Good morning, dear graduating students, colleagues, distinguished guests, ladies, and gentlemen.
We are gathered here today to confer degrees on our Undergraduate Class of 2022, the fifth cohort of our undergraduates, and to celebrate their graduation. First of all, I’d like to congratulate each of our graduating students for their significant accomplishments. Congratulations to you all! Also, I want to extend my sincere gratitude to all our guests. It’s not an easy job to plan and hold such a graduation ceremony in pandemic times. I want to thank Chief Executive Designed Mr. John Lee for his wonderful speech this morning. This could be his first public speech globally after he becomes the CE. I also want to thank Prof. Zhou Guoping for his enlightening speech. His thoughts and advice, I am sure, would be beneficial not only to our graduating students, but also for the generation of young people.
Dear students. Today we have 1195 undergraduate students completed their bachelor degrees. However, we still have 174 students including 50 international students who unfortunately could not attend the ceremony due to the ongoing pandemic and travel restrictions. I feel very much sorry for them. Let’s give them a big applause and wish them all happy and successful. Also, we are sorry that, due to pandemic control policies, we could not invite all parents of our graduating students to come to the ceremony and witness this important moment. I apologize for this hard decision and arrangement. Some parents from Shenzhen have come to our ceremony today. I would like to invite another round of applause for all parents as the past few months have also been tough for them. Thank you indeed.
Dear students, as you may have noticed, these days the jacaranda trees along Central Boulevard are in full blossom. There are clusters of fragrant purple blooms. The beautiful color of jacaranda is a good match to the official color of our University, purple. That’s why in 2018 the trees were planted. Later, in September of the same year, you arrived on the campus and started your four-year journey with us. From then on, you have continued to grow yourself as a member of our University. Like the jacaranda trees, you have grown in maturity, with the foliage more and more luxuriant day by day. Over the past four years, you have experienced not only days of sunshine but also hours of storm. Now your blossom time comes. Your efforts have come into flower like the jacaranda blooms in this season. You have made a significant accomplishment in the bloom of your youth.
My dear graduates, I was overwhelmed with mixed feelings this morning as I flipped through the graduating directory. Your class is probably the one I'm least familiar with. I cannot name many of you, as you haven't spent much time on campus in the last two years. Just like the quote I saw on campus not long ago when I welcomed you back to the University, “thousands of miles between home and another home.” It has been very difficult years for you all. However, when I looked at your graduation results this morning, I was startled to learn that you were likely the best of any graduating class. That is truly incredible, especially in the face of such uncertainty. To my knowledge, about 80% of you will pursue your master’s or doctoral degree this autumn at some prestigious universities, like MIT, Oxford, Cambridge, Yale, UChicago, Columbia. And around 20% of you have obtained offers from famous companies such as Huawei, Tencent, Alibaba, Microsoft, and Amazon, and you will embark on your career in these companies soon. Dear students, I feel excited about your future, and I’m very proud of you. As president, I always look forward to the day when the young jacaranda trees on our campus grow into towering ones in full blossom. Because that day, people will find graduates from our University, like each of you, are capable of making Shenzhen, China, and the World better places.
Here I'd like to share a view of particular significance for you. That is, be friends with time. I know many of you feel worried or stressed from time to time because of the so-called juan, also known as involution in English. It's a trendy word among Chinese young people in recent years. This word describes picturesquely a sense of speed-up pushed by force. Well, does faster always means better? Is there a one-size-fits-all development model for all people? I don't think so. I still remember when we planted those jacaranda trees, a purple sea of jacaranda was expected to be in view next year. But when the time came, not even a single jacaranda tree flowered—only foliage in view. One more year later, we found more foliage, but still no blooms. This summer, beyond all expectations, those jacaranda trees come into blossom. Like the trees, everyone has his time zone, and everything has its own time. Some people may taste success in their youth, but there are also late bloomers. Life is a long journey, not a run race. We take our own paths, not others' paths. All we need to do is to make every effort, then wait for the bloom of our efforts. The jacaranda trees on our campus can act as a constant reminder of your time zone. When you feel worried about some outcome or lagged behind, try to think back to the jacaranda trees. As my grandma said, we do not need to hurry on our way, "take your time, take the right path." You will reach your destination one day as long as you follow the right path and keep moving forward. It is your accomplishment that counts. Not your startup. Not the momentary glory at the early stage of your development.
Now you are to leave our University and start a new journey. For each of us, life is a long march. We all experience storms at some point in our lives. When going through tough times, try to be mentally strong. Learn to manage your emotions and calm yourself down even if you are surrounded by a storm. That's not to say your feelings should be suppressed. Your emotions can be released instead to achieve the inner peace that can lead you to effective thinking and decision-making. Ieoh Ming Pei, who designed the Louvre Pyramid, is one of the world's most revered architects. He has exemplified a peaceful mind and is a lifelong inspiration to me. When Pei worked as the designer of the Louvre Pyramid, the French public reacted harshly to his design proposal first. And the construction met many difficulties at that time. What's more depressing is Pei was also the target of criticism and condemnation. One critic even spat at him when he walked along a street in Paris. But Pei never felt annoyed. As his assistant said, "He stayed calm all the time with a charming smile on his face." Pei never took the criticism to heart and held the belief that one should try his best and time will tell. I think this is the very reason he can stand out from the crowd and achieve remarkable success. Today it's undeniable that the Louvre Pyramid is a feather in the cap of the French.
I also would like to tell you perseverance means a lot to personal growth and development. There are many intelligent people. Their minds and ours may think alike. So, in many circumstances, it’s your perseverance which makes you win against them. Remember, when you're under some difficulty or even struck by disaster, show your perseverance, as exemplified by the smile of Pei. Optimism can help us build a better world. That's why I've told you pessimists are usually right, and optimists are usually accomplished. What you believe now may prove wrong in the next 100 years, even an embarrassing mistake. Therefore, don't only care about now. Take the long view. To chase your big goals with persistence and determination. Even if your goal sounds dreamlike, make your dream valuable and then make it come true.
Dear students, the University has opened up worldwide horizons for you, and you have made more people know about our University. I hope you all will remember that. Now you're leaving our University. It's time to call the University your alma mater. But CUHK-Shenzhen will be your spiritual hometown forever, where you can go back anytime you like. Your alma mater will be there for you and bless you no matter where you're. Young men, stay motivated and keep moving forward.
My congratulations to you all, and enjoy the road ahead!