August 28th, 2018--a memorable day for Luojia Hill.
On this day, Zall Gymnasium and Dangdai Graduate Student Building are officially put into use. On the luxuriant Luojia Hill, WHU’s architectural complex are welcoming these two new comers.
Also on this day, donators of the two buildings offered another 130 million yuan to WHU’s Talents Funds, bringing strong supports to WHU’s “Double First-Class” and “Talents-driven” strategies.
Yan Zhi(left) and Ai Luming(right)
The donators--Yan Zhi and Ai Luming are two excellent alumnus from Wuhan University, who are also the twin entrepreneurs of Wuhan city with great achievements. This day witnesses a shared anniversary of these two WHUers.
Great buildings and outstanding alumni——a guarantee for faculties and students to achieve self-development
The establishment of Zall Gymnasium marks that WHU has its own large gymnasium for all such sports and events like volleyball, basketball, ping-pong, badminton, shooting, weight lifting, boxing, e-sports and proms.
Located at Yangjiawan campus in Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Zall Gymnasium, covering a construction area of 37,000 square meters, is one of China’s largest campus gymnasiums. Built under the international standard, it can accommodate over 8,000 audiences and host international standard individual indoor sports. It is also reported that the badminton game of the 2019 Military World Games will be host here.
Zall Gymnasium
Dangdai Graduate Student Building covers an area of over 20,000 square meters. Later, Graduate School (including the Department of Graduate Affair), One-stop Student Service Center, Hybrid Rice Center, Institute of Advanced Studies, and other departments will be in this building to better serve staffs and students of WHU.
Dangdai Graduate Student Building
Yan Zhi and Ai Luming donate 60 million and 70 million yuan respectively to Wuhan University as the Talent Fund. Wuhan University’s CPC Secretary Han Jin are granting them donation certificates.
Mr. Yan Zhi (left) accepting donation certificate
Mr. Ai Luming (left) accepting donation certificate
“Yan Zhi and Ai Luming are the outstanding representatives of WHU’s alumni. They used to be young men of passion and ambition, nurtured by the Luojia hill and the East Lake; they rose to chase their dreams and start great business. Aware of their responsibilities as an entrepreneur they gratefully repaid the society and their alma mater. And their alma mater is proud of them as well,” President Dou Xiankang said.
President Dou Xiankang giving a speech
Dou added, “the generosity of Yan Zhi and Ai Luming fully demonstrates their love to WHU but also their expectations to faculties and students’ all-round development. WHU will make full use of the funds and buildings to attract more high-level talents, to generate more world-class research results so as to train more graduates with both integrity and ability for the nation.”
It is rare throughout the development history of Chinese university that two buildings donated by alumni are put into use on the same day. “Once again, it reveals the most sincere devotion and affection of WHU alumni to their alma mater”, Chen Dongsheng, WHU’s prominent alumnus entrepreneur expressed the inner voice of other alumni.
Mr. Chen Dongsheng giving a speech
“A university of world-class can only be the one of first-class talents,” said Erkenjiang Tulahong, chairman of the Labour Union of Hubei province, “WHU is a treasure of Hubei Province and of our country. With a solid cultural base, WHU has formed a sound academic tradition and strong scientific and research capacity. We hope that WHU continues to uphold moral integrity in its talent training, and provide more intellectual support for the high-quality development of Hubei Province.”
Erkenjiang Tulahong giving a speech
Chen Anli, vice-governor of Hubei Province, highly affirmed WHU alumni’s supports to the development of WHU and Hubei Province. And she said that talents are the backbone of a strong country and a competitive province. Hubei Provincial Government will support WHU’s construction of double first-class university as always by guaranteeing talents introduction into Hubei province from overseas countries.
Chen Anli giving a speech
Zhu Yuxian, academician and Dean of the Institute of Advanced Studies, said that alumni of WHU have paid continuous attention to the development of the university and its graduate education and high-level talents introduction. He also pointed out that the new buildings provide new platforms and opportunities for the Institute of Advanced Studies.
Academician Zhu Yuxian giving a speech
Going forward with kindness to the society and passion to the alma mater
When it comes to the reason of donating the building to WHU, Ai Luming explained that was his 6 start-up partners and he himself were all the members of the Graduate Student Union of WHU; and later, all other new joiners are also graduates of WHU.
Mr. Ai Luming giving a speech
In 1978, the 21-year-old Ai Luming was admitted to the Department of Philosophy, WHU; ten years later, Ai Luming, together with other 6 schoolmates, started Dangdai Group with only 2000 yuan. After 3 decades' development, the company has become a China-based group with a global layout, and it involves diversified industries. By now, it has participated and controlled equity of several listed companies whose businesses scatter around China, including 20 provincial administrative regions, and over 10 other countries and regions, with a total assets of more than 80 billion yuan.
Although it has been 30 years since he left the campus, the memories in WHU remains vivid in Ai Luming's mind , “For me, this is a place of profound knowledge, independent thinkly, and heated debate. The symposiums and lectures I had here were quite interesting.”
Three decades has passed since the foundation of Dangdai Group. Looking back into the past 30 years, Ai Luming believes that WHU has always encouraged him to forge ahead.
“Our employees uphold freedom and openness, self-improvement and perseverance. These qualities were inherited from WHU,” Ai Luming said, “perseverance, responsibility, openness, tolerance, sharing, trustworthiness and honesty--the seven key words are the unremitting core of Dangdai Group’s corporate culture.”
From the time when the indigent and young WHU graduates started their business to now when they turn their enterprise into an influential one, Ai Luming and his partners would not have been able to get where they are today without the help of good times, university education and the society. Therefore, Ai Luming is always grateful, and goes forward with kindness. WHU nurtured his kindness, and Ai Luming and other alumni have never been away from their alma mater.
WHU——the permanent root and forever harbor of mind
Born in 1972, Yan Zhi is a poet among entrepreneurs and also an entrepreneur among poets. He is the founder of Zall Group Ltd, a private enterprise in Wuhan. His Group, comprising three listed companies, is involved in the trade market, B2B trading and service platform, cultural tourism, port logistics, general aviation, textile processing and other fields.
Mr. Yan Zhi giving a speech
Overlooked from the air, Zall Gymnasium is like an unfolded book which is just put down by an indulged reader. The book-like gymnasium is of literary nature, echoing with the unprofitable cultural carrier --Zall Bookstore, which is also founded by Yan Zhi. The simple but romantic spirit of WHU is also fully demonstrated by Zall Gymnasium.
"The gymnasium is a tribute to the WHU and Wuhan, fulfilling Zall people's commitment to WHU." Yan Zhi expected that the gymnasium will become an important part of the life of WHU faculties and students and Wuhan citizens. He hoped it would help them not only shape a healthy body but also forge a strong mind.
Back to 33 months ago, at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Zall Gymnasium, Yan Zhi told his children to keep in mind where they came from." And at the opening ceremony of the gymnasium, Yan Zhi also told the schoolmates that Wuhan University is the harbor of all WHU students, and is the most important spiritual guardian in Wuhan."
"In the name of love and gratitude, we are willing to make more promises for this university and the city, and do everything we can to achieve it," Yan Zhi said.
Near the bank of the East Lake, and on the Luojia Hill, there are school days, youth, and friendship which WHU alumni have always pined for. It gave birth to their dreams to their first steps to explore the outside world.
(Rewritten by Li Xin , Edited by Zheng Lingling, Shen Yuxi, Hu Sijia)
