On the morning of June 29, 2011, Tsinghua-Columbia University Center for Translingual and Transcultural Studies was launched in the second Conference Hall of Jiasuo Guest House at Tsinghua, and present at the ceremony were more than 40 prestigious guests.

Xie Weihe, Vice President of Tsinghua University, and Nicholas Dirks, Executive Vice President for Arts and Sciences of Columbia University attended the ceremony and delivered a speech. Stathis Gourgouris, Director of the Institute of Comparative Literature and Society at Columbia, and Han Mingshi (Robert Hymes), Chair of the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, Columbia University, sent congratulatory remarks.

Speakers at the ceremony included Professor Lydia Liu, US Director of the Center, Wu Tsun Tam Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Chinese and Comparative Literature at Columbia, Professor of Chinese and Comparative Literature at Tsinghua, Professor Luo Gang, Chinese Director of the Center, Associate Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Tsinghua, Professor Yan Shaodang, Director of the Institute of Comparative Literature and Culture at Peking University, Professor Liu Xiangyu from the School of Humanities, Beijing Normal University, Chen Chongyi, Director of the Institute of Foreign Literatures, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Professor Sun Yu, Director of the School of Humanities, Renmin University, Xiao Geng, Director of the Global Center of Columbia University.