Numerous academic and cultural events take place within the framework of the German Studies Center (ZDS) at Peking University. The Center's trademark is the so-called ZDS Salons, rather informal round table discussions of the ZDS members on certain academic topics. Here great importance is attached to the tradition of academic freedom, which is closely linked to the history of Peking University.

Lecture programs, also with international speakers who mainly come from Germany, get good publicity. These programs are partly organized in cooperation with partners such as the Goethe Institute or the German Embassy in Beijing. Public lecture series are offered by the ZDS, too. Regularly realized scholarly conferences and workshops round off the ZDS's event profile. Some events take place in Berlin, too.