NEW YORK, May 20, 2026 — On the evening of May 20, Xi‘an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) illuminated the Nasdaq MarketSite tower in New York’s Times Square, the “Crossroads of the World,” as part of a global celebration commemorating its 20th anniversary. The landmark screen, widely regarded as the world’s most prominent window for capturing global attention, featured XJTLU‘s signature blue light and anniversary branding, marking a powerful visual statement of the university’s international stature and global reach.
The Times Square illumination, which continued through May 21, was part of XJTLU’s “Light Up the World” campaign, a worldwide initiative that also saw iconic buildings illuminated in Liverpool—including the Royal Liver Building, St George‘s Hall and Liverpool Town Hall—alongside landmarks in Xi’an and Suzhou. The global campaign, which featured an interactive online lighting map allowing participants from around the world to contribute their own well-wishes, physically connected four cities spanning two continents, underscoring XJTLU’s unique identity as an institution built on cross-border collaboration and innovation.
The significance of appearing on the Nasdaq screen, which stands at the heart of global finance and media, cannot be overstated. Since China‘s national image campaign debuted there in 2011, the screen has served as a premier stage for leading Chinese enterprises and institutions to showcase their brands and ambitions to an international audience. XJTLU’s presence there—alongside the concurrent illumination of Liverpool‘s most historic civic buildings—signals the university’s emergence as a globally respected institution, one that bridges Chinese and Western educational excellence and commands recognition on both sides of the Pacific.
This global visibility came just two days before XJTLU held its 20th Anniversary High-Quality Development Conference in Suzhou on May 22, where the university unveiled its 2026–2036 ten-year development strategy. At the conference, XJTLU officially launched its “4.0 Model,” expanding beyond industry-innovation ecosystems to foster a broader “future learning and innovative societal ecosystem,” aiming to break down traditional boundaries between universities and society, education and daily life, and learning and work. The Times Square moment thus served not merely as a celebration of past achievements, but as a declaration of future ambitions on a truly global stage.
For a university that began in 2006 with just 164 students and has since grown into a community of nearly 26,000, appearing in the world’s most iconic commercial crossroads is a fitting tribute to two decades of pioneering international education. From a single building in Suzhou to the illuminated skyline of New York, XJTLU’s 20th anniversary celebration—captured on the Nasdaq screen at the very moment the world was watching—stands as a testament to how far the university has come and how far its influence now reaches.