To Be a Hardheaded Idealist
To Be a Hardheaded Idealist
—— A Speech Delivered at the Postgraduate Graduation Ceremony of Peking University, 2008
Dear Party Chief Min Weifang, President Xu Zhihong, distinguished government representatives, esteemed faculty members, proud parents, and above all, graduates:
Good morning!
As a former graduate of Peking University, I am very honored and privileged to be here for this solemn commencement. First of all, I would like to thank Peking University for giving me a chance to re-experience an exciting moment and reflect upon the unforgettable and dear memories. Graduation always invokes mixed feelings about the joy of harvest and sorrow of departure, nostalgia for the past life on campus and longing for future life in society.
Twenty two years ago, I, a young man from a remote village in western Liaoning province, first set my feet in Beijing to study at Peking University and start a new page of life. During the past twenty-two years, our Alma Mater has celebrated her ninetieth, one hundredth and one hundred and tenth birthday, and together with our country, has suffered setbacks and experienced changes and developments. During the same period, I had stayed in Peking University for seven years as a student and then six years as a faculty member, before I went to work in various government positions for nine years. My years in Peking University allowed me a unique opportunity to explore her tradition and experience her spirit.
During my years of studying and teaching, especially in the days organizing the centennial celebration, I came to the realization that “Peking University’s tradition has always been polyphony, where the passions of China collide and get transcended, where the dynamic and explosive zeal meets the tranquil and rational reflection. It is this collision and fusion of passion and reason that forged her immortal soul and ensured her centuries of glory. If passion makes her adorable, the transcendence of passion makes her respected.
In the darkness of the early twentieth century, patriotism meant saving the country, and progress was made through criticism. Fighting and crying were entangled on the path to salvation. In the era of peace and prosperity, patriotism means strengthening the country, and progress is achieved through construction. Innovation and dedication are required to make our people rich and our nation great. Therefore, pragmatic style, constructive attitude, innovative pursuit and dedicative morale reflect and characterize the spirit of Peking University in the new age.
I have repeated the remarks I made for China Education Newspaper in 1998 and Bimonthly Talk in 1999. They were what I learned as a student and what I tried to pass on to my own students in Peking University. As the nation’s top educational institute, Peking University carries the great expectations of our country and our people, to foster idealists with practical wisdom, and to turn out graduates who can transform dreams into reality and make a real difference in society.
I want to share this with you because it is the most important thing I learned during my thirteen years at Peking University, and the tradition I am deeply indebted to. I have been thinking for many years about how to become a hardheaded idealist. Shortly after the celebration of the new millennium, I waved goodbye to the joyous crowds celebrating the New Year in the centennial hall for new missions, with my deeply-held beliefs in transcending passion, becoming a down-to-earth idealist and a rational constructor. Since I left Peking University, I have been adhering to these beliefs in every tiny detail, and putting what I understand as the tradition and spirit of Peking University into practice during my service in the Youth League, local governments and party leadership. “Quiet pragmatism, attention to detail, seeking no shortcuts and sparing no efforts” has become my catchphrase and my work ethic as a leader.
I know too well that I owe all these realizations, persistent practice, methods, commitment and courage to Peking University. For years Peking University has been educating me with her inexhaustible store of knowledge, edifying me with her unique culture, and elevating me with her noble spirit. She has bestowed upon me the most valuable treasure for my life. I want to express my gratitude to Peking University, to her leadership, teachers and students.
Ten years ago, at her centennial celebration, Peking University set up the goal to become a world-class university, integrating the three missions of national rejuvenation, university development and talents cultivation. The renowned writer Lu Xun used to remark, “Peking University has always been a pioneering force in innovation and progressive movements, leading China to a better and upward path.” During the past ten years we have witnessed this transforming spirit and the concerted efforts of all to move Peking University forward. They have produced the enormous improvements in various aspects, from teaching and researching, international communication and cooperation, to cultural prosperity and service development. Peking University is braving winds and waves to become an internationally renowned university.
I have firmly believed that the just criterion for the greatness of a university is to see whether its graduates can make a great contribution to the country, the nation and the whole world. To judge how far a university is away from its goal, we need only to look at the performance of its graduates. Therefore I used to tell my students, “The ideal graduates of Peking University are those who can help the university to realize its ideal.” I also left a message to the Youth League Committee where I used to work: “Only when ideals are deeply rooted in the fertile soil of reality can they yield sweet fruits of success.” As a new generation of Peking University students, you need to combine the university’s aspiration with your own studies and daily work in order to move her closer towards a world-class university. An excellent student is judged according to not only one’s academic record in the university, but more importantly, the contribution one makes in a specific area after ten, twenty or even thirty years of graduation. As is well put by the famous Tang dynasty poet Bai Juyi, “It takes three days’ burning to verify the true jade, and it takes seven years’ growth to recognize the useful wood.” To help Peking University realize her dream requires several generations of its graduates to engage diligently in unostentatious hard work.
I really envy you, the younger generation of graduates, because you grow up in a new era, an era of development ushered in with reform and opening up, an era of information made possible by the internet, and an era of globalization marked with unprecedented communication and cooperation. You have benefited from a better environment for learning, an easier and more convenient access to knowledge and information. You are the new generation beaming with vitality, confidence and a most promising future.
Today I want to take this rare opportunity to share with you my experiences and thoughts. They may sound like empty clichés to you, but they have been the treasured truth I learned from Peking University. Our life’s journeys may run parallel in some aspects, but will always bear the stamp of our own time. I encourage you to explore your own paths and I shall respect your choices. I believe you, as carriers of Peking University’s time-honored spirit, will embrace a richer and more glorious future. You will contribute a new chapter to your personal success, the further development of Peking University, and the rejuvenation of our nation.
July is a departing season in Peking University. The light breeze from Weiming Lake sends our Alma Mater’s deep love, and the sweet flowers add sorrow to our farewell. You are going to different futures in various parts of the country and the world, and may never have a chance to meet again. But I believe there must be some bits of Peking University to have become part of our lives, as there must be a flower that never fades in our memory. No matter how far we have traveled and how much time has passed, the filial bond between us and our Alma Mater will not lose its strength of union, because we will always remember fondly of Peking University as where we spared no youthful sweat and as our most cherished spiritual home. The future path will be long and winding, but I believe you have packed enough of wisdom and strength in your traveling luggage. I warmly congratulate you on graduating from Peking University, and sincerely wish you every success in future endeavors.
Thank you all!
A Chinese version of the article can be found at Sina Financial and Economics Blog.
