Dear graduates of the Class of 2022, distinguished colleagues:

Good evening!

Time flies like an arrow. Four years of university life are coming to an end, and you are about to start a new life voyage. This graduation ceremony is a gathering for farewell and a solemn and warm farewell. We hope that this ceremony will remain in the memory of graduates forever and become one of the best moments in your life.

First of all, please allow me, on behalf of the university, to express my sincere congratulations to all the graduates who are moving towards the promising future! At the same time, I would also like to express my sincere appreciation and respect to the faculty, staff, and relatives who have been with you for the past four years.

After four years of working together, our country has stood the test of the pandemic and reached a milestone year. With joy, we observe the success of the XXIV Olympic Winter Games in Beijing and applauded for the athletes. With confidence, we join the new journey of the 14th Five-Year Plan of our country, and contribute to building a modern socialist China. With hope, we welcome the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. With a fighting spirit, we look forward to the bright future of our country.

After four years of working together, our university has experienced steady progress and achieved delightful results. Our university has been selected in list of universities in the Jiangsu High-Level University Construction Peak Plan and is striving to make steady progress towards building a national high-level university. All five first-level disciplines of our university, including Fine Arts, Design, Art Theory, Music and Dance Studies, and Theatre Film and TV Studies, have been selected into the 2021 Best Chinese Subjects Rankings. What’s more, Fine Arts has been selected as one of Top Chinese Subjects.

After four years of working together, under the leadership of our university's party committee and administration, and under the careful cultivation and guidance of the teachers, all of you have achieved fruitful academic and creative achievements, contributed to the construction of our university and have handed a beautiful answer sheet of your four-year studies. During the last four years, our university has held over 100 art exhibitions and large art performances, produced a large number of correctly-directed, profound, well-made, and widely-praised art works, such as TV series Ebola Fighters, the play Ever Bright, the stage plays Where have All the Flower Gone and My Father Qu Qiubai, the dance drama Extraordinary Times, the musicals Only a Drop in the Bucket, The Secret Light, and Voice of Jasmine.

At this moment, two quotes come to my mind. The first quote is from Chairman Mao. On 17th November 1957, Chairman Mao met the delegates of Chinese international students in the Soviet Union in the grand hall of Moscow State University and proposed his expectations by saying “Our hope is placed on you”. The second quote is from President Xi Jinping. On the eve of the 2020 Spring Festival, President Xi Jingping delivered his New Year Address and made the call of “Let's seize the day and live it to the full”. Although these two quotes are over 60 years apart, they are full of caring for our family and country and dreams of strengthening our nation, inspiring generations of young people to fight for the prosperity and strength of our motherland. Seize the day and live it to the full. Fight for the realization the great Chinese Dream. This is also an encouragement, an expectation, and a vision for the future given to you by our university.

All of you are enrolled in 2018. In your sophomore year, you have faced the raging COVID-19 pandemic. Together with all the people across the country, under the leadership of the Party’s Central Committee, you have bravely faced various obstacles, distress, and inconveniences. Facts have proved that you are a generation that we should be proud of. You did not shrink back when facing difficulties, but bravely fought with them with courage and knowledge, showing NUAers’ perseverance and responsibility for more than a century. Tomorrow is 21st of June, which is also the Summer Solstice in the Lunar Calendar. Experiencing the beauty of spring and the refreshing atmosphere of early summer, you are welcoming the blossoming of summer in your life. An old saying goes as, “Seize the spring and live the day.” I would also with you to seize the day, to be creative, confident, and to pursue self-renewal.

At this moment, I would like to share three verses of poems with you.

The first one was written by Li Bai: “There will come the day when the phoenix finally goes up with the wind, flying up to the deep sky.” On 14th December of last year, in the opening ceremony of the 11th National Congress of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the 10th National Congress of China Writers Association, President Xi Jinping quoted this verse of poem to praise the cultural creations based on the self-discipline and social commitment. These creations show the new atmosphere of Chinese literature and art, and help building the new glory of Chinese culture. When Li Bai was young, he had already written “I wish, with the sharpened sword which I'm wearing on the waist, to capture Loulan and put our foes in a fatal plight.” to express his ambition of protecting our nation. In his late years, he had remained his ambition and written the masterpiece like On Top of the Phoenix Terrace in Jinling. Li Bai’s talent and creativity have always been rooted in the land of China. He has always loved our nation and our people with passion.

Both his life and his poems contain vivid Chinese stories with love and strength. This is also my first affectionate expectation for you. I would like to ask you, future artists to use your own responsibility, creations, and achievements to present a “trustworthy, lovable, and respectable Chinese image” to us, to history, and to the world!

The second verse of poem that I want to share with you was written by Su Dongpo: “Even though it may be cloaked by cloud, the night sky is always crystal clear.” In 2013, when President Xi Jinping visited Hainan, he quoted this verse to praise the beautiful view in the southern part of our country. This poem was written by Su Shi in his late years. Although he was aged, he still kept an active and pure heart of a poet. In his eyes, the night sky was extraordinarily beautiful and the universe in his mind was brightly clear.

When Su Dongpo was living in Huang Zhou, he wrote “Don't listen to rain's pattering on leaves. Why don't I shrill while strolling along?”. Even in his late years, he still created lively poems like “Catkin is blown less you can see, but there are plenty of fish in the sea!” It can be seen that Su Dongpo has always been rooted in the land of China and devoted his life to serving the people in the country. He has never given up his positive and enterprising ambition, never slackened his love for the people in helping the poor and the needy, and never forgot his original mission of serving the country and the people! “Even though it may be cloaked by cloud, the night sky is always crystal clear.” Su Shi's open-minded, optimistic, and hard-working life also reflects the literary spirit praised and affirmed by President Xi Jinping, as he said “Save the uprightness for history, promote the virtues for people, keep the reputation for ourselves.” This is also what I want you to remember.

The third verse of poem that I would like to share with you was written by Xin Qiji:” In the crowd once and again, I look for her in vain. When all at once I turn my head, I find her there where lantern light is dimly shed.” In 2014, in the speech at the Forum on Literature and Art, President Xi Jinping quoted this poem to express his expectations for literary and art workers, who should always cherish our nation and our people, and aim for the highest.

When Xin Qiji was 22 years old, like Li Bai, he was also full of patriotism. He went to Jiangnan to serve the country from his hometown in Shandong. Throughout his life, he had the ambition to revitalize the motherland. Even in his middle age, he still kept the young and enthusiastic spirit. “Where to look out to the Divine Land's views; At Beigulou Tower, eye-feasting sights one beholds.” His poem reflects his deep love towards the nation.

“Patriotism is a constantly written subject.” After a long period of hard-working for our nation and our people, literary and art workers can understand the true meaning of “When all at once I turn my head, I find her there where lantern light is dimly shed.” This sentence was recognised by Mr Wang Guowei as the highest stage for “people of accomplishment and great learning”. For literature and art workers like us, creating art works that can “inspire Chinese people to unite and fight together” is the great accomplishment; providing new literature and art that can “resonate with the new era” is the great learning; leaving first-class works for the future generations that can “baptize people’s souls” is the highest stage.

I share these three verses of poems for you, not only because the classical poems are called lifelong national cultural genes by President Xi Jinping, but also because these three authors all show the hard-working spirit observed by Mr Lu Xun in Chinese history and the literary spirit of taking patriotism as the main theme of literary and artistic creation advocated by President Xi Jinping. This spirit is also reflected in NUAers.

During the great New Democratic Revolution, numerous teachers and students from NUA have contributed to our nation and the revolution with their talents in art. In 1942, over a hundred literary and art workers gathered in Yangjialing of Yan’an to participate in the famous Forum of Art and Literature in Yan'an, to listen to Chairman Mao’s speech, and to pursue the bright future for the development of literary and art in China. Among these literary and art workers, nine people were from NUA and they have become important founders of literary and art in the new China. In November of 1939, Chairman Mao wrote an inscription for the printmaker as well as our alumnus Liu Xian: “Strive to create new art for Chinese people.”

“Strive to create new art for Chinese people.” We can still hear Chairman Mao’s words echoing and we are always inspired to strive to realise the great renewal of the Chinese nation. On 2nd May 2018, President Xi Jinping said in his speech at the Peking University Teacher-Student Symposium: To be patriotic, we cannot stop at slogans, but we should closely link our ideals with the future of our nation and link our life with the destiny of the nation. We should always root in our people and devote ourselves to the country.

Young people are full of strength and enthusiasm. As young art workers, you should learn from Li Bai's patriotism: make real effort, practice real skills, and seek real reputation. While enjoying art and success at the same time, you should always remember your social responsibility and your missions!

Don't worry if you have no friends in the future; Don’t listen to rustling leaves across the grove.” As young art workers, you should learn from Su Shi's perseverance, vigorous vigour, and down-to-earth spirit. You should always stick to your original intention and always be positive. Look to the future, keep moving forward!

Youth breeds infinite hope and creates a bright future. As young art workers, you should learn from Xin Qiji’s enterprising spirit. You should cultivate a strong and upright spirit, and keep a heart of serving the country. We can bring down the moon from the ninth heaven and fight like fierce tigers!