徐扬生校长在香港中文大学（深圳）2021年本科生毕业典礼上的讲话
CUHK- Shenzhen
香港中文大学（深圳）
·点击视频 观看徐扬生校长的演讲·
2021届的毕业生们，家长们，同事们，朋友们：
首先，我想要感谢米格罗姆教授的精彩演讲。能够聆听他启发人心的故事是一大幸事，尤其是对于青春年少，人生正要展开的你们。谢谢你，米格罗姆教授！今天是一年当中最快乐的日子之一，是庆祝的时节，是互相祝福、留下美好回忆的时节。我很高兴能够面对面看到你们青春洋溢的脸庞，看到我们的家长们脸上洋溢着骄傲。2021届毕业生，今年是属于你们的日子！为了这一天的到来，你们付出了巨大的努力，你们的家人、朋友、大学的老师给与了你们莫大的支持与帮助。今日的荣誉属于你们，也属于一路上给过你们帮助的每一个人。祝贺你们！
我们知道，在我们的邻国以及世界上很多其他的国度，新冠疫情依然肆虐，因此，今天能够在我们热爱的校园里举行这场面对面的毕业典礼并不是理所当然的事情。人类社会与这场疫情的抗争尚未结束，许多大学今年仍然只能通过线上的方式举办毕业典礼。
或许你们有过这样的疑问：疫情迟迟不退，世界经济受到严重影响，国与国之间边境紧闭，在这样的时势下毕业、走向社会，到底是好是坏？我们不妨稍微看一下这一年以来发生了哪些改变世界的大事，又有哪些意义重大的事将要发生。从国内来看，今年早些时候习近平主席宣布我们国家已消除绝对贫困，超过九千八百万人口脱离贫困。三月，国家出台了十四五规划及贯穿至2035年的远期发展目标，为下一阶段的发展指明了道路。再看国际社会，英国脱欧已经走完了最后历程。奥运会虽然历史上第一次经历了延期，东京夏季奥运会依现状看来会在今年7月拉开帷幕。在互联网世界，微软公司今年决定终止更新IE浏览器，以Edge浏览器取而代之。纵观以上及许多其他事件，你会发现2021年和之前每一年一样充满目标与未知，充满机遇与挑战，伴随着新技术取代旧技术。在一切动乱与无常之中，有些规律是恒定不变的。当今世界和以往的一样需要你们的才能与眼界，你们的创造力。要让眼下的世界变得更好，你们的同理心、仁爱之心以及应变能力也依然至关重要。
我知道，这场疫情让很多同学对未来的选择产生了犹豫。由于担心安全问题，很多同学选择留在国内。的确，当前及未来短时间内，国内的疫情更为可控，但着眼全局，全人类的命运是息息相关的，当疫情对世界上其他国家的人民带来巨大伤害和危险的时候，即便待在中国，我们也并非绝对安全。
我并不是要劝说同学们出国。我想说的是，全球化并不会因这场疫情而终止。当你们对未来做出选择的时候，不要把“在哪里”作为首要衡量因素，而忽视了“是什么”。不要仅仅因为这个国家仍然存在疫情就把一份你梦想已久的录取通知拒之门外，也不要因为国与国之间时起彼伏的政治摩擦而放弃你内心真正想要追求的。是的，当我们做决定的时候，我们需要头脑清醒的分析风险利弊，但除此之外，我们也需要一些勇气。
同学们，明天你们就要离开校园了，我知道很多同学都花了大量时间去规划未来，也有同学会来找我了解如何做人生规划，有同学问我：“校长，您是什么时候想到要去做校长的？”我回答他，“我从来没有想过我要做校长。”同学们，我想要和你们讲的是，人生不是规划出来的，人生完全是偶然的，是不确定的，也许你可以对短期发生的事情做一些规划，但对整个人生而言，你是无法规划的。
就拿我自己的经历来说吧，我上大学完全出于偶然，那时我在农村下乡，根本不知道国家要开始高考，我在高考前没有花一天时间准备，也不知道要准备什么，因为根本也不知道会考些什么。我上大学之后所读的专业也是偶然的，我从来没有报过那个专业。后来，我去美国留学也是偶然，从美国来到香港也是很偶然的，在香港我没有一个亲戚朋友，也不会说广东话。后来又到了深圳，也纯属偶然，我在深圳也一个人不认识，在上海、北京倒有不少朋友。同学们，我想说的是，人生是无法规划的，Life is not a journey with purposes. Life is a collection of experience. 人生是一场边走边逛的探索旅程。
强调人生的不确定性，尤其在今天，面对疫情中的世界尤为重要。虽然中国的社会经济，特别是深圳的社会经济已经得到了恢复，但整个世界仍在面临着巨大的挑战，而世界的动荡也自然会影响到中国，中国的社会经济发展也会因此受到影响，所以，我们要有这个思想准备。有的同学到我办公室来聊天，聊着聊着，我发现无论他们是去读研究生，还是去考试公务员的岗位，说到底是想要暂时逃避一下这个不确定的世界。同学们，世界是逃避不了的，我们要有直面人生的勇气，所以，我想同你们讲，面对这个偶然的、不确定的人生，你首先要记住的是，你要有胆魄、有勇气、要相信自己的智慧和能力，你有了勇气，才有可能去抓住一个对你来说具有重要意义的机会，才有可能尝试去走出一条属于自己的精彩的路来。我们传统文化中有很重要的一条叫“大智大勇”，在现代教育中，我们只强调“大智”，“大勇”是被忽略的，而在今天这个不确定的世界里，勇敢显得格外重要。
第二件你要记住的，是要相信自己的直觉。直觉从哪里来？直觉是从实践中来的，光知道学习，光知道思考，没有实践，你是悟不出真正的道理的，这就是“知行合一”中“行”为什么那么重要的原因。我希望大家要做个有思想、能行动的人，尽可能地去参与一些不同的活动，亲身经历一些不一样的事情，去享受人生的不确定性所带给你的意外的风景，同时，这些对人生的感悟又能够帮助你去更好地面对人生的无常。
第三件你要记住的，是要坚守内心的良知。当你走出校门后，没有人会告诉你什么是你应该做的，什么是你不该做的，什么是该说的，什么是不该说的，你必须为自己的言行负责，你会遇到五花八门的事情，遇到形形色色的人，而你的良知就是你行动的准绳，这条底线未必能为你带来大富大贵，但它将是我作为你的校长永远会为你感到骄傲的理由。
同学们，明天你们就要离开这里了，今天早上我看着马博士给我的你们每个同学的座位表，我一个一个地看着你们的名字，今年的毕业生比去年多了很多，有不少同学我还没记住你们的名字，你们就要走了。正如我在《摆渡人》那篇文章中讲的那样，我们今天把你们摆渡到岸了！你们就要上岸各奔东西，走自己的路去了。同学们，人的生命是有限的，没有永恒，但我们应该有追求永恒的态度，正像大江口的渡船，一代代摆渡人……我们要感恩每一位渡过我们的人，同时也要努力地去渡别人，渡人，渡己，生生不息，这就是我们在人间追求永恒的尺度。
同学们，再见了！你来到这里，是母校的幸运，母校永远为你骄傲！我祝福你们！
President Yangsheng Xu’s Speech
at CUHK-Shenzhen Graduation Ceremony
for Bachelor Degree Graduates 2021
President Yangsheng Xu
delivers the commencement address
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Graduates of the Class of 2021, families, colleagues, and friends,
I want to thank Prof. Paul Milgrom for his wonderful speech. It’s a great honor to hear his inspiring stories, especially at your age when life is just about to unfold before you. Thank you, Prof. Milgrom! Now, this is one of the most joyful days of the year, a time to celebrate, exchange good wishes, and a time when meaningful memories are being created. I’m so happy to see your bright faces in person, and to see our parents glowing with pride. Class of 2021, this is your day! You’ve made it here with enormous hard work, support from your family, friends, faculty and staff of the University. The honor of the day belongs to you and those who have lent you a helping hand along the way. Congratulations to you all!
Considering that COVID-19 continues to escalate in our neighboring countries and many remoter regions of the world, being able to host this event on our beloved campus is truly a huge privilege. The battle against this pandemic is not over yet. Across the world, most universities have to hold online graduation ceremony for a second year.
You might have wondered whether you are graduating in good times or bad times, with this pandemic, world-spread economic fallout, and largely closed borders between countries. Let’s take a quick look at the things that have shaped and are about to shape the year of 2021. Domestically, extreme poverty has been eradicated, as announced by President Xi earlier this year, lifting 98 million people out of poverty. In March, the country has launched its 14th Five-Year-Plan and long-range objectives through 2035, charting the course for the next step of development. Globally, Brexit has gone through the last stage. Tokyo Olympic Games, though historically the first time postponed, are scheduled to take place this July. In the digital world, Microsoft this year replaces its 25-year-old I.E. browser with Edge. Looking at these and many other events as a whole, you will see that this specific year is filled with as much purpose and uncertainty, challenge and opportunity, and new technology replacing the old as ever before. There is sustaining continuity in all these disruptions. Your talent, insight, and creativity will be as much needed as ever before, and to make the world a better place, your empathy, compassion, and readiness to adapt to ever-changing circumstances are much needed.
I know this pandemic has left some of you hesitating to take the path which you would have readily taken under previous conditions. Concerns over safety have driven you and your families to avoid venturing beyond the national boarder. Yes, for the time being and very likely in a foreseeable future, domestic situations are more under control, but taking in the whole picture with its changing dynamics, staying within the boarders would really keep us safe.
I’m not trying to persuade you to go abroad. The point I’m trying to make is simply this. This pandemic will not put an end to globalization. Do not decide your future paths primarily based on where it is, instead of what it is. Do not turn down an offer simply because it’s situated in a place still struggling to cope with COVID. Do not give up the choice to pursue what you’ve been inspired to do merely because political tensions exist. Yes, we need to evaluate the risks, but also add to that a little bit of courage.
Graduates, tomorrow you will be waving goodbye to this campus. I know that many of you have spent enormous time planning about your future, and some of you have come to my office seeking my advice. One student asked me, “when was it that you planned to become a university president?” My answer was, “I had never planned about becoming one.” My point is, life is full of uncertainties and coincidences that it simply cannot be planned out. You may set long-term and short-term goals for a certain period of time, but the unpredictability of the nature of life makes it impossible to work out a life-long scheme.
Taking my personal history as an example, my going to college was utterly by chance. Living in the rural area of Zhejiang in 1977, I had no idea Gaokao was to be resumed that year, let alone spending time to prepare for it. Were I given the time to prepare for it, I shouldn’t have known what to prepare as I had absolutely no clue as to what’s going to be tested. At Zhejiang University, my major of study was also decided by chance for I had never applied to study engineering. My subsequent studying in the US was, again, by chance, so was my later relocation in Hong Kong where I had no friends and spoke no Cantonese. My settling in Shenzhen, too, was unplanned. I’ve had plenty of friends in Beijing and Shanghai whereas in Shenzhen, I’m entirely a stranger. These past experiences told me that life cannot be planned out in advance. Life is not a journey with purposes. Life is a collection of experiences. It unfolds what it has in store for us as we go on exploring it.
I’m calling your attention to the uncertainty of life because it plays a particularly important role in a world coping with pandemic. Though China’s economy, especially Shenzhen’s economy, has to a large extent regained its order and vitality, the world is still faced with enormous challenge. And the world’s unrest inevitably affects China, including China’s economy. And we must be prepared for this. Chatting with students who came to my office, I listened to their plans about undertaking graduate studies, working as civil servants, etc. Behind all these plans and goals, I realized that many were simply trying to temporarily escape from the currently uncertain world. Dear graduates, uncertainty is what the world is, and escapism will never do. What will see us through, instead, is the courage to face life as we find it. I want you to remember that do not give up courage and decisiveness in the face of life’s uncertainty. Have faith in your judgement and what you can do, and I feel confident that you will be able to blaze a path of your own.
Another thing I want you to remember is to allow your intuition to guide you. But where does intuition come from? It comes out of practice. Knowledge without practice does not suffice to get us close to truth, and that’s why the unity of knowing and doing matters so much. I hope you will define your life with both thinking and doing. Get involved in different kinds of efforts and activities as much as you can. Experience things outside your day-to-day routine and enjoy the serendipity in life’s unpredictability. These experiences will, in the course of time, enable you to better cope with uncertainties.
There’s one more thing I want you to remember, that is, hold fast to your conscience and do not waver from it. As you march forward from this campus, your teachers and tutors won’t be there to tell you what is right to do or to say and what is not. You will need to take responsibility of your words and deeds; you will need to deal with all kinds of situations; you will meet different people. Under all circumstances, your conscience will supply you with the principle to measure your decisions and actions. This principle may not help you generate great wealth, but it will be enough to make me, as your university president, forever proud of you.
Dear graduates, you will soon be leaving a campus full of irreplaceable memories. This morning, I was looking at the seating chart with your names on it, one after another. We have a much bigger graduating class this year. I haven’t got the chance to know each of you personally, but today, we have already arrived at the time of parting. As I have mentioned in my Ferryman, the University has ferried you to the other side of the river, and you are about to embark on different adventures. Though our lifespan is limited, our days should be spent in pursuit of everlasting values. As we do so, we should remember to be grateful to those who have served as our “ferrymen” and, at the same time, take up the role to “ferry” others to their destinations.
Congratulations and farewell! CUHK-Shenzhen takes pride in having you and will remain proud of you.
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