PKU holds Postgraduate Academic Festival & Awarding Ceremony for Top 10 Excellent Teachers
Apr 10, 2019
Peking University, April 10, 2019: Peking University, April. 3, 2019: On the evening of April 1st, the opening ceremony of 2019 PKU Postgraduate Academic Festival & the Selection of Top 10 Teachers were held at Yingjie Exchange Center. The theme of the event is “Global Vision, Universal Love, and China’s Responsibilities.” Professor Jiang Guohua, deputy dean of the Graduate School, and Li Yang, deputy secretary of the Chinese Youth League Committee of PKU attended the ceremony along with other PKU students and teachers. The event also attracted postgraduate delegates from over 10 universities in Beijing.
At the opening ceremony
In the opening remark, Jiang Guohua congratulated on the opening of the festival and highlighted the need to strengthen the academic facilities of postgraduates so as to improve their academic innovation ability. After that, professors from different schools and departments delivered their addresses revolving around the theme.
Professor Qian Chengdan from Department of History pointed out that postgraduates need to broaden their knowledge and dabble in interdisciplinary studies, that is, be a modern “miscellanist.” He also expressed his hope that young people should possess academic honesty, step out of their comfort zone and strive practically to make a difference in the world.
Professor Yao Yang, dean of School of National Development, shared his story of being a postgraduate in the past and his experience of conducting academic research. In his speech, Yao pointed out that researchers should have problem-oriented consciousness and the ability to transform practical problems into academic subjects, and should build their own academic advantages. He stressed that it is important for postgraduates to complete the transition of roles from students to scholars, hoping graduate students can conduct significant research and fulfill the responsibilities of young people.
Professor Sun Qixiang from School of Economics reviewed her experience of studying and teaching at PKU, and expressed her pride and pleasure to be in this superb academic center. She characterized PKU students as being “ABCD,” namely, ambitious, brilliant, creative, dynamic. She held that in this great era full of both opportunities and challenges, young people need to have a sense of mission and professional nobility, as well as willingness of dedication and introspection out of compassion.
Professor Yan Jirong , executive deputy dean of School of Government, said in the new era, the mission of past academic research has been passed on to a new generation of scholars, each of whom should do their part to address the unresolved problems. He stressed that one of the responsibilities of a scholar is to raise questions and make up for their shortcomings. He proposed that we should have a dialectical attitude towards everything.
Professor Wang Yizhou from School of International Studies, analyzed international situation and pointed out that China is a very strong economy now, but it is still underdeveloped in other fields. He believed that China’s further development needs the rise of its young people. He said that young people should constantly improve themselves, have the courage to take on responsibilities, actively participate in global affairs, and make contributions to China’s all-round development.
Dr. Zhang Yongle from Law School interpreted the connotation of “Global Vision, Universal Love, and China’s Responsibilities” from the perspective of poetry. He pointed out that we should not neglect the treasure of Chinese traditional culture and that young people today need to inherit and carry forward the fine Chinese tradition.
Q&A session
During the Q&A session, six professors expressed their views on the issue of “globalization and localization”. Then they answered the questions about “China’s solution”, “attitude towards traditional culture”, etc. In the end, they expressed the hope that students could keep their thirst for knowledge and study with a modest and prudent attitude.
Academic research has been an important part of the campus culture of PKU. Holding Postgraduate Academic Festival will help carry forward the academic tradition of PKU, and inspire postgraduates to make contributions to the construction of "double first-rate" universities.
Written by: Harper Lee
Edited by: Huang Yadan
Source: PKU News (Chinese)
