Dear graduates, faculty and staff, distinguished guests, family and friends,
Good Morning!
To the great Class of 2019, I would start with congratulations upon your graduation and incredible accomplishments. From now on, you are a new class of alumni of Nanjing Medical University. To the cherished family members and friends, thank you for the care and support you have provided to the students and also for entrusting your loved children to our university. To the faculty and staff, thank you for your hard work. Students will benefit from the doctrine you have propagated, the knowledge you have imparted and the doubts you have resolved.
Dear graduates, I remember that you carried the luggage with big drops of perspiration as if it happened yesterday. Today, you are in full academic dress. Will you bid a farewell to Tianyuan Lake? How time flies! You completed one course after another on campus, recited many books to take one examination after another, and had sleepless nights in laboratories and hospitals. Going through harsh trails and training of Nanjing Medical University, you have enhanced your basic skills. I am delighted to see your confident smile and steady steps. Of course, the level of your immaturity and the amount of your hair cannot be compared with these several years ago. You may not have reached the wealth of "Milk Tea Freedom" or "Fruit Freedom", but you have made great efforts to submit a splendid report to the university: among the Class of 2019, 674 graduates of you joined the Communist Party of China; 139 graduates were awarded honors above the provincial level, including 26 national honors; 775 graduates with bachelor degree will pursue their master's degree or study abroad, with an enrollment rate of nearly 40%, which hit a record high in the history of Nanjing Medical University; 201 graduates got prizes in Professional Skill Competition, Disciplinary Competition, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, etc. Such a transcript written by your sweat is not only the pride of the great Class of 2019, but also the pride of our university. It is because of you - the excellent graduates one class after another - can Nanjing Medical University upgrade its ranks on various lists and make breakthroughs on the winners' podium, thus gaining unswerving confidence in building a high-level research-oriented medical university and achieve the national recognition of first-class university and first-class disciplines.
This year marks the centenary of the May Fourth Movement. Xi Jingping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee delivered an important speech. He remarked that Chinese youth are at the best of times for the development of the Chinese nation, for they can embrace the precious opportunities to make accomplishments and meet the mission of the times "destiny is about to give a person great responsibilities".This year also marks the 85 anniversary of the founding of NMU. On the special occasion, I would like to send you a sentence - follow the times, pursue the tasks and serve the public. I sincerely hope that the 3,604 graduates here shall shoulder the historic mission of the times, keep benevolent attitude to every person who need your help, and make tangible contributions.
Follow the times to walk in the forefront. As the school song goes that “Founded beside Yangtze River and Beigu Mountain, NMU was relocated in the southwest of China during the anti-Japanese war. Teachers and students walked millions of miles with a patriotic heart to seek knowledge.”The 85 years witnessed the unremitting efforts made by NMU students one generation after another. They dedicated the whole youth periods and even lives to the medical and health services. In the critical moment when Chinese nation was in peril, they bore in mind and carried forward the NMU spirits of ‘Pursue excellence with erudition, and reach perfection with morality’. Your predecessors had organized an air raid rescue team and a mobile medical team in anti-Japanese war, established a field medical team during the war to resist US aggression and aid Korea, participated in the post-disaster relief of Tangshan Earthquake and Wenchuan Earthquake.Such cases are legions.We can say that these 85 years all members of NMU always keep pace with healthcare undertakings, with the country and with the times. On the new platform, as young people and NMU members in the new era, you have your own responsibilities to take on. You are expected to walk in the forefront of the times, voice and act upon the requirements of the era and stand out just as your predecessors when the country needs your dedication.
Pursue the tasks to make concrete accomplishments.NMU people never forget to be pragmatic while looking up at the starry sky. Laozi said that all difficult things must be done from easy ones; all great things must be done in details. I know that some young people who have just graduated may harbor great ambitions, aiming to make great causes and breaking news; some others may be hesitant, fearing to make wrong choices, leaving lifelong regrets. I would like to tell you that do not think too much or feel anxious, because success does not come instantly and failure is not destined in the beginning. I hope that you can concentrate on current situations and live up to your duties. By doing more things pragmatically can you accomplish great deeds. Do not give up small things, which may accumulated to a tough big problem; do not hold back your steps for depression, which may block you from enjoying more beautiful scenery. NMU will always be with you for a better tomorrow as long as you are a down-to-earth person without arrogance and impetuosity.
Serve the public in peril and poverty. When you filled in the application form of college entrance examination, you were probably confused more or less. I hope that these years in Nanjing Medical University helped you understand why to learn medicine. Is it "I am determined to strive diligently to eliminate man’s suffering, enhance man’s health condition" from the oath of a medical student? Is it "to extend the distance between life and death in the planet through our effort" from the letter written by Professor Miao Yi to his interns? Is it "enjoy the happiness and success of being a doctor and realize one’s value"? I hope you have already had an answer. Whether to be a doctor or not in the end, you are expected to harbor a benevolent heart to help others within your capabilities. This expectation can be as big as an operation concerning life and death; it can be as small as a few words for a man with instant discomfort. Not everyone can be reported as the most beautiful doctor or nurse by the mass media, but everyone could be the most beautiful NMU member when you fulfill doctors’ duties in need.
Dear students, wherever you go after graduation, please remember follow the times, pursue the tasks and serve the public, and do not forget what you experienced on the Tianyuan lakeside. All of the following will be transformed into past tense: The black swans you played with near the lake, the cats you pet in front of the dormitory, five hearts sculpture engraved with motto in front of Xuehai Building, the office desks you can seldom own in the library; the questions you crammed, the nights you stayed awake, the midnight coffee and milk tea you ordered, and the examinations of physiology and biochemistry that always failed some of the students. Past does not represent an end that would be forgotten. We should cherish and treasure the past, which includes your youth period, good teachers and friends, your dedication and search for knowledge. The past experience will remind you to be alert in favorable circumstances and to gain courage in adversity. Life is a long journey. You are alone for most of the time. When you feel lonely sometimes, the memory in NMU would encourage you to forge ahead.
Some of you will leave for other cities while some will linger on nearby. Wherever and whenever you are, if you sit on the metro Line 1, welcome to Nanjing Medical University at the stop. The campus has cherry blossom in spring, Sims Azalea in summer, sunflower in autumn and plum blossoms in winter. More importantly, you can meet your familiar teachers with their nice smile on the face. Nanjing Medical University is a place where you can take a rest at any time as you wish. It is your home forever.
The future is coming. Dear graduates, congratulations to you again. May you have a promising future! Get started from here,you are expected to create your splendid times with your courage and responsibility. Please keep in mind follow the times, pursue the tasks and serve the public.
Thank you!
