Striving to Become Better - a Speech at the Opening Ceremony of the 2018 New Students

2019-02-26

Struggle to Become Better

-- A Speech at the Opening Ceremony of the 2018 New Students

Chen Xiaohong, a academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering and President of the University

(Sep. 17, 2018)

Dear students:

Today, we hold a Grand Opening Ceremony for 2018 Freshmen here. In the face of you, I have a feeling of facing the sea with spring blossoms. Here, on behalf of Secretary Tang Yayang, and more than 20,000 teachers, students and staff, I say hello to you: Welcome to HNUC!

"Getting the talents in the world and cultivating them" is the dream and the happiest thing for every teacher. For all I know, there are 46 students that scored more than 600 scores in the college entrance examination, with a maximum score of 620 scores. With more than ten scores and even dozens of scores than the score line of the key universities, you bring a new atmosphere to HNUC and we feel joy and proud for your arrival!

In the past few days, I have carefully read the students' expectations to the University on the official Weibo and to the future: Some said that: The university dream that I struggled and expected for a long time was finally realized in HNUC. Some said that: I come to Changsha from thousands of miles away. I meet the right city and university and I hope to become better in HNUC! Some said that: A good ideal is calling upon me. Here, I am doomed to take root, sprout, and eventually grow into a towering tree. Those words full of youth temperature and infinite longings make me excited and inspired. We love you!

Dear students, with the school history of nearly 70 years, Hunan University of Commerce is a university with long cultural heritage and full of vitality, a university with the undergraduate teaching level of Ministry of Education being assessed as "excellence", a university that won the honor of "a base to cultivate economic talents for Hunan Province and cradle to create professional entrepreneurs", an exquisite university, a university that is pursuing excellence and crossing, and a university that is constantly striving for the goal of "becoming a university and doctor station". Just as the saying goes, the struggle life is the most beautiful life, the progressive university is also beautiful.

By taking the first-class concept, first-class target, first-class standard, first-class quality and first-class mechanism as the guidance, the University promotes the realization of "six high targets", that is, the "high peak and plateau" of disciplines, "high-end" scientific researches, "high grade and high quality" talent cultivation, "high docking" with the social services, "high vision" of international school-running and "high-efficiency" internal management. HNUC will grow and progress with you, and spare no efforts in your growth and success.

Dear students, while congratulating you on opening the voyage in the university and turning over a new page of youth, I want to ask you some questions: While facing the wonderful and valuable college time, have you ever been wondering why you come to the university? Is it to make yourself, family and society become better? Is it to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation?

Are you thinking about the following problems: How can you make yourself become better in the University?

Dear students, please tell me with your loud voice: Do you have an ideal in mind and will you make unremitting endeavor to realize it?

Do you have set up the stage goals and will you come down to earth to realize them?

Are you ready for the challenges, and will you be firm and move forward courageously, no matter how difficult it is?

Are you ready to undertake the due responsibilities and will you make contributions to the society and others?

Dear students, you are young, and young people should be passionate, righteous and have dreams and be the pioneer of the times. I have a lot to say about the growth of youth. In addition to positive incentives, I would like to remind you of the temptations and dangers facing in the process of growing up, causing constant vigilance and reflection.

For example: Have you ever heard the expression of "uselessness of getting schooling" or complaining? Have you wavered when seeing some stars in the entertainment circle live a luxury and dissipation life, many "online celebrities" hype themselves without a bottom line, people who read less make a fortune, drive luxury car, live in villa, and even live more unrestrained? Do you take ignorance as your personality and no culture as your true temperament? Will you let your three values lose to the five features of many online celebrities?

Boys and girls, in addition to this risk, I would like to remind you of another three risks:

The first one is the danger of becoming "self-centered". Such students will understand things, do things and get along with others only from their own cognition, emotions and will, become a refined egoist and indifferent egoist without a strong sense of social responsibilities and the spirit of the undertaking and contribution; Having a weak consciousness of transposition, narrow field of vision and pattern, and even self-reclusive; Standing still and becoming self-content in the study of knowledge not open-minded or all-embracing.

Dear students, will you become a refined egoist and indifferent egoist, isolate yourself, stand still and refuse to make progress?

The second one is the danger of becoming "weary plaything". The joy that keeps people going has not been replicated and disseminated on a large scale and at a low cost as it is today. Aza Raskin, the developer of the information flow, said: "Behind the screen of your smart phone, there are thousands of engineers trying to make you become addicted to the software.""We are not living in an era that the computers will be invaded, but human beings will be invaded." With the satisfaction of the short-term pleasure, becoming fans of entertainment stars, soap operas, and becoming addicted to the smart phones and computer games are unconsciously stealing your time, draining your willpower and destroying your upward momentum.

Dear students, will you become a phone freak, video game fan and crazy fan?

The third one is the danger of falling into "self-mediocrity". Many people think they are ordinary, so they are willing to be mediocre. Faced with life, problems and difficulties, they are casual, passive and perfunctory; Facing themselves, they are always self-contempt and give themselves up; Facing the future, the life has just begun, and they began to bow to the so-called "fate" and lie in the comfort zone in front of them, not thinking about making progress or doing nothing. Little do you know, the mediocre and comfortable life without struggle is a boring life, and such a life is a waste and blasphemy of life.

Facing with these dangers, can you build a strong "firewall" and resolutely move forward a better future?

        Boys and girls, you can be better in HNUC, and becoming the pillars of society is the biggest momentum of HNUC, the most attractive place, and will also be the most moving story of HNUC. How to be better? I would like to talk about some hopes.

First of all, I hope that you can cultivate better yourself in love learning and be diligent and thoughtful seekers.

Life is a journey of learning, and those who are good at learning will become better and successful. The study in a university is a golden period of learning, therefore, you should take study as the duty and the first task.

Dear students, you'd better be a "book lover", and love reading. Pushkin said that "People's influences are short and weak, the influences of books, however, can be much deeper and far greater"; Carlyle believed that "In books lies the soul of the whole past times". Ancient said that "the person who does not read for a day finds his face detestable", and "wisdom in hold, elegance in mold". Students may envy Mr. Qian Zhongshu for his "camera-like memory", but forget his aspiration to "sweep the whole library of Tsinghua University" after entering into the university.  It is his hard study and readings for more than ten years that make him become a master who has a thorough knowledge of both western countries and China and masters ancient and modern knowledge. Mr. Yuan longping, the "father of hybrid rice" who is nearly 90 years old, still works on the farm and makes a lifelong quest to conquer the difficult problems of rice. In his opinion, as long as there is no end to the life, there is no end to research and exploration! Our Professor Liu Siwei who is over 70 years old still keeps on writing, and the academic life keeps green.

Dear students, the times are moving forward quickly, and learning is the way we catch up, adapt to and even lead the times. In addition to learning from books, we should also learn from practice and life, as well as excellent persons, emulate those better than ourselves, see the bad and introspect ourselves when seeing those worse than us, constantly challenge and enrich ourselves in learning, and acquire the ability of "doing what we cannot do". Please remember that learning will make you "value-added" all the time!

Hunan University of Commerce strives to create the unique classroom teaching I, II and III, that is, classroom teaching is compatible with the extracurricular teaching, theory is interlinked with the practice, and the basic knowledge is combined with the deep knowledge, to create a comfortable atmosphere that students can learn, want to learn and find pleasure in learning. May you take reading as your belief and become confident, unhurried, elegant, noble and notable through reading and learning in HNUC!

Through the study, I hope all of you could distinguish between the right and wrong, stay curious, and develop the critical thinking and innovative spirit; Through the study, all of you could cultivate a rich cultural deposit, walk out of the narrow self-cognition, appreciate the vastness of the world, have a higher pattern and broader vision; Hope you to be better during the diligent study and good thinking, and be a leader of the times!

Next, I hope that you can shape yourself better in self-cultivation and be the owner of the beauty of life.

Lin Qingxuan wrote in the Makeup of Life that: The third-class makeup is the makeup on the face; the second-class makeup is the makeup of spirit; the first-class makeup is the makeup of life. To become the first-class owners of the beauty of life, we must refine ourselves, cultivate morality and cultivate energy.

"The finest diamond must be cut." Students should temper yourself, realize your own weakness, deficiency and imperfection, actively set goals, face with difficulties, conscientiously do things and sublimate yourself during the struggle. This cannot be separated from moral cultivation and strict adherence, aspiration determination and earnest practice, the persistent self-requirement, self-cultivation and self-transcendence and feelings and responsibilities.  I find that a person who really goes far must have very high IQ, EQ and feelings.

We are surrounded by a group of persons with feelings and sense of responsibilities. Academician Huang Yuhua worked for 30 years by concealing his identity, and finally developed our own nuclear submarine by overcoming all hardships and difficulties. When he met his relatives again, his temples were grey. Academician Guo Yonghuai gave up preferential treatment in the foreign country and resolutely returned to China, participated in the development of the "atomic and hydrogen bombs and man-made satellite", and obtained an outstanding achievement. Unfortunately, he suffered an aircraft accident during the return trip from an investigation. When his body was found, he and his guards were still tightly embraced together to protect a briefcase containing the top-secret information. The briefcase was intact, but Academician Guo Yonghuai gave his life to our country. This is the most valuable feeling and responsibility.

After helping others with kindness in mind, you will receive a smile from the heart of the recipient; when you know that if you want to eliminate the rage in the society, you should be calm firstly; When you have an in-depth research and understanding of a certain field, you overcome difficulties again and again; When you suffer setbacks and failures, pain and anxiety, you overcome them with a determined will ... You will fall in love with the better you!

Dear students, in Hunan University of Commerce, a highland with spirits, thoughts and cultures, many spiritual aristocrats, such as Cheng Shuangjia, Xiao Xia, Tao Ruqin, Xu Shoubao and Ning Songkai, are graduated. More than 100,000 outstanding alumni stay true to the original intention and make contributions to the society. I hope that through self-cultivation, you can become people with both moral and ability, people with sound personality, lofty demeanor, distinguished sentiment, elegant temperament, and people who dare to challenge and introspect, to become the first-class owners of the beauty of life;

Finally, I hope that you can be better in the process of integration and innovation, and become generalists of integrated innovation.

General Secretary Xi Jinping said: "The innovation determines the future and the reform is closely related to the national destiny", "Development is the first task, talent is the first resource and innovation is the first driving force." Integration and innovation is the development trend of the current era. Internet +, mobile Internet, big data, cloud computing, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, intelligent manufacturing, green technology, and block chain sweep the world, and the era of Internet of Everything and integration and innovation is coming, and the concept of the community with a shared future for mankind wins great popular support. The integration of disciplines enriches the cognitive system of human beings. The integration of science and technology, as well as the integration of different technologies have produced lots of disruptive technologies; the integration of science and humanity has promoted the free and comprehensive development of human beings; the integration of different cultures has promoted the exchange and learning between countries and nations.

As we all know, Alipay triggers a bank revolution; WeChat affects the sales of gum; Meituan affects the development of instant noodles ... It is often the developments in other fields that bring about the disruptive change and innovation. Currently, the trade war between China and the United States sounded an alarm to the independent innovation of China. What's more, we need to catch up with during the integration and innovation. I remember that when we were students, we read for the rise of China. However, in the current stage, we should jointly strive to make China become a leading power in science and technology.

Dear students, HNUC not only has the characteristics of the economic management discipline, but promote the integration of the liberal art and science, encourage the transboundary development of students, set up the interdisciplinary excellent talent cultivation classes of the intelligent management and digital economy, explore the new cultivation mode of the excellent talents, form the new highlights of the innovation and entrepreneurship education, and promote the joint development of scientific truth-seeking, humanistic good-seeking and artistic beauty-seeking. I hope you can lead innovation in the interdisciplinary integration, dare to break through the boundary, dare to explore the unknown field, and constantly move toward a new academic height; Improve your realm and humanistic quality during the integration of science, humanity and art; Expand the pattern in the integration of different cultures, learn to respect the differences of culture, and constantly explore the international vision, and coexist harmoniously by learning from each other!

Of course, I also hope that students could pursue a better self in the firm self-discipline. I hope you will be less blind, but more planned; less delay, but more hurry; less casual, but more rigorous; less impetuous, but more practical; less vulgar, but more civilized; less old-fashioned, but more innovative; and boys are less sissy, but more masculine, and girls are less delicate, but more strong.

Boys and girls, going to college does not mean once and for all. Life is very precious. Do not waste time. The youth is for struggle! A struggle youth is the most beautiful youth, and there will be no regret for a struggle life!

Please remember, HNUC respects people, cultivate talent and make people successful, and it is not a "mall" for you to walk, but a "flying field" for you to take off. Here, faculties of HNUC who do all for students, for all students, and for everything of students, want to make more people fly and make those who can fly well fly higher.

Please remember, HNUC does not cultivate "parasites" and "weak-kneed" person. Students graduated from HNUC are strong men, strong-kneed persons, innovators, and doers. I hope you could integrate the school motto of "Sincere and Faithful, Realistic and Innovative" with the school spirit of "Great Virtue, Erudition, Earnest Practice and Self-improvement" to your blood, and write your dreams and inspirational legends with enthusiasm, passion and hard work.

Run with the dream and live up to the youth. I hope all students could take excellence, diligence and civilization as a habit, and cultivate virtue, make contributions, expound your ideals in writing, and spend the beautiful youth in the beautiful HNUC. HNUC will become more wonderful because of you, and will remember your youth footprint.

God helps those who help themselves, and you shoulder heavy responsibilities in the future. I hope you will look at yourself with a usual mind, devote yourself to improving the world, contributing to the country, and building the future we are expecting for, and all of you will become better.

Thank you all.