Dear students,

Today, we gather in CSU’s “bird nest” for 2017 Opening Ceremony. I welcome all of you, over 15000 new students, to CSU. I hope you can adapt to the environment as quickly as you can and compose the most beautiful song of youth with CSU.

Forty years ago, just like you, I came to CSU, hoping to realize my dream. Today, as a teacher and president, I want to make it clear that CSU is a book of deep history which always surprises you and encourages you to depict excellent new chapters.

CSU enjoys a long history.

CSU’s Mineral Engineering and Traffic and Transportation Engineering have thrived on the legacy of Hunan Higher Industrial School, which was founded in 1903. We have the Xiangya School of Medicine, China’s first sino-foreign medical school, as famous as the Peking Union Medical College Hospital. After over a century’s development, CSU owns the most complete systematic chain for Nonferrous Metallurgy in the world, the world-famous Xiangya Hospital series, and also the teaching and research base for China’s high-speed railways, plateau railways and heavy-load transportation. CSU is now forging ahead towards the goal of a world-top university.

CSU boasts a unique scenery.

The Democracy Building and Peace Building in the main campus are teaching buildings designed by the world famous architect Liang Sicheng and built by Tsinghua University to resettle its faculty during the Anti-Japanese War, part of Southwest Associated University. The motto of “Talent is key to Chinese rejuvenation” once was the beacon of Southwest Associated University and now still glows for us. The Red Building in the Xiangya Campus is cradle of China’s western medicine where all faculties still put in practice their commitment to “Health Related, Life Entrusted.” The locomotive Museums in the Railway Campus respectively represent the age of steam, the age of internal combustion and the age of electricity. They not only are the concentration of China’s remarkable history of railway development, but also serve as the best example of CSU faculty’s commitment to supporting and serving railway development.

In addition to its long history and great contribution to China’s technological development, CSU is a beautiful university brimming with life, as exemplified by the Yudai River passing through the New Campus, the UFO-shaped teaching building, graceful swans at the lakeside and the “tree of wisdom”. Such beautiful landscapes and buildings embodying romanticism make CSU an ideal place for study and exploration.

CSU is an inexhaustible source of good teachers and famous masters.

CSU’s famous alumni includes Mr. Chen Guoda, founder of Diwa Theory, Mr. Huang Peiyun, “Father of China’s Powder Metallurgy”, Mr. Zhang Xiaoqian and Mr.Tang Feifan, pioneers in China’s modern medicine, Mr. Hou Zhenting, who discovered the uniqueness of a Q-process, etc. Academician Jin Zhanpeng, which is likened to Stephen Hawking, has been committed to teaching and research despite suffering paralysis for 19 years. His motto is “I will dedicate myself to the education of my students. I must be responsible to students, their parents and the country.” Be noted that there are many dedicated teachers in CSU. “Responsibility” is what you will get in return for your hard work and progress. As an old Chinese saying goes, “I looked up to them, and they seemed to become higher; I tried to penetrate them, and they seemed to become firmer.” This is our teachers’ unchanged commitment to wholehearted fulfillment of their duties. You will join CSU’s teachers in appreciating the beauty of technology and meeting the challenges facing mankind.

If you want to appreciate the beauty of ancient Chinese literature, I suggest you to sign up for Yang Yu’s course of chivalrousness and tenderness. If you are interested in the unique charm of chemistry, please sign up for Xu Hai’s course named “Detective Conan and Mystery of Chemistry”. Kindly be noted that his class is very popular and you would better secure your seat two hours ahead of time.

CSU is where you can unleash your potentials.

Forty years ago, Chen Lai, a young man from Wenzhou, was admitted to our school’s Department of Geology, but he was free to study his favorite philosophy due to the school’s encouraging atmosphere. Now he has become the Dean of the Tsinghua Academy of Chinese Learning and contemporary famous philosopher.

Seven years ago, Liu Lu, a Grade 3 student at the School of Mathematics and Statistics from Dalian who spent much time in learning mathematical logic, solved the Ramsey’s Theorem for Pair, and became China’s youngest professor fellow at the age of 22. Cao Yu, who wrote a letter of advice to the Premier of the State Council of PRC as a Business School sophomore, has become a doctoral supervisor in CSU. Wu Xiaolin, who was awarded the “National Self-Development College Star” for studying while working part time and providing financial support to others during his undergraduate study, became a teacher at CSU after years of study at the University of Oxford.

Other well-known alumni include BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu, China Railway Group Chairman Li Changjin, Sany Chairman Liang Wengen, etc.

CSU is a champion of innovation and entrepreneurship.

We encourage your participation in various projects and practices. The laboratories are open to the public 24 hours. Averagely, one of every 4 students is likely to win a contest award.

Our library has a collection of nearly 6 million books which you can enjoy reading in the lakeside reading room. Cao Jian, who is passionate about reading, borrowed 523 times a year from the library. I hope one of you in the audience will break his record.

Fellow students,

There are four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter on the Earth, but we human beings only have two seasons, working hard to form peak-season or staying lazy to form slack season. Wu Yulun spent 5 days cycling 1000km to the school for registration. Despite being disabled, Zhang Yuchen, a freshman at the School of Information Science and Engineering, realized his dream of being admitted to CSU with a score of 619 points at the national college entrance exam. They are the examples of your vitality and enterprise I saw .

Fellow students,

You have a long journey of college study ahead. Hard work is no easy task which can be accomplished overnight. Only with the commitment to life-long learning and self-improvement, one is qualified to say that he/she has lived up to the expectations of youth, the university and even the country.

Fellow students,

When facing responsibilities, please reach out your shoulders of iron and take them seriously;

When learning knowledge, please work as hard as you can and be self-controlled;

When exploring the unknown, please stay committed to practical work while unleashing all your potentials;

When facing the future, please substantiate your vision to make it commensurate with reality and work hard towards making it come true.

Fellow students,

Proceeding from a new start point, you are holding your destiny in your hands.

I am convinced that you will not fail to carry forward the baton of CSU’s spirit. I hope all of you will grow rapidly, set new records and leave your own marks on CSU!

Thank you!