26 Nov 2025
The 2025 China Real Estate Academic Annual Conference & the 18th Real Estate Scholars Symposium of Chinese Universities was held from November 22–23, 2025, at Chizhou University in Anhui Province. Themed “Toward the Era of ‘Better Housing’: New Models for Real Estate Development and High-Quality Housing Growth,” the conference was jointly organized by Chizhou University, Anhui University of Technology, and the China Institute of Real Estate Appraisers and Agents (CIREAA).
From left to right: Shenghe Su, Dr Zhenyu Su, Yongjia Chen, Xiaohan Zhang
Against the backdrop of significant shifts in housing market supply and demand, the conference closely aligned with current housing policy directions and industry trends, centering on cutting-edge academic research to foster high-level scholarly exchange among academics and industry professionals. It aimed to jointly explore the theoretical foundations, practical pathways, and future directions for high-quality housing development.
The event brought together over 200 participants from more than 40 prestigious universities nationwide, primarily comprising faculty members and postgraduate students. Notably, three undergraduate students from Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University’s (XJTLU) International Business School Suzhou (IBSS)— Shenghe Su (Year 4, BSc Information Management and Information Systems), Yongjia Chen (Year 4, BSc Economics), and Xiaohan Zhang (Year 4, BSc Economics and Finance)—were invited as the only undergraduate presenters at the conference. They delivered their research alongside leading scholars in the field and received unanimous praise from conference experts, showcasing the outstanding research capabilities and innovative spirit of XJTLU undergraduates.
Their research originated from XJTLU’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) programme and was independently conducted under the guidance of Dr Zhenyu Su, Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics. The study analysed panel data from 36 representative Chinese cities. Findings show that, as China advances toward high-quality economic development and public awareness of health and environmental well-being grows, the implementation of the nation’s “30·60” dual carbon goals and the “Two Mountains” ecological philosophy have effectively addressed pollution issues stemming from rapid economic growth, thereby enhancing overall urban environmental quality.
Shenghe Su presenting at the conference
Moreover, with the continuous strengthening of green building standards and stricter carbon emission requirements across the entire building lifecycle, the empirical analysis reveals a statistically significant positive correlation between urban environmental quality and residential property prices. This provides robust empirical evidence for the existence of a “green premium” in China’s real estate market.
This achievement highlights the success of XJTLU’s research-led teaching model, which cultivates scientific thinking and problem-solving skills among students even at the undergraduate level. In addition, Dr Zhenyu Su was invited by the organizers to serve as a discussant in a parallel session, offering expert commentary on several cutting-edge papers. Together, IBSS faculty and students appeared at the conference in dual roles—as both presenters and commentators—vividly embodying the university’s distinctive educational philosophy of “research-led, student-centred.”
As the only undergraduate team selected among participants from over 50 universities and 200 attendees nationwide, these students not only demonstrated exceptional academic potential but also affirmed the high caliber of XJTLU’s undergraduate education and research-oriented pedagogy. XJTLU remains committed to providing a high-level platform for young scholars dedicated to research and societal problem-solving, empowering students to achieve excellence through exploration and discovery.
26 Nov 2025