On September 8, Nankai University held a grand opening ceremony for its more than 10,000 incoming students of the Class of 2024.

This year marks the 105th anniversary of Nankai University. Students dressed in purple formed eye-catching formations spelling out “1919” (the founding year), “2024”, “NKU”, and “105”.

The ceremony was attended by NKU leaders including Yang Qingshan, Chen Yulu, Yang Kexin, Zhao Meirong, Liang Qi, Sheng Bin, Fang Yongchun, and Zhu Shoufei, along with Song Licheng, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and professor at the College of Chemistry; Chen Zhiqiang, a chair professor at NKU and professor at College of History; Zhang Yingze, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Dean of the School of Medicine; Xian Guoming, a chair professor at NKU and professor at School of Economics; and Bu Xianhe, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and professor at the School of Materials Science and Engineering. Niu Wenli, Vice Chancellor of NKU, presided over the ceremony. 

At around 8 a.m., the ceremony officially began with the rousing national anthem.

President Chen Yulu delivered a keynote speech titled “Building a Strong Foundation for Growth with Nankai Spirit”.

In September 1935, Mr. Zhang Boling, Founding President of NKU, sparked a wave of patriotic fervor among the students with his powerful “Three Questions about Patriotism” during NKU’s opening ceremony, inspiring a drive for self-reliance. Eighty-nine years later, at the opening ceremony, President Chen Yulu guided the new students in revisiting these resonant and timeless questions, reflecting on the past, present, and future.

“Are you Chinese?”

“Yes!”

“Do you love China?”

“Yes!”

“Do you want China to be good?”

“Yes! May our motherland thrive and prosper!”

The resounding questions and responses, filled with unwavering patriotism, echoed through time and lingered in the hearts of the Nankai community.

Prof. Bai Changhong, Dean of the Nankai Business School and a doctoral advisor, shared insights with the new students based on his more than 40 years' journey with Nankai.

Prof. Liu Weiwei, Dean of the College of Electronic Information and Optical Engineering and a doctoral advisor, also offered words of encouragement to the incoming students.

On the occasion of the 40th Teachers’ Day, Yuan Zhen, a 2022 master’s student at the School of Medicine, and Wang Xiaomeng, a 2023 doctoral student at the School of Finance, as students representatives, gave their best wishes to the teachers.

Speeches were also delivered by new students representatives, Yu Hao, a 2024 undergraduate from the School of Economics, and Hou Baohe, a 2024 master’s student from the School of Law.

This year marks the 105th anniversary of Zhou Enlai’s enrollment at Nankai University, and the 65th anniversary of his third visit to his alma mater. During the ceremony, all the new students collectively recited his poem Song of the Grand River Sung.

The ceremony concluded with faculty and students singing the Nankai University anthem in unison, marking a successful and inspiring start to the academic year.

（Edited and translated by Nankai News Team.)