On 9th September, Zall Gymnasium, where WHU’s newly enrolled postgraduates of 2018 took part in their opening ceremony, looked like an ocean of purplish-red and blue. Wearing the university badge, chorusing the university anthem, listening to the first lesson of the semester and vowing to follow the academic moral and uphold research integrity, WHU’s doctoral candidates in purplish-red T-shirts and Master degree candidates in blue started their campus life at the feet of Luojia Hill.
Present at this ceremony were Party Secretary of Wuhan University Han Jin, President Dou Xiankang, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering Li Deren, Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Gong Jianya, Shu Hongbing and Xu Hongxing, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering Liu Jingnan, Mao Zhi and Li Jiancheng, senior professor of humanities and social sciences Yu Kexun as well as other mentors. Accompanied by these attendees, new postgraduates witnessed an important moment of their lives. This ceremony was presided by Executive Vice President Tan Guangming.
“This is the first time in the new century for WHU to hold an opening ceremony especially for newly enrolled postgraduates.” President Dou explained. He, on behalf of all WHU staff and students, warmly welcomed the 9000-plus new postgraduates who were to become the new residents of Luojia Hill.
How to be a WHUer in pursuit of excellence? President Dou made a speech titled Focusing on Scientific Research and Rejuvenating Our Country to answer this question. He conveyed to these new postgraduates that in order to achieve the rejuvenation of China, WHUers must shoulder the responsibility to repay our motherland with unwavering determination; in order to achieve the rejuvenation of China, WHUers must seek truth from facts and thrive in creativity; in order to achieve the rejuvenation of China, WHUers must safeguard the bottom line in any circumstance with integrity.
“We will constantly strive to be stronger, more realistic and more creative. We will carry forward the good traditions of Luojia School. We will think more and learn in a more active manner, focusing on our research. We will be the cultivators of academic studies. We will learn how to be well-rounded individuals and maintain our integrity. We will be the guardians of academic morals. We will ceaselessly forge ahead and pursue excellence. We will be explorers of academic innovation.” Led by Shu Hongbing, all postgraduates stood up, raised their right hands and solemnly made a vow. The whole gymnasium resounded with their voices.
Wu Genyou, Dean of School of Philosophy, talked about how to be a well-rounded man and how to carry out scientific studies from the perspective of philosophy. He thought that being a well-rounded person shares the essence of doing scientific researches. Our well-rounded personalities lay the foundation of doing researches. In return, the process of doing researches also helps cultivate our truth-seeking spirits. Wu encouraged these postgraduates to be pundits with noble sentiments and aesthetic feelings as well as unrivalled professional skills and broad academic views.
Zheng Diwei, a MD-PhD candidate of College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, is an absolute top student as he has already published 11 SCI papers on biomedical polymer as the first author. As a senior student, he shared with the new postgraduates his academic stories. He believed that one must be innovative, perseverant and patriotic once you embark on the road of scientific studies.
After the opening ceremony, the nearly-80-year-old Academician Li Deren stood on his feet and gave The First Class to new postgraduates of 2018. He recounted his mentor Academician Wang Zhizhuo’s guidance and help. He listed the fruitful achievements of his research team and elaborated the training method of innovative university students.
Just as was showed in the video named To Know WHU, To Know Our Home played in the gymnasium, WHU is the home of all WHUers. The newly enrolled postgraduates of 2018 will undoubtedly understand the history of WHU and inherit the spirit of WHU, and then grow up as full men to strive for the rejuvenation of China.
(Rewritten by Zheng Lingling, edited by Shen Yuxi, Hu Sijia)
