As the new year’s bell begins ringing, we are saying goodbye to 2020, an extraordinary year, and are readying ourselves to start the new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country. At this beautiful moment, on behalf of Nankai University’s party committee and administrative team, we send our best wishes to the university’s teachers, students, staff, retired comrades, alumni both home and abroad and people from all walks of life who support the development of Nankai University! We wish you all a happy and peaceful new year!

A year after General Secretary Xi Jinping inspected Nankai University in 2020, the university successfully accomplished its 13^th Five-Year Plan and the first cycle of “double first class” construction. 2020 was also a year of Nankai University setting afoot on its second century. In this year, Nankai University’s teachers and students deeply studied and implemented the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speeches during his inspection at Nankai as well as his important instructions. The leadership of the University’s party committee and the leading role of the party building have been comprehensively strengthened. With the “4211” Seeking Excellence Plan fully carried out, curriculum judgement strongly promoted, prizes and awards, like the First Prize of the National Natural Science Award, National Civilized Campus, and so on, acquired, and results obtained from projects like university-region strategic cooperation and medical-teaching-research co-construction, Nankai’s core competitiveness, academic creativity, social contributions and international influence are rising.

In 2020, Nankai people kept firm faith and loyalty. We continued to strengthen the party’s overall leadership and make Nankai a model for implementing the general requirements of the party’s construction in the new era. The University continued to consolidate and deepen the focused education of “remaining true to our original aspiration and keeping our mission firmly in mind”, thoroughly carrying out the “benchmarking and competing” cultivation plan to improve the quality of Party development. The University also continued to carry out in-depth inspection on the campus, further promoting the extensive development of strict party governance, and made great efforts to create a good political ecology and educational environment with a clean and upright atmosphere. The University also co-established the Inner Party Law Research Center with the General Office of the Tianjin Municipal CPC Committee, and important progress has been made in the “Research for the 100th Birthday of the Communist Party of China”.

In 2020, Nankai people bravely served the public. With practical actions of service to the public, we interpreted the great spirit of combating the COVID-19 epidemic in Nankai’s way. Medical staff from the Affiliated Hospital went to Wuhan and the Binhai New Area to assist in the anti-epidemic battle and screening respectively for the first time. Experts and scholars in different fields worked from dusk to dawn, applying artificial intelligence technology to help improve the efficiency of CT image screening, and developed a rapid detection kit for Covid-19 antibodies. Teachers and students from the College of Foreign Languages formed a volunteer translation team, stationing and working on the front line of epidemic prevention and control at airport customs. Primary Party organizations from the whole university fully played the role of fortress, with party members and leading cadres standing guard at all university gates; teacher and student party members actively donated funds and materials to combat the epidemic, and more than 6,000 volunteers worked for more than 26 thousand hours in total.

In 2020, Nankai people together promoted both socialist-minded and professionally competent education. We established a Nankai approach of cultivating socialist builders and successors with the construction of an ideological and political system that keeps pace with the times. The University meticulously implemented the “Outline of Patriotism Education in the New Era” and formulated and carried out the “Implementation Plan of Constructing the ‘Three Aspects of Education’ System to Comprehensively Improve the Quality of Ideological and Political Work”. The University promoted the ideological and political construction of the curriculum from four dimensions: qualified teachers of ideological and political classes were hired; the National Key Research Base for “Introduction to the Basic Principles of Marxism” Textbook Construction was officially inaugurated; taking “Introduction to Xi Jinping’s Socialist Ideology with China’s Characteristics in the New Era” as the lead, the University established a series of cornerstone classes of ideological and political education; and held working conferences on ideological and political construction of the curriculum. The University also actively developed “Four History” education, holding series of activities to memorialize the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s Anti-Japanese War and the World Anti-Fascist War, the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People’s Volunteers’ War to resist US aggression and aid Korea and the 160th Anniversary of the birth of Mr. Yan Xiu. The University also comprehensively promoted teacher-student social practices, deepening cooperative learning, study, teaching and practicing between teachers and students. The University was also awarded with the title of “National Civilized Campus”.

In 2020, Nankai people strengthened the foundation and its cultivation. We have taken unremitting efforts to promote the reform of education and teaching as a solid foundation to explore the Nankai mode of high-quality talent training. The University enhanced and carried out “Nankai 40 Rules”, enhancing the systematization, integrity and coordination of education and teaching reform. The New Liberal Arts Disciplinary Construction and the professional certification of clinical medicine were strongly promoted continuously. Four new engineering research and practice projects of the Ministry of Education were established, 21 majors were selected into the first batch of National First-Class Undergraduate Major Construction Sites, 31 courses were selected into the first batch of National First-Class Undergraduate Courses, 6 bases were selected into the first batch of Cultivation Plan 2.0 for Top Students in Basic Subjects, and Clinical Medicine was approved as the authorized point of the doctor’s degree for the first time. Nankai won the national “Challenge Cup” competition again and ranked first in the total number of award-winning projects in the National Conference on Undergraduate Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

In 2020, Nankai people studied hard and forged ahead. Our achievements made Nankai become a model of serving the strategy of science and technology self-reliance and self-improvement. “High Efficient Chiral Spiro Ring Catalyst” completed by academician Prof. Qilin Zhou’s team won the first prize of the State Natural Science Award. Academician Prof. Jun Chen was elected as fellow of the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS). Nankai’s teams have made important progress on topological photonics, gas adsorption separation, quantum intertextuality and other areas. Nankai deeply participated in the 4^th World Intelligence Congress. The Cross Science Center for Cell Response and the Frontier Science Center of New Material Creation were inaugurated and founded. The reform of the personnel and talent system has been continuously promoted, and tens of millions of yuan in prizes were awarded to “famous teachers” and “scientific and technological heroes” who have made outstanding contributions.

In 2020, Nankai people applied their knowledge to practices. With abundant results that focused on the national economy and people’s lives and served for cultural inheritance and innovation, we made the Nankai voice heard in the solving important theoretical and practical issues. With the whole university’s effort, the National Key School of Marxism was founded. Together with the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Research Institute for 21st-Century Marxism was founded. The 21^st-Century Marxism Summit Forum and the 2^nd Chinese Philosophers Forum were held. The foundation of the School of Journalism and Communication is being promoted. The “Research Center for Digital Economy” was co-founded with the China Association for Science and Technology and the Tianjin Municipal Government. The Collaborative Innovation Center on Modern Tourism Development and the National-level Ancient Book Restoration Institute were inaugurated. The “Chinese Calligraphy and Painting” Inheritance Base was selected into the Chinese National Excellent Inheritance Base for Traditional Culture. “Like the Dyer’s Hand”, the literary documentary that records the legendary life of Prof. Chia-ying Yeh, won the award of “Best Documentary” in the Golden Rooster Awards. A number of results were selected to the “Annual Major Achievements of Major Historical Research and Institutions in China”. The number of selected achievements in philosophy and social sciences ranked first in China.

In 2020, Nankai people dedicated themselves to public interests with all-round capabilities. Aiming at “knowing China and serving China”, we injected Nankai power into serving the national strategy and regional development. The Party Committee of the University has taken on the work of poverty alleviation as a major political task, promoted Zhuanglang County to shake off poverty, abiding by the four requirements of taking responsibilities, implementing policies, continuing assistance and maintaining inspection, and continuing to help in the organic transition from poverty alleviation to rural revitalization. The building of Nankai University’s International Advanced Institute (Futian, Shenzhen), Shenzhen Institute and Hainan Institute made essential progress. District-University cooperation was established between Nankai and the Binhai New Area, Nankai District, Jinnan District and Xiqing District. University-regional and university-enterprise cooperative programs were carried out. Nankai also cooperated with the Tianjin Medical University to build the Tianjin Joint Research Institute of Public Health. Together with a group of influential top hospitals, Nankai built the Institute of Transplantation Medicine, the Institute of Translational Medicine and the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

In 2020, Nankai people established cooperative partnerships in a wide range of areas. With expansive international education, we enriched Nankai narratives of telling China’s stories and spreading Chinese culture. Nankai joined the Alliance of China-Thailand Universities (ACTU) and the Academic Association for International Cultural Exchanges (AAICE), and held the 6^th Sino-European Life Science Forum. The President gave the keynote speech at the Sino-American University Presidents’ Forum. A Nankai’s student start-up team was awarded the title of Annual Excellent Team in the China-U.S. Young Maker Competition. The work of Confucius Institutes was developed with orderliness; Nankai also extensively participated in the inner governance of WFEO, actively established cooperation with UNESCO, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and other institutions to help promote talent training and the recommendation of international organizations. Nankai also took the lead in compiling the “2020 international Tourism Education Report”, releasing the “2019 Overseas Direct Investment Index of China’s Private Enterprises” and the “2020 Global Digital Trade Rules and Standards Research Report”.

Looking back at last year, we sailed against the waves and achieved a series of exciting results. Here, we sincerely praise all the teachers, students and staff for their diligent effort and selfless contributions, sincerely thank alumni both home and abroad for their keen concern and full support, and sincerely salute people from all walks of life for their attention, approval, support and encouragement!

With China’s development increasing with each passing day, 100-year-old Nankai never wastes a single second. At the historic crossroads of the “Two Centenary Goals,” facing the deep and accelerated changes unseen in a century and looking forward to the comprehensive formulation of the 14^th Five-Year Plan, our generation of Nankai people are living in the era of taking responsibilities. In 2021, we will closely unite around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, maintaining confidence and resilience in dealing with all risks and challenges, adhering to the stage of new development, implementing the concepts of new development, and integrating into the pattern of new development. We will strive for progress in stability, uphold integrity and innovation, carry forward the past and forge ahead to cultivate people with the first-class standard.

It is time to break the waves and sail out for our journey ahead! All Nankai people, let us always remember General Secretary Xi Jinping’s encouragement and trust,, and staying true to our original aspiration and keeping our mission well in mind, continuously strive for the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation! Let us constantly make new achievements with sincerity and high spirit, presenting a gift for the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China with our outstanding accomplishments!

Chancellor Qingshan Yang

President Xuetao Cao

January 1^st, 2021

(Translated by Yuchen Shi, Edited by STEFAN SARAH DANIELLE and JianjingYun)