Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU) held an opening ceremony on September 8, to welcome its incoming students and inaugurate the 2024-25 academic year. Nearly 20,000 new undergraduate and graduate students embark on a new journey at SYSU.

The new students, with smiles on their faces, radiated a sense of eager anticipation for the exciting journey that awaits them at SYSU.

Three engrossing performances shows the culture treasure of SYSU

At the ceremony, all the teachers and students welcomed the arrival of the new school year together in the warm atmosphere of three performances.

The Lion dance team and the Wushu team from SYSU presented a traditional Chinese performance including lion dance, Taichi and sword dance together. The lion dance, a symbol of Lingnan culture, is essential to the celebration of festivals and major events for a long history.

The lion dance is going on.

The Wushu team is performing a flag dance.

Then SYSU’s Chinese Orchestrata performed the instrumental ensemble “The Act of the Elephant King”. Elephant, powerful but cautious, stands for the combination of wisdom and strength of the Chinese nation.This performance is a magnificent incorporation of traditional Chinese musical instruments such as pipa, bamboo flute, erhu, guzheng and zhongruan.

The Chinese Orchestrata is performing the instrumental ensemble“The Act of the Elephant King”.

At last, athletes from SYSU read a poetry and sang a song named “The Expedition for a Dream”, among which are Luo Wei, the 2004 Athens Olympic women's taekwondo 67kg champion and Jiao Liuyang, the 2012 London Olympic Games women's 200-meter butterfly champion. Members of the SYSU volleyball team, which won the 2023-2024 China University Volleyball Association (high-level group) men's group champion also participated.

Athletes are singing the song“The Expedition for a Dream”.

President extends warm welcome and delivers the first class to new students

Following a series of inspiring performances, the opening ceremony kicked off, which was chaired by Yang Qinghua, executive vice president of SYSU, and that was attended by SYSU President Gao Song, along with other leaders, faculty and new students.

Yang Qinghua, executive vice president of SYSU, presides over the ceremony.

SYSU President Gao Song took the stage and delivered the first class. In his speech, Gao extended his heartfelt congratulations and warm welcome to the freshmen class on behalf of the university’s teachers, students, and staff.

President Gao Song addresses the opening ceremony and delivers the first class.

In his speech, Gao pointed out that innovation is essential for college students, who are facing up with a real and future world full of various challenges and uncertainties. Therefore, it is unrealistic to rely on existing knowledge to solve all problems. He further noted that innovation is the ability to cope with problems independently and creatively, which comes from the power of learning, thinking and action. According to Gao, students should cultivate strong power of self-learning, great power of critical thinking as well as the power to take effective action in the real world. Those talents are who shape the world and lead the future.

Furthermore, he stressed that SYSUers have dedicated themselves to serving the nation over the past century. Gao urged SYSU students to strive for excellence, align their efforts with the country's top priorities and integrate their personal growth with nation’s progress, carrying forward SYSU's traditions of patriotism and dedication.

In addition, Gao emphasized that in the era of globalization, SYSU students should share a global vision and embrace learnings from across the world, contributing to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Inspiring expectations from faculty and students

Ma Jun delivers a speech.

Ma Jun, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and executive vice president of SYSU Cancer Center, delivered a speech on behalf of all the faculty members. He stressed the importance of passion in pursuing academic and research achievements. He encouraged students to be passionate for their pursuits, set up long-term goals and pay off persistent endeavors in their academic journey. Ma also urged students to collaborate with their peers and teachers, and engage in social practices in SYSU where is a stage full of possibilities.

Liu Yuetong delivers a speech.

Liu Yuetong, a senior undergraduate from the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, shared insights from her journey at SYSU. She stated that mastering professional knowledge and advancing in academic research are duties for each college student, which requires students to develop professional competence, as well as cultivate abilities of independent thinking and self-learning on campus.

Wang Yiyi delivers a speech.

Wang Yiyi, a student from School of Atmospheric Sciences, spoke as a new undergraduate student representative. She shared her excitement about joining SYSU during its centennial year. She called on her peers to follow the footsteps of the older generation of the university, establishing ambitious goals and striving for excellence during their journey at SYSU. “The spirit of dedication, hard work, and innovation are what we can display to celebrate the university’s centennial anniversary,” Wang said.

Zou Zhaolei delivers a speech.

Zou Zhaolei, a doctoral student from Guanghua School of Stomatology, shared his medical research journey at SYSU. He stated that his passion for solving medical challenges in the real world has shaped his academic path, urging new students to pursue their goals with both passion and responsibility, and contribute to society through innovation and hard work.

Zhong Ruiqi delivers a speech.

Zhong Ruiqi, a new graduate student from School of Government, shared his unique experience of returning to university after serving in the military. He stated that his time in the armed forces instilled in him a sense of duty, responsibility and resilience, which he will carry forward to pursue academic achievements. He encouraged his fellow students to pass down the “Red genes” and patriotism inherited in SYSU, serving the nation’s needs.

Solemn Oath-taking

Led by vice president Liu Jike, the freshmen class took the solemn oath as new members of the SYSU community, expressing that they will remember the university motto, shoulder the mission of the era, advocate science and reason, study diligently, seek truth and innovate.

Vice president Liu Jike is leading the solemn oath.

New students are taking the solemn oath.

Led by deputy secretary Zhang Qi, new medical students took the solemn oath, committing their dedication to the ethical responsibilities of the medical profession.

Deputy secretary Zhang Qi is leading the solemn oath of medical students.

New medical students are taking the solemn oath.

The event concluded with the singing of the university anthem, and the new students will embark on a new journey in their life, bringing their youth and vigor to the century-year-old university.

The opening ceremony was held in the main venue of the Gymnasium on Guangzhou South Campus, and was broadcast live across five campuses in three cities of Cuangzhou, Zhuhai and Shenzhen.

Photos by: Xiao Yao, Wang Xichen, Pang Zhiyin, Li Yuhang, Chen Caiming, Liang Rou, Ding Qi, Mai Zhiwei, Ma Xinyu, Zhang Yan