As the footsteps of 2008 recede and the bell rings in 2009, we bid farewell to the year past and welcome a promising New Year. On this special occasion, I take this opportunity on behalf of Tsinghua University to extend New Year's greetings and best wishes to the faculty, students, staff, alumni, and those who have supported our development through the years.
2008 was unusual for the Chinese people. Many things happened. We had the unexpected snow disaster, the unprecedented Wenchuan earthquake, the grand Beijing 2008 Olympics, and the Shenzhou-7 space walk, which attracted worldwide attention. We made it through the year with a heart full of astonishment, sadness, sentiment, joy and pride. The Chinese people tenaciously faced disaster. They were warmhearted, open-minded, confident, and embracing as they stood on the world stage to glorify human civilization in the Olympic Games. They were calm in the face of financial adversity and quickly took action to respond to the global financial crisis. The Chinese nation moved the world with its bravery and strength, its courage and wisdom.
In the face of 2008’s challenges, the Tsinghua community, like the Chinese people, bravely shouldered its responsibilities. Tsinghua faculty, staff, and students contributed their efforts to the earthquake victims. They joined the donation drives to support relief efforts in the earthquake-hit area. Nearly 1,000 Tsinghua faculty, staff, and students supported the blood drive. Tsinghua University formed expert teams to provide support to the earthquake-hit area, including emergency response, medical aid, psychological services, and planning and rebuilding. Tsinghua faculty and students also contributed to support the successful organization of the Beijing Olympic Games in technology and image development, stadium design, venue preparation, and volunteer services, making contributions to the successful realization of a Green, Technological, Cultural and Safe Olympics. In that unforgettable experience, Tsinghua’s people acted as one and shared their destiny with the motherland. Feeling inspired by patriotism for our motherland and determination to overcome the challenges facing the Chinese people, our community once again acted in the Tsinghua spirit of “Actions Speak Louder Than Words.”
In 2008, we also celebrated thirty years of reforms and the opening-up of China. 2008 also marks the tenth anniversary since China began its quest to build world-class universities. In the past thirty years, especially the last ten years, China has made a historic leap and great achievements in its reform and development of education. With the rapid development of higher education in China and with the country’s preferential support, Tsinghua has also made great progress, striving steadily toward its goal of building itself into a world-class university, making great achievements in disciplines development, talent cultivation, research, faculty recruitment, overseas cooperation, and social services. In the past year, the third phase of Tsinghua’s 211 Project was launched; and we finished the feasibility research study for the third phase of the 985 Project. Ten courses at Tsinghua were evaluated as national elite courses and two as national bilingual demonstration courses. Nine Ph.D. papers were evaluated as outstanding Ph.D. papers of the nation. Overall, the total number of Tsinghua’s elite courses and outstanding Ph.D. papers rank first among China’s universities. And the High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor Nuclear Power Station Demonstration Project hosted by Tsinghua was formally started. Great breakthroughs were also made in research and the industrial application of the next generation Internet. Meanwhile, Tsinghua increased the size of its scientific fund, and made new progress in high level talent cultivation, senior faculty recruitment, and overseas cooperation and exchange. Foreign students from more than 100 countries now come to study at Tsinghua. Those achievements can be attributed to the unstinting efforts of students, faculty, and staff, and the help of those who support us. I would like to extend our thanks to all of you!
Looking back, we hold fast to our beliefs. Looking to the future, we must not forget the heavy responsibilities we shoulder. 2009 commemorates the 60th anniversary of the creation of the People’s Republic of China. It is also a crucial year in our continuing efforts to build a world-class university. We will welcome Tsinghua’s 100th anniversary two years later. We need to seize this opportunity, be brave in the face of challenges, be innovative in our thinking, learn from our past experience, and build Tsinghua into a world-class university.
The dawning of the New Year brings with it new dreams. The New Year poses an opportunity for us to surpass our accomplishments in the past. Let us once again take up our historic responsibilities and work diligently to continue to contribute to the development of China and the world.
