As we bid farewell to the past year and embrace the new, we extend our warmest New Year wishes to all students, faculty members, retired colleagues, global alumni, and friends from all walks of life who have long supported Nankai University!

The year 2024 marked the fifth anniversary of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s visit to Nankai University and the 105th anniversary of the university’s founding. Guided by the General Secretary’s expectations, we have steadfastly implemented the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress and the National Education Conference. By achieving remarkable progress in reform and development, we have actively fulfilled Nankai University’s commitment to the spirit of “Patriotism, Dedication, Innovation, and Practicality”.

Over the past year, Nankai University has remained true to its founding mission, upholding its century-old tradition of patriotic dedication. We have actively advanced the study, interpretation, and integration of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era into courses, textbooks, and educational bases. The patriotic education base at the Balitai Campus was recognized as a Red Culture Promotion Base. Nankai University successfully hosted the 2024 online thematic event, “Writing Youthful Chapters on Our Motherland”, achieving new breakthroughs in ideological and political education. Reflecting the new responsibilities and accomplishments of Party organizations in Chinese higher education institutions, Nankai University was selected as a nationwide model university for Party building and hosted the second “Thoughts and Insights” forum for Party secretaries in Chinese higher education institutions, along with the Full Committee Meeting of the Party Building Research Committee of Chinese Higher Education Institutions. The College of Chemistry was honored as a “National Advanced Collective in the Education System”. To mark the 65th anniversary of Premier Zhou Enlai’s visit to his alma mater, we produced the original play Zhou Enlai Returns to Nankai, commemorating and celebrating his enduring spirit.

Over the past year, Nankai University has worked tirelessly to promote and embody the spirit of educators. Florence Yeh Chia-ying (Ye Jiaying) has devoted her life to exemplifying the moral integrity and patriotism that define great educators while sowing the seeds for the inheritance and development of Chinese poetry education. Professor Pang Jinju, dedicated to building an independent knowledge system in Chinese economics, was honored as a “National Model Teacher”. The New Era Talent Program has advanced rapidly, embedding the concept of “integration of knowledge, practice and innovation” in educational reform and significantly enhancing students’ capacity for independent learning. Collaborative efforts have yielded notable achievements, including the launch of the Nankai Oxford Wenzhong Scholarship Program, the joint establishment of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nankai University (Tianjin People’s Hospital) with the Tianjin Municipal Health Commission, and accelerated progress in building “Digital Nankai”. A series of innovative platforms for talent cultivation and R&D transformations have also been established.

Over the past year, Nankai University has prioritized national strategic needs by establishing the Frontier Interdisciplinary Institute and making substantial progress in building four interdisciplinary clusters. The Institute of Chinese Path to Modernization has successfully coordinated think tank initiatives, achieving remarkable outcomes, including significant breakthroughs in the APEC Research Center and the Laboratory for Economic Behaviors and Policy Simulation. Nankai University became a member of the World Internet Conference and founded the National Institute for Innovation and Finance. The university hosted prominent events such as the Financial Technology Forum at the World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit and the Tianjin Wudadao Finance Forum, contributing to the development of China’s financial sector. Over 90 rural workstations dedicated to Chinese-style modernization have been established nationwide, supported by 630 practice teams and more than 15,000 students and faculty members, all contributing to rural revitalization. Academician Zhu Ninghua led the establishment of the Intelligent Photonics Institute, Nobel laureate Pierre Agostini was appointed Honorary Professor and set up the International Joint Research Center for Ultrafast Optics and Applications, and Environmental Sciences and Ecology emerged as Nankai’s fourth discipline to rank among the global top 0.1% in ESI. eScience achieved the highest impact factor among domestic journals.

Over the past year, Nankai University has achieved numerous innovative breakthroughs. Balancing fundamental research with application-oriented projects, NKU researchers have made significant strides in cutting-edge fields such as photoelectrochemical hydrogen production, the mechanisms of antituberculosis drugs and derivatives, next-generation perovskite photovoltaic cell technology, Type 1 diabetes treatment strategies, and harmonic analysis. These breakthroughs have been published in top international journals, including Nature, Cell, and Inventiones Mathematicae. The world’s first mass-produced covalent organic framework (COF) material was successfully launched, along with continuous advances in sodium-ion storage battery technology and the production of aviation fuel from castor oil as a new energy source for aircraft. In the social sciences, Nankai University has played a key role in building an independent knowledge system. The project “Foundational Theories and Empirical Studies of Technology Finance” secured the university’s first-ever National Natural Science Foundation Major Project in economics. Nankai University ranked among the national leaders in the number of approved major projects under the National Social Science Fund. Notable achievements include influential works such as “The World Prospects of Socialism and Capitalism and Contemporary International Situations” and the “Nankai Index”, along with landmark publications such as A Comprehensive History of Chinese Clans, and From the Mediterranean to the Yellow River: Hellenistic Civilization and the Silk Road. Nankai University’s achievements were recognized with its first-ever Tianjin Special Prize for Technological Progress and the only Special Prize for Technological Invention awarded this year. The university also received the Ministry of Education’s First Prize for Humanities and Social Sciences and saw its accomplishments included in the National Philosophy and Social Science Achievement Library.

As we look back on 2024, the NKU community stood united in purpose and worked tirelessly toward progress. The university’s achievements and honors today are a testament to the shared commitment and efforts of everyone at NKU.

In the year ahead, the Nankai community will carry forward General Secretary Xi Jinping’s encouragement and guidance, remaining deeply rooted in China’s soil and transforming patriotism into action to support Chinese modernization.

The New Year heralds a fresh chapter for NKUers. With the ambitious goal of building a world-class university, we will embrace a spirit of reform, conclude the 14th Five-Year Plan with excellence, and advance the integrated development of education, technology, and talent.

The New Year heralds a new journey for NKUers. Together with the wisdom and strength of our students, faculty members, and global alumni, we will unite efforts on the path to building a strong nation in education. With perseverance and dedication, we will write a new chapter for NKU!

Yang Qingshan, Secretary of the CPC Nankai University Committee

Chen Yulu, President of Nankai University

January 1, 2025