw to new perspectives and endow me with new inspirations. When I get to combine my Chinese perspectives with those of the West, I should have no trouble fulfilling my ambition of cutting one of the best structure engineers in the world. With that, I want to design and build the most beautiful structures in China.

To ensure both my future and that of my country's construction industry, I sincerely hope that I could be admitted into your university. I am confident that, if I can be lucky enough to study under your seasoned guidance and with your kind financial assistance, many people in China will never have to endure the kind of shabby and inconvenient apartments that I endured as a child.