On October 4, the 21st Xuanzang-road Gobi Challenge(Gobi 21) concluded successfully in Guazhou, Gansu Province. Spanning four days and three nights with a total distance of 121 kilometers, this ultimate spiritual expedition drew 115 teams and over 5,000 participants from more than 100 top business schools worldwide.
A total of 41 faculty members and students from Shandong University, including the EMBA Haoran Team, MBA Taishan Team, A+ Veteran Runners Team, and the support-service team, safely finished the whole race. Demonstrating outstanding teamwork and extraordinary perseverance, the participants set off together and reached the finish line side-by-side, returning home with remarkable honors.
Shandong University's EMBA and MBA teams delivered an outstanding performance and received numerous prestigious honors at this event:
— Both the EMBA and MBA teams won the Shackleton Award, the highest honor of the Challenge;
— School of Management, Shandong University received the Heritage-and-Transcendence Award (EMBA Group);
— The School of Management's EMBA and MBA teams were honored with the Dual-Star Brilliance Award;
— Both EMBA and MBA groups were granted the Forge-Ahead Award;
— Shandong University fielded 11 A+ veteran runners at the Challenge—the highest number for any participating university to date—and received the Gobi Veteran Runners Award.
Individual athletes also achieved impressive results:
— Yang Yang from the EMBA program took the 3rd place overall in the A+ Group and claimed the Golden Trophy;
— Ren Jibing of the MBA program ranked 4th in the Masters Group and was awarded the Golden Trophy;
— Zhang Juan from the MBA program finished 5th among female runners in the Youth Group and received the Silver Trophy.
The delegation was led by four faculty members: Lu Junwei, Professor of the School of Management and Minister of the Finance Department of Shandong University; Fu Yanzhi, Party Secretary of the School of Management; Zhang Lei, Deputy Director of the Part-time Education Teaching Center; and Du Feifei, Deputy Director of the Center Administration Office.
Over four days and three nights across the 121-kilometer Gobi, it was not merely footsteps braving wind and wilderness, but firm convictions that marched forward. Faculty and students of SDU MBA & EMBA embodied the team spirit of "Setting off together, arriving together". Through grit and hard-fought efforts, they have written a glorious chapter for Shandong University participants on the Gobi. Moving ahead, the School of Management will continue to leverage this iconic event as a bond to carry forward the Xuanzang spirit, unite alumni strength, pursue self-transcendence amid challenges, and strive for excellence in persistent advancement.
