On the morning of June 17, Beihang University held the Commencement and Degree Conferment Ceremony for the class of 2023 at Beihang Stadium in Xueyuan Road Campus, with 6,330 graduates receiving their bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.
Attending the ceremony were Beihang Party Committee Secretary Zhao Changlu, President Wang Yunpeng, Academic Degree Evaluation Committee Director Fang Jiancheng, Deputy Party Secretary and Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary He Xinzhou, Vice Presidents Tao Zhi, Liu Shuchun, and Zhang Hailan, Deputy Party Secretary Cheng Bo, Vice President Lyu Weifeng, alumni representative Zhang He, teacher representative Lin Guiping, Academic Degree Evaluation Committee members, leaders from various schools and departments, and counselors of the Class of 2023. Vice President Lyu Weifeng presided over the ceremony.
The opening video The Story of Chasing Light (in Chinese: Zhui Guang De Gu Shi) was reminiscent of the memorable campus life and was indicative of students’ fighting spirit towards the future.
The graduation ceremony formally kicked off with the solemn national anthem. Fang Jiancheng announced the degree granting decision for the Class of 2023. He Xinzhou announced the list of Outstanding Graduates of Universities in Beijing. Tao Zhi introduced winners of the Scholarship for a Career in the Vitalization of National Defense Industry. Zhao Changlu and Wang Yunpeng issued certificates to representatives. Following that, the Department of Academic Affairs and the Graduate School handed over the alumni roster to the Alumni Association.
In her speech, undergraduate representative Liu Haifei from the School of Reliability and Systems Engineering expressed her gratitude towards Beihang University. She said that Beihang students would stay committed to comprehensive development and continuously hone their skills in the future, so as to contribute to high-level sci-tech self-reliance.
Master representative Qin Bingchao from the School of Material Science and Engineering reviewed his ten years of study life in Beihang. He expressed his heart-felt gratitude to Beihang for endowing him with the ambition to forge ahead and the confidence to shoulder responsibilities. He called on his peers to keep pace with the motherland and the times, so that they can bring their potential into full play and realize their goals.
At the ceremony, graduate representatives presented flowers to their supervisors, class advisers, counselors, security officers and apartment managers, and expressed their sincere gratitude to them.
Teacher representative Prof. Lin Guiping from the School of Aeronautic Science and Engineering voiced his expectations for graduates, hoping that all Beihang students can become talents with ideals, ambitions, courage, perseverance and attainments. He encouraged them to firmly forge ahead towards their goals and create a bright future with constant hard work, making great contributions to the construction of a powerful China in space.
Alumni representative Zhang He, executive director of the Chang’e-4 probe project, reviewed her study years in Beihang with deep affection and shared her experience in the aerospace industry. She encouraged all graduates to stick to the patriotic spirit of “putting the country first”, cultivate independent and in-depth thinking ability, integrate their personal development into the development trend of the motherland, and create their own wonderful life.
Accompanied by loud applause, President Wang Yunpeng delivered an enthusiastic speech. He reviewed students’ journey of living up to their youth and keeping pace with the times, praised their outstanding performance in various fields, and put forward ardent expectations to them. He encouraged all graduates to shoulder the responsibilities of the times and make maximum contributions to the realization of China's modernization.
“Only through hard work can we live up to our youth.” As the graduates were about to embark on a new journey in life, President Wang expressed his expectations in four sentences. Firstly, he wished all graduates to love and serve the Party and the nation with great ambitions, firmly forge ahead in the era of national rejuvenation, carry on the Beihang spirit of “serving the country in aerospace”, develop great ambitions, integrate individual development to the development of the nation so as to better realize their value in the great cause of national rejuvenation. Secondly, he hoped that all graduates could dare to be the first, commit themselves to innovation, pursue excellence in extraordinary causes, always maintain the Beihang spirit of perseverance, and shoulder great responsibilities, so that they can make themselves shine in the service of national defense and the dedication to the motherland. Thirdly, he urged all graduates to hone their morality, always do good deeds, gain wisdom from advanced culture, stick to integrity, distinguish right from wrong, maintain gratitude and self-discipline, and bring about more positive energy to the society. Fourthly, he encouraged all graduates to be confident and tenacious, bravely forge ahead in the life journey full of challenges, persist in adversity, learn from setbacks, and never give up, so as to conquer all the challenges they are confronted with.
The ceremony climaxed with all faculty and graduates singing Beihang anthem Looking Up at the Starry Sky (in Chinese: Yang Wang Xing Kong).
In the following degree-awarding ceremony, university leaders plucked the tassel from the honorary hoods and gave best wishes to graduates. With all the blessings, the graduates will start a brand-new chapter in their life. Wish all students to fully utilize their potential to create an infinitely bright future!
Reported by Wang Qing, Ren He, Li Shiyu, and Li Siyao
Photographed by Song Chao, Zhang Zhibo, Chen Jiaheng, Qin Yuhang, Zhu Quan, and Zhang Keli
Reviewed by Li Jianwei
Edited by Jia Aiping
Translated by Zhang Anqi
