With Wisdom, Riding the Long Wind to a New Journey; with Daily Renewal and Earnest Action, Forging Ahead toward the Future!

——Speech at the Opening Ceremony for the Incoming Class of 2026

President Qiao Junfei

Dear faculty members and students,

Good morning!

In golden September, the fragrance of osmanthus fills the air. Today is the 42nd Teachers’Day. We are gathered here for the Opening Ceremony of the Incoming Class of 2026. At this special moment when teachers are honored and education is valued, you have become members of BJUT. On behalf of the University, I would like to express our highest respect to all faculty and staff who light the way and help dreams shine; our warmest welcome to all new students of the Incoming Class of 2026 who have overcome challenges and distinguished yourselves; and our heartfelt gratitude to the parents, relatives, and friends who have accompanied and supported you along the way.

Beijing University of Technology was founded in 1960. Through the unremitting efforts of generations, it has become a university with international renown, peer respect, and strong appeal among students. In the latest 2026 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) released by ShanghaiRanking, BJUT ranks 245th globally and 45th among universities in the Chinese mainland, making it one of the fastest-growing universities in recent years. It has not been easy for you to stand out and come to BJUT. You are truly outstanding members of your generation.

66 years ago, BJUT was founded in response to the nation’s and the capital’s need for high-end, precision, and advanced industrial development. Today, we are thriving as Beijing builds itself into a modern international center for science and technology innovation. The University is forging ahead steadily toward the goal of becoming a world-class university. Over more than six decades, BJUT has cultivated a large number of outstanding alumni who are renowned at home and abroad. Today, the University’s talent cultivation capacity is widely recognized by society and parents. In this year’s ShanghaiRanking Student Value-Added Ranking, BJUT ranks 8th nationwide. As long as you maintain a positive and enterprising mindset, you will grow rapidly. I want to say that choosing BJUT means choosing a bright future.

The college entrance examination and postgraduate entrance examination you have just gone through have proven your excellence. But that glory is now behind you. The path of innovation ahead will not be smooth. Here, I would like to share three hopes with you.

First, embrace the country and the times, and redefine “excellence.”

The nation is the foundation of personal growth, and the times are the stage for young people’s development. Whether an individual succeeds is always closely linked to the destiny of the country and the progress of the times. Through years of hard study, you stood out in the college entrance examination or postgraduate entrance examination and proved yourselves with strength. After entering university, you should carry forward this drive and continue to pursue excellence. For more than six decades, BJUT has always been closely connected with the development of the country and the capital. Generations of BJUTers have kept the country’s fundamental interests in mind, viewed the world with a global perspective, integrated academic exploration into the tide of human progress, and responded to the issues of the times with innovation.

True excellence is not merely personal academic progress; it is about forging leadership qualities capable of shouldering great responsibilities. In the past, group after group of BJUT students moved from classrooms to laboratories and from campus practice to national innovation competitions. They proved that excellence is not innate talent, but a choice to break boundaries and reshape oneself again and again. An outstanding explorer is never satisfied with walking only on paths made by others.

Second, practice the university motto and forge “perseverance.”

“Persistent Striving the Principle, Pursuit of Innovation the Path”is the motto of BJUT and the guide for every BJUTer. “Persistent striving” is the resilient foundation of one’s character, while “Pursuit of Innovation” is the value pursuit of continuous improvement. The two complement each other. Only with perseverance as the foundation can one go steadily and far and explore renewal; only with daily renewal as the guide can one demonstrate the power of perseverance and achieve breakthroughs. As the saying goes, “If you carve and then give up, even rotten wood will not break; if you carve without stopping, even metal and stone can be engraved.” The essence of a university is to explore the unknown. There is no fixed formula for university study and research, and the road is by no means smooth. The ability to sit still and endure solitude is a scholarly tradition passed down from generation to generation at BJUT, and it is also a basic skill that every BJUT student should possess. True exploration is not a sprint, but a long-distance race that tests endurance and willpower. In recent years, many of our students have voluntarily formed innovation teams. With the help of teachers and the University, they have turned immature ideas into tangible results and won gold and silver awards in national competitions. What makes the University proud is not only the trophies, but also their determination to persevere. I hope you will keep up this spirit and continuously temper yourselves with the craftsmanship spirit of dedication and focus, striving for perfection, meticulousness, and the pursuit of excellence.

Third, cultivate virtue and character, and foster a “broad vision.”

An ancient saying goes, “The way of great learning lies in manifesting bright virtue, loving the people, and resting in the highest good.” Virtue is the foundation of conducting oneself and achieving success; this truth holds across time. Around the world, those who accomplish great things all establish themselves on virtue. Natural talent determines the baseline of your growth, while virtue and vision determine the level you reach. Your talent has brought you to BJUT, but your future development depends on your character and cultivation.

A university is not only a place to learn knowledge and pursue innovation, but also a place to discover and tap human potential and to cultivate virtue. A person of taste and vision should know how to listen, learn to be tolerant, be grateful, and learn to contribute. I hope you will become cultivated people: with inner cultivation rooted in the heart, self-awareness that needs no reminding, freedom premised on self-restraint, and kindness that thinks of others. May you integrate personal growth into the tide of the times, cultivate a deeper life vision in the practice of serving the country and society, temper the leadership temperament capable of shouldering great responsibilities, and become leaders, promoters, and practitioners who contribute to social development.

“Respecting choices and giving full play to strengths” is a distinctive feature of BJUT’s education. Today, you have become true BJUTers. I hope you will live up to your intelligence, the careful cultivation of your teachers, and the earnest expectations of your parents. Years from now, when you stand here in academic dress, you should say proudly: “Choosing BJUT was the most worthwhile pursuit of my youth.”

From now on, strive with all your energy. I hope that, in the University’s process of building a world-class university, in serving modernization and the capital’s high-end, precision, and advanced industries, you will write your own chapter of youth through your actions.

Thank you!