On December 31st, the Tsinghua University New Year Gala was held on campus. University leaders Qiu Yong, Chen Xu, Jiang Shengyao, Xue Qikun, Ji Junmin, Yang Bin, Li Yibing, Wang Xiqin, and Guo Yong attended the Gala, together with over 3,500 students, faculty and alumni of the university.

The President of Tsinghua University Qiu Yong and the Chairperson of the University Council Chen Xu both delivered their New Year congratulatory messages.

Qiu Yong reviewed the accomplishments and progress Tsinghua has achieved in 2017: the establishment of  the “Open Office Hour”；the setting up of the “Tsinghua New Century Teaching Achievement Award” and the “Annual Teaching Excellence Award”, which aim to encourage education with warmth; eight members of faculty elected to the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering; a research group led by Tsinghua being awarded the ACM Gordon Bell Prize – the highest award worldwide in the field of high-performance computing; the establishment of two interdisciplinary research laboratories – the Tsinghua Laboratory of Brain and Intelligence, and the Future Laboratory; the founding of the Asian Universities Alliance; and the establishment of the China-Italy Design Innovation Hub – Tsinghua’s first physical presence in Europe for teaching and research. After the Tsinghua Men’s Basketball Team became champions for the first time in the League of the Chinese Universities’ Basketball Association (CUBA) last year, the Tsinghua Women’s Basketball Team also achieved the championship for the first time this year. Qiu said “my first wish for the coming year is that both the Men’s and the Women’s Basketball Teams would top the League next time! We believe that in 2018 we will witness more surprises.”

Chen Xu also extended her New Year wishes to the attendees of the Gala. She said “at such a joyous moment, I and all the members of the university leadership would like to extend our best wishes to all the students and faculty, and to all the alumni, as well as to all the friends, domestic and worldwide, who care about and support Tsinghua’s development. Happy New Year to you all! All the best of luck in the coming year!” Chen Xu also quoted a sentence from Chinese President Xi Jinping’s New Year address -- “Happiness is achieved through hard work”, and noted that the accomplishments that Tsinghua has achieved in 2017 are the results of collective endeavor, and that looking forward, the tasks of 2018 require that we exert all our energy to the utmost.

The Gala also gave a review of the “2017 Tsinghua’s Annual Student Personalities”. The New Year Gala is a traditional event of Tsinghua where the students and faculty of the entire university together celebrate the coming of the new year. The Gala was broadcast live by the Tsinghua University TV Station. This year’s Gala continued with the theme of “I want to greet the New Year together with you”, adding the new element of “TOGETHER FOREVER”.

Writer: Zhu Lvhe
Editor: Guo Lili
Photos: Chang Zhidong, Su Jinchuan, and Feng Liaoshen

Source: Tsinghua University News