Facing the era of change and pursuing eternal value
——Remarks at the 2024 Graduate Graduation Ceremony
Li Luming, President of Tsinghua University
Dear Students, Teachers, Relatives and Friends, and Distinguished Guests,
Today is an unforgettable day. First of all, on behalf of the university, I would like to express my warmest congratulations to all the students who have successfully completed their postgraduate studies and are about to start a new chapter in their lives! I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the teachers who have worked hard for your learning and growth, and to the relatives and friends who care about and support you!
Studying at Tsinghua University is a way of life, unique and beautiful. During your time at the school, you have experienced many major events in many countries and schools, as well as days and nights when all teachers and students of the school fought the "epidemic" together. At this moment of parting, you may be full of nostalgia for the fresh and handsome Tsinghua Garden and the heart-warming Tsinghua cuisine, or you may be full of reluctance to the mentors and partners who get along day and night; You may be excited about the new life that is coming, or you may be anxious about leaving your familiar surroundings. But I am sure that you will gather your mood and adjust your state for the new stage of life.
At present, mankind is in an era of great development, great change and great adjustment, and the changes in the world pattern, economy and society, science and technology, ideology and culture have profoundly affected everyone's life and made the future full of uncertainties. But there are always some eternal values worth pursuing, so that no matter what kind of situation we are in and what difficulties we face, we can always maintain the fullness and firmness of our hearts, and pursue a more high, more realm, and more tasteful life.
Noble character and true knowledge of truth are eternal values worth pursuing. "The virtuous one, Ben also". The first thing to do is to be moral and self-cultivation. In 1914, Mr. Liang Qichao gave a speech entitled "The Gentleman" at Tsinghua Garden. He encouraged Tsinghua students to be true gentlemen who are worthy of great responsibilities with "Tianxingjian, a gentleman with unremitting self-improvement" and "terrain is kun, and a gentleman is virtuous" in "Zhou Yi". Cultivating noble character is a lifelong thing, and learning from things is also a never-ending process. The diligent pursuit of true knowledge and truth has enabled mankind to continuously expand the boundaries of knowledge and promote the progress of civilization. Mr. Li Xueqin, a senior professor of liberal arts at Tsinghua University, has practiced the way of a gentleman all his life, and his character articles are all role models. He devoted his whole life to the exploration of the mysteries of ancient Chinese civilization, and made leading and outstanding contributions in the fields of oracle bones, bronze research, and simplified silk studies. He devoted the last period of his life to the rescue, protection and research of the "Tsinghua Jane", led the team to discover a number of long-lost pre-Qin classics, deepened the understanding of major issues in pre-Qin history, and expanded the international influence of Chinese civilization. He is humble, accessible and generous, and always cares and supports his juniors, and is the "Mr. Big" in Tsinghua Park. Students, I hope that you will cultivate the gentlemanly character of "bowing to yourself" and "seeking self-respect", maintain the spirit of "never getting tired of learning" and "renewing day by day", and strive to grow into high-quality talents with both ability and political integrity, and go further on the road of life.
The feelings of family and country and human care are eternal values worth pursuing. Closely integrating personal development with the needs of the country and the progress of the times is a life choice made by generations of Tsinghua people. In the past 10 years, more than 80% of Tsinghua graduates have been employed in key units in important fields, and have gone to places where the motherland and the people need to shine. Lin Yunzhi, an alumnus of the Department of Electrical Engineering of our university and chief engineer of China Railway Electrification Bureau, has devoted himself to the construction of urban rail transit with the desire of "making our national rail transit at the forefront of the world" and the belief of "doing one thing to the extreme for a long time". He led the team to develop four pieces of equipment, such as the subway dynamic detection vehicle and the tunnel cleaning vehicle, which filled the gap in the industry, and the data-based EMU joint commissioning and joint test mode proposed was comprehensively promoted in the field of urban rail transit, which greatly improved the construction efficiency and technical level. Chinese people have a deep sense of family and country, and they also advocate the four seas and one family. Since the 80s of the last century, in the face of increasingly prominent environmental problems, the Tsinghua team has carried out research on topics such as the control of acid rain in mainland China and the precise control of atmospheric compound pollution, and has made important contributions to protecting the blue sky and building a beautiful China. Air pollution, carbon emissions and climate change often go hand in hand, and climate change has become a common global challenge. Tsinghua University has taken the initiative to give full play to its comprehensive disciplinary advantages, initiated the World University Climate Change Alliance, established the Carbon Neutrality Research Institute, and taken the lead in cultivating the "Carbon Neutrality and Energy Intelligent Connection" international science program, deeply participating in global climate governance, and demonstrating its responsibility in caring for the earth's homeland and improving human well-being. Students, I hope that you will carry forward the spirit of patriotism, dedication and pursuit of excellence, expand the pattern of life that is open and inclusive, and care for the world, and contribute to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
The pursuit of eternal value is not only to grasp the present, but also to stick to it for the long term. Human life is short, but the value of life can be eternal. Su Shi once sighed in "Former Chibi Fu", "If you look at it from the person who has changed, then heaven and earth cannot be seen for a moment; From the point of view of the unchanging, the thing and I are endless." Every moment that is not wasted will be endowed with eternal meaning in the endless river of time. Everything we do now is related to the past and affects the future. Learning to dialogue with history, seeking answers and drawing strength from history, and finding those values that will never fade, we can better grasp every present in this rapidly changing era, and accumulate the thickness of life in the long-term perseverance. Six days ago, Academician Xue Qikun, a professor at Tsinghua University, won the highest national science and technology award. He has always focused on doing basic research "from 0 to 1", led the team to aim at the frontier of condensed matter physics, adopted unique experimental methods, and made long-term hard efforts, and in 2012, he experimentally observed the quantum anomalous Hall effect for the first time in the world. Since then, he has maintained a diligent work attitude and strong intellectual curiosity, and continues to climb towards scientific peaks such as high-temperature superconductivity mechanism problems, topological quantum states of matter and quantum computing. Since the beginning of the new century, more than 100 achievements of Tsinghua University have won the "three awards" of national science and technology, and their average completion time is more than 10 years. In fact, whether it is a major scientific research achievement or a great achievement in all walks of life, it is the result of hard work and long-term success. Students, I hope that you will uphold the school spirit that actions speak louder than words, with the tenacity of "perseverance after thousands of blows" and the determination of "sitting on the bench for ten years", seize the day, persevere, and practice the lifelong responsibility of Tsinghua people with hard work.
General Secretary Xi Jinping once said: "There is only one youth in a person's life. Now, youth is for struggle; In the future, youth is for memories. "Students, I hope that you will study in Germany, serve the country, keep the world in mind, face the era of change, pursue eternal values, and let your youth shine with a sense of urgency and responsibility that time does not wait.
Tsinghua University is the harbor where your dreams set sail, and it is also your spiritual home. Your alma mater will always care about you! Happy graduation to all!
Source | Tsinghua University WeChat public account
Photography: Yang Yanbin
Typesetting & Editor|Yuan Jie
Audit|Xu Liang
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Selected from previous issues
Tsinghua University's 2024 undergraduate graduation ceremony was held
President Li Luming's speech at the 2024 undergraduate graduation ceremony|Illuminate life with faith and write youth with action