Mei Renyi (left) receives the Lifetime Achievement Award from Julia Chang Bloch, president of the US-China Education Trust, on Friday in Beijing.Feng Yongbin/ China Daily

Mei Renyi, a Chinese pioneer in American studies, was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Beijing on Friday by the US-China Education Trust and the American Studies Network.

Mei, 81, a professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University, has influenced a generation of scholars and researchers in international relations and has published dozens of books and papers on English language and American studies.

At the award dinner on Friday evening, the Mei Renyi American studies Essay Competition was also inaugurated.

The contest, which will recognize high-quality essays related to American studies, is open to all graduate students of American studies in China.

Julia Chang Bloch, president of the trust and studies network, said Mei influence on not only his students but everyone involved in Sino-US studies is phenomenal.

"His dedication to the field (of American studies) and to promoting mutual US-China understanding is much respected. To see so many of you here tonight, is a testament to the respect of Professor Mei as a leader not only in the field but also as a remarkable teacher and man," she said.