Speech by Chen Xiaohong, HUTB Party Secretary and CAE Academician, at Opening Ceremony of Undergraduate Class of 2025
2020-09-19
So Young, So Cool, So Beautiful!
- Speech at the Opening Ceremony of Undergraduate Class of 2025
Chen Xiaohong, HUTB Party Secretary and CAE Academician
(September 19,2021)
Dear students, teachers and parents,
Good morning!
When, students in the flower of our age, our spirit bright was at its height! Seeing you, I can't help but say: youth is so good!
At this moment, I thought of passionate, dream-blooming and growing days for college entrance exams and in the university. I wish you all starting a new chapter ofyour life, and welcome to HUTB!
This summer, HUTB, with more than 70 years' history, following the strategic goal of "Three Admissions, Three Highlands" and adhering to the philosophy of "new engineering courses + new business courses + new liberal arts courses" integrated with science courses, stepped up its efforts to build a distinctive, innovative first-class business university: faculty departments increased from 10+ to 23; scientific research institutions increased from dozens to hundreds; unprecedented efforts were made to build a contingent of high-level talents; well-known enterprises and public institutions with in-depth cooperation increased significantly; "Happy and Safe" campus and a number of photo spots allow you to drink "TeaBeauty" and taste western food...
So our students said, "it's like a new campus after the summer vacation." "Our university really did a lot!" "HUTB, I can't stop loving you!" ...
Boys and girls, HUBT is making efforts to live up to your choice and trust. We are looking forward to joining hands with you to step on the beat of the Times and shoulder the mission of building China into a powerful nation!
This summer, our hearts went out to the flood-affected students in Henan Province, and to the students affected by the epidemic. I'm very glad to see you on the front lines of fighting floods and the epidemic. I saw your love and righteous ardor in the volunteeractivities. In the world, there is always a power that pushes us forward. This power is accompaniment, insistence, empathy and determination to share difficulties and pursue the same goal!
You are so young, so cool and so beautiful! I give you the thumbs up!
In the new era, new stage and new starting point, youth is longing for a new life and a colorful future. In campus, how should we define youth? How should we display youth? Today, I want to share a few ones with you.
1. Keep one original aspiration
Looking back over the past ten years, we have made a lot of efforts and left behind a lot of memories. All these are to live up to our ideals and realize the value of life, which contains our precious original aspiration. We should keep this original aspiration in university.
To keep one original aspiration, we must always remember that we come from the people, are rooted in the people, have lifeblood and source of strength in the people, and always be with the people. We should not forget the way we have gone through, not forget why we set out and should know that everything we eat doesn't come easily, nor does the quiet placetostudy and our happy life...
To keep one original aspiration, we can't lose our ideal in any name. Instead, we should enhance our faith, belief and confidence, believe, choose and rely on our efforts.
Only by keeping one original aspiration can we go ahead boldly and be more focused. Olympic champion Quan Hongchan stunned the world with three full marks, demonstrating that "Ten thousand hours of exerciseis a necessary condition for anyone to change from ordinary to world-class master". Doing thecommon thingsuncommonly extraordinary, we will usher our own wonderful moments!
I hope that you can stay true to your original aspiration, spend one day like two days and make every effort to continuously hit a record high in your study, to constantly gain overwhelming energy from thevastseaofbooks, and to temper yourself through all kinds of competitions and practices!
You are so cool and so beautiful when staying true to your ideals and working hard for your original aspiration!
2. Raise high one banner
Under the guidance of the banner, we can always move forward in the right direction. In the history of China, countless people with lofty ideals held high the banner of patriotism and devoted their youth to achieve numerous successes.
Li Dazhao once said, "If people do not have a patriotic heart, theircountrywill perish permanently." With full of patriotism, he devoted himself to fulfilling his motto "devoting my youth to creating a family of youth, a country of youth, a nation of youth..." Facing death, "the expression on his face was very calm and composed. His heart was filled with an exalted strength." Boys and girls, what's this "exalted strength"? It's his loyalty to the nation and the country, and his faith in communism.
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out forcefully at the ceremony marking the centenary of the CPC that, "we will never allow any foreign force to bully, oppress, or subjugate us. Anyone who would attempt to do so will find themselves on a collision course with a great wall of steel forged by over 1.4 billion Chinese people."
Please remember that you are part of the great wall of steel!
I hope that you aspire to become more proud, confident, and assured in your identity as Chinese people rather than become an exquisite egoist or indifferent egotist, bear in mind the "TwoOverallStrategies" and the country's most fundamental interests, keep pace with the times and our motherland, always be ready to build a better nation and fulfill your oath that "With us making PRC stronger,please rest assuredmotherland and people! China has a better future!"
You are so cool and so beautiful when holding high the patriotic banner and becoming upright man!
3. Follow one path
In the 1950s, facing imperialist threats of force and nuclear blackmail, China, relying on its own strength, created the miracle of "Two Bombs and One Satellite" within about 10 years, greatly enhancing its national defense capability and international standing. Today, China's scientific and technological strength is undergoing a transition from quantity accumulation to quality leap, and from breakthroughs in certain fields to improvement of systematic capabilities. Major innovation achievements, such as Beidou Navigation SatelliteSystem, Chang'e 5 probe, Tianwen-1, radio telescope, Jiuzhang quantumcomputer, Fendouzhe submersible, quantum science experiments satellite"Micius", are emerging, all of which derive from our unswerving self-reliance.
In today's world, profound changes unseen in a century are accelerating. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period and beyond, profound adjustments will take place in the scientific, technological, economic, security, cultural and political landscapes. Big data, artificial intelligence, block chain, Internet of Things and cloud computing will bring even greater disruption and upheaval. Facing the new round ofsci-tech revolutionand industrial transformation, and in the rapidly changing world, it's of vital importance to achieve sci-tech self-reliance and self-strengthening at higher levels.
He who has mastered himself is mighty, and a strong manwins. We should keep self-reliance firmly in mind, unswervinglyfollowthepath of self-reliance, dare to be the first, vigorously carry forward the spirit ofscientists in the new era, adheres to problem-orientation and demand-orientation, foster critical thinking and constantly enhance our innovation capacity, so as to better serve the country and people with our knowledge and innovation!
You are so cool and so beautiful when striving to be self-reliant and make innovations!
4. Stick to one baseline
Each place has its streams in from all over the country. Hunan is an important practicing place of the research thought of Mao Zedong and other older-generation revolutionaries, and the birthplace of the glorious literature,Investigation Report ofHunan Peasants Movement, whereas YueluAcademy is the source of the Party's ideological line offollowing a realistic and pragmatic approach.
Immersed in this culture, we should integrate the spirit of being realistic and pragmatic into our thoughts and souls, and know ourselves correctly. We should neither aim high nor belittle ourselves. Instead, we should improve our ability to distinguish between false and true, keep rational and clear-headed, focus on the reality, emancipate our minds, keep pace with the Times, grasp the law and maximize our subjective initiative toadjust our strategies in accordance with changing circumstances.
I hope from the realistic and pragmatic approach you can draw courage to uphold the truth and correct the mistakes, derivewisdom to understand gain and loss, and get strength to follow the law and general trend. You can, base on the new development stage, enhance the awareness of opportunities and risks, remain sensitive to changes, respond to them with well-judged actions and be ready to adjust the approach when necessary, so as to better take advantage of the historical trend and make historic achievements!
You are so cool and so beautiful when pursuing the truth and being pragmatic!
5. Learn one lesson well
History is the best textbook and the best teacher. Chinese revolutionary history is the best nourishment. We must learn Party history and national history well, so as to know history and love the Party and the country.
Over the past 100 years, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has led the Chinese people to work hard, make painstaking explorations and move forward. We should, from the earth-shaking revolutionary practice and development, gain a deep understanding that the strength of the Party and the strength of socialism with Chinese characteristics are attributable to the fact that Marxism works. We should carry forward the spirit of all heroes and models who have made sacrifices for the Party, the country and the people, and draw from them the strength of truth, faith, will and character.
I hope you can combine history with reality, spirit and grow-up, and carry forward the Party's great spirit of upholding truth and ideals, staying true to its founding mission, fighting without fear of danger, and meeting the people's expectations. You can also carry forward the traditions from revolutionary times, maintain the brave spirit of the revolutionaries, and march toward a brand new journey.
You are so cool and so beautiful when drawing strength from history and unifying your knowledge, faith and practice!
6. Strength one power
One important reason why humans can build civilizations is that they can create things in their minds that are not possible in reality. In the future when artificial intelligence exceeds human intelligence, the only advantage humans have may be their imagination based on integration. What can carry our infinite imagination is the vast expanse of interstellar space.
Stimulating your imagination is an important part of education. I hope you can boldly imagine in the interdisciplinary integration of humanities, arts and science, and release your imagination when cultivating morality, intellectual and physical ability, aesthetic sensibility and work skills.
You are so cool and so beautiful when looking up at the starry sky with full of imagination!
7. Realize one dream
Born in the golden age, we should cherish the golden age and realize our dream. The Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation is our common dream. To realize it, we have launched a revolution, as the poem said, "Our minds grow stronger for the martyrs' sacrifice, daring to make the sun and the moon shine in the new sky", setoffawaveof construction, as said, "Happy, I see wave upon wave of paddy and beans,and all around heroes home-bound in the evening mist", carried out the reform, as said "Dongting Lake's snow-topped waves surge skyward; the long isle reverberates with earth-shaking song", and written a new chapter that "Now adorn hill and pass,and make them doubly fair."
The road ahead is long; striving is the only way forward.We should always follow the Party and make ongoing efforts to realize our great dream as soon as possible!
You are so cool and so beautiful when forging ahead to pursue and fulfill your dreams!
Boys and girls, in addition to the above-mentioned "ones", there is another "one", that is, we are one family. HUTB is a good place for study, innovation & entrepreneurship and chasing dream. Here, "all for students, for all students, for students of all". You are expected to fly higher and farther!
Pursuing excellence and striving to be a first-class university, HUTB cultivates high-quality talents with global vision, patriotism, professional quality and benevolent heart, who are strong, dauntless, innovative and pragmatic. I hope you can always keep in mind our university motto "Sincerity & Credibility; Pragmatism & Innovation" and spirit of "Virtue, Erudition, Practice & Self-reliance", be aspiring, kind, confident, knowledgeable, upright and strong. You can study hard, illuminate others like a light and embrace a bigger world with a bigger picture!
I wish you take excellence, diligence and civilization as a habit, spend a wonderful time in HUTB and meet better yourself!
You are so cool and so beautiful when riding the wind in the new era and chasing your dreams here!
Boys and girls, let's set out to the future together!
