——Tsinghua President’s speech delivered at the commencement ceremony for the bachelor’s degree in 2004

Gu Binglin

July 13, 2004

Good morning, everyone!

Today, 3450 undergraduate students of grade 2004 will be conferred graduation certificates and bachelor’s degrees on this grand commencement. This is an exciting moment, which marks that you have completed your undergraduate studies and are going to set out on a new journey. On behalf of Tsinghua’s faculty, I would like to give you the warmest congratulations. Meanwhile, I would like to take the opportunity to extend my heartfelt respect and thanks to Tsinghua’s teachers, and staff from service and administrative departments.

After graduation, about 60 percent of you will seek further studies in either Tsinghua or other universities in China, pursuing master’s or doctor’s degrees. Nearly ten percent are going overseas for further studies. About 30 percent will say goodbye to Tsinghua and start their professional careers. What excites us most is that around 280 students have chosen to work in the nation’s key fields of development, including the backbones of the large enterprises and national defense and war industry, where talents are needed most in our country. It should be particularly pointed out that 63 students in our school wish to work in the western area in response to the nation’s call. I believe that whatever you choose, as long as you keep our country in your heart and remember the tradition of Tsinghua, you can surely have a glorious future.

As old saying goes, “The camp remains the same but the soldiers changed.” Every year, there are students graduating from Tsinghua and starting on new journeys after the commencement, among whom however, you are quite different as you have experienced or witnessed various historical events. You were lucky to become the Tsinghua’s students in 2000 when the new century came; you witnessed the success of our country biding for the 2008 Olympic Games and China’s entry into WTO; you experienced the World Cup 2002 and the fight against SARS epidemics in 2003. I think that all of you, no matter those who will continue their studies in Tsinghua or those who will soon leave the university, the unforgettable period you spent in Tsinghua symbolized the development of our country and it will be deeply branded on you.

The speech dilivered by our alumnus Liao Wenmin is very touching. The reason why our country was able to successively gain historic achievements at the beginning of 21st century lay in the unremitting efforts made by our people in the past few years, which also include the contribution of Tsinghua People. It is the process of coming, growing up, and leaving of the Tsinghua students that makes Tsinghua University more and more vigorous and energetic. I hope that the spirit of Tsinghua University will accompany you in your whole life, and become your inexhaustible source when you set sail for a new journey and brave the wind and the waves.

At this moment of departure, many students would like to feel the spirit of Tsinghua once more. Here, I want to talk about three of my feelings as our mutual encouragement.

Firstly, advocate science and pursue excellence. After the summer holiday, most of you will continue your education and research in universities or institutes. Especially for those who will stay in Tsinghua as postgraduates, the familiarity with this university could be an advantage as well as a disadvantage, as it may cause the lack of impetus for innovation. In fact, although Tsinghua does well in some fields in China, it is still far from the advanced level in the world. I hope that you keep the belief for science and brilliance, and carry forward the university’s academic discipline — “Vigorousness, Diligence, Truthfulness, and Innovation”, in order to scale the heights of science in your postgraduate studies. To those who will start working soon and might be confronted with many difficulties and challenges, I hope you remember that there is no limit to knowledge, and thus you should combine working with learning, and try all your best to make breakthroughs and be creative in your work.

Secondly, keep a down-to-earth attitude and avoid impetuousness. There is an impetuous mood in the society in recent years. However, neither scientific nor any other achievement can be acquired with this mood. I hope that you can keep a down-to-earth attitude and start from each step, which is very important to both those who choose to have postgraduate studies in Tsinghua and those who will go to work soon. Just now, our alumnus Miao Wenmin said that his place of work once “lacked production tasks, produced single kind of product, and provided a low salary and poor living conditions. The outside world is so wonderful. As a young man it is impossible that one will not change his mind.” However, he insisted staying there. It is not easy. What makes him stay? I think that besides long-term objectives, devotion to one’s work, and sense of responsibility, as he said, the most important is that you can start from minor matters and take a stable step. I hope that you can do a solid job, avoid being impetuous, be able to bear loneliness and resist temptation, and work hard to realize your ideals.

Thirdly, be modest, prudent and cooperative. Tsinghua University holds a high reputation in the society, and people always speak highly of Tsinghua’s students, to which, however, we should keep a sober mind. I hope that you will not take this expectation as a burden. Professor Zhu Ziqing once said that there were some people saying that one of the bad habits of Tsinghua students is that they “look down upon others.” He divided it into several kinds: One feels self-satisfied when he learned some new knowledge; one tries to make some comments when seeing that others are careless and over romantic. These seemed to be excusable. However, it would be unforgivable if one looks down upon others only because they are not from “Tsinghua”. I hope that you remember what our alumnus said. That is to keep modest and be cooperative. You should learn from our alumnus Miao Wenmin, trying to “set a comparatively low value on yourself, and not to be intoxicate for the ring of light of the elite”, and try to put into practice the spirit of the motto of Tsinghua, constantly strive to become stronger, and commit yourselves to the society.

Several years ago, when the new century came, you entered Tsinghua University, starting the four-year’s life. Today, when you graduate, you are facing a good chance for your development. The following years are important for us to construct a comfortably-off society and to realize the modernization. I hope that you will not let us down. You should carry on a spirit that is “Patriotism, Devotion, and Pursuit of Perfection”, work hard, and report good news to Tsinghua University.

It’s time we say goodbye to you. Let’s meet next time.

Translated by Li Han & Huang Ruixi