Reported by: SHANG Kaiyan
Photographed by: FENG Jian
Translated by: LI Zhijia
Edited by: Jennifer Taylor
“As a native of Harbin, I come home every year and sit on the lawn in front of the Main Building to recall the memories of my college life. College life is, as it was, the most memorable time of my life. HIT affected my entire career.” September 22, Senior Vice President of News Corporation and CEO of News Corporation China Investment, our alumnus Jack GAO was invited to give a speech by 201 Studio. He talked about his choices in life face to face with the students and gave advice to us about the problems we would meet in our life.
Waiting for the Vice President GAO’s arrival, the auditorium of the Sports Center of Campus 2 was very lively and filled with students. At 18:30, accompanied by the HIT Vice President HAN Jiecai, Vice President GAO wearing a suit entered the hall and the audience burst into applause. After the host introduced his resume, Vice President HAN made a speech. He said that Jack GAO had worked in many influential companies. I believe, as alumni, brother and friend, his experience can inspire all of our students to give fully use our own intelligence and wisdom in the multi-industry field and add luster to our university.
“If friends are the relatives you met, alumni are the closest relatives in your lifetime. I heard that most of you are the new students, so as a brother, I welcome you to HIT. Over the years, I have been to many places, but the place which impressed me most is the campus of HIT. If I could go back to the past, I would still apply for HIT.” Jack GAO said at the beginning of his speech.
Over the last 30 years, Vice President GAO has met with Bill Gates and Rupert Murdoch such legendary figures and he also has learnt from them. “I believe that if a person or company is successful, he must have done something right. It is related to the person’s opportunity and his own quality. A person's career can not be perfectly designed in advance, but there are some principles that need to be adhered to, which are also characteristics of successful people.” He talked about three principles that we must stick to. The first one is to have a dream and to struggle for the dream. In the face of changes, we should be enthusiastic and optimistic, just like love, and make our life full of positive energy. Secondly, when meeting challenges, we should be flexible. This is particularly important in this changing era. If you don't want to be eliminated by the times, you should become a participant or even a leader. Thirdly, we must find the right ways of learning and innovation. Innovation is the future. In 21st century, knowledge is updated very quickly so we need to continuously study through our whole lives. He also introduced five capacities that the successful people of today's society must have: The first two are dominant knowledge and skills, followed by the interpersonal communication skills, strategic thinking, and social capital.
In Vice President GAO’s opinion, nowadays, new science and technological revolution cycles are getting shorter and shorter, and affect our lives greatly. With the emergence of new industries, traditional industries are faced with new challenges. The company's internal management is also undergoing changes, which requires new technology and innovation. For young people, it is a challenge but also an opportunity. He encouraged the students: “You are living in a new and good era and it needs new knowledge and skills. Your future as young people must be bright.” The audience burst into applause again.
After the speech, the host interviewed Vice President GAO. “You have been graduated for 30 years, what are the changes in our university?” Vice President GAO answered with a smile: “Every year I went back to HIT, and I was shocked every time. I am very proud of our school when seeing alumni of HIT playing important roles in all fields of the society.” The host asked then: “What qualities you have help you gain the appreciation of Bill • Gates and Murdoch and other legendary figures?” Vice President GAO blurted out: “The most important is that I graduated from HIT.” The hall was filled with the applause again. He then combining it with his own experiences, talked about the qualifications to be successful and the suggestions for young people growing up. He said: “If a person wants to succeed, he must have curiosity and be modest. He should also have the courage to attempt and pursue his own dream. Finally, he must work seriously. As young people, you should not seek quick success and instant benefits. First of all, you should lay a solid foundation and develop various aspects of your ability. After you enter society, it will help you find opportunities with the changes in industry. You should still cherish a grateful heart, which is a basic philosophy of being a person. It is also valued by companies. I hope you will learn more than professional knowledge, but also to be a complete and optimistic person.”
After the interview, Vice President GAO had more discussions with the students. The students were interested in that how GAO started to work in management. He answered: “The reason that I went to the United States to pursue a Ph.D. degree was very clear. I wanted to become a professor. But because of curiosity in the emerging software industry and the strong temptation of it I chose to enter this field. However benefiting from China's development I was able to become a professional manager. As Chinese, I have a special enthusiasm for our country. So was it when I entered the media industry later and I also really wanted to prove myself.” A student asked: “In your opinion, nowadays in what aspects can China change the world?” Vice President GAO thought for a while and said: “The changes that China brings are happening now. China plays an important role in the global balance. Currently, there are considerable parts of global capital which come from China. There is a lack of global perspective and talents who can speak foreign languages well. Chinese media has more and more influence but it is still far from enough. I hope that through our efforts, foreigners especially the people in developed countries can learn more about China and have a more objective understanding of China.” Others asked: “In your perspective, what kind of talent do we need in the 21st century?” Vice President GAO answered: “Different companies have different requirements, but there is general consensus that is versatile talents. For new employees, I would pay more attention to his attitude towards learning and to see if he has a positive attitude. The future development of the Internet has great uncertainty, but it also will bring many opportunities, especially for the students of HIT. I hope in the brand of HIT, there are more students who can create miracles in the future.” The audience burst into applause.
At the end of the session, two special gifts were presented to Vice President GAO. The first one was hand-drawn postcards with the campus scenery and the wishes of the students. The other one is a T-shirt with the pattern of the HIT star sculpture. On the back of the shirt was printed “Rise above the common herd, Erudite and shining; Wit of HIT, the pride of the country”.
There are were no empty seats in the hall for the speech.
Many teachers and students attended the speech.
GAO was talkingspeaking about his experiences.
Students asking questions.
The director of 201 Studio presented presents the gifts to GAO.
