Harbin Institute of Technology

Written by: Zhang Yan
Translated by: Zhao Yuhang
Edited by: William Mosteller
Date: 2018-10-11

HIT News (Zhang Yan/ Text Lan Rui / Picture) On October 12th, the "First-class University Construction Series Seminar - 2018" and the “China University Presidents Meeting” were held in the auditorium of the Harbin Institute of Technology Museum. Representatives from 12 universities, including C9 Union University and the University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, gathered at Harbin Institute of Technology to thoroughly implement the spirit of the National Education Conference, to discuss the 2030 Chinese education modernization project, and to jointly explore the construction of China as an educational power and a new era of world-class universities with Chinese characteristics.

Sun Dongsheng, Vice Governor of Heilongjiang Province; Zhao Guogang, Secretary of the College Working Committee of the Heilongjiang Provincial Party Committee, Director of the Provincial Department of Education, and Secretary of the Party Committee of the Provincial Department of Education; Xu Zhongbo, Deputy Director of the Department of Degree Management and Postgraduate Education of the Ministry of Education; Yan Weige, Deputy Director of the Department of Personnel Education of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology; Li Jian, Director of the Second Branch of the Department of Science and Technology of the Ministry of Finance; Lin Zhongqin, President of Shanghai Jiaotong University; Lü Jian, President of Nanjing University; Wu Zhaohui, President of Zhejiang University; Bao Xinhe, President of the China University of Science and Technology; Wang Shuguo, President of Xi'an Jiaotong University; Zheng Qinghua, Vice President of Xi'an Jiaotong University; Wang Yanglin, Vice President of Peking University; Wang Xiqin, Vice President of Tsinghua University; Xu Lei, Assistant to the President of Fudan University; Duan Chongzhi, President of the Chinese University of Hong Kong; Gao Weiyuan, Vice President of the University of Hong Kong; Lin Wenyi, Vice President of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; and Wang Shuquan, Secretary of the Party Committee of HIT, attended the meeting. Zhou Yu, the president of HIT, presided over the opening ceremony.

Sun Dongsheng pointed out in his speech that at present, Heilongjiang Province is at a critical stage in development with various opportunities to make significant achievements. To implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech on the revitalization of Northeast China, there is an urgent need to promote the transformation and upgrading of economic development through the innovations of talented individuals and that of science and technology, and to make a solid, strong economy relying on the drive of innovation. The Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government will continue to support the development of colleges and universities. All of the participating universities were sincerely invited to cooperate with Heilongjiang Province in the fields of personnel training, scientific research and development, achievement transformation, and educational exchanges, in order to widely expand the cooperation between the provincial administration and universities at a high level, and to strive to create good policy, social, development, and business environments, which will not only be conducive to the industrialization of university technological achievements, but will also stimulate talented professionals to innovate and start a business. The administration and universities will achieve mutually beneficial cooperation by sharing resources and complementary advantages, and will work together to contribute to comprehensive and multi-faceted revitalization in Northeast China.

Xu Zhongbo pointed out in his speech that as the pioneers of China's higher education, the 12 universities should demonstrate and lead domestic universities in the construction of world-class universities. The 12 universities should actively launch Chinese voices on the international stage in order to expand China's influence, and show “first-class” in serving the demands of national strategy and solving the major problems of human development. Furthermore, they should cultivate first-class innovative talented individuals, and produce first-class achievements in scientific research. They should build on their unique characteristics, give play to their advantages, and develop with innovation. It is necessary to grasp the current synergistic effect of major national strategies and the opportunities for exchange and cooperation, such as the Northeast Revitalization, the synergetic development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the development of Yangtze River Economic Belt, and the construction of the bay area of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. Moreover, these universities should carry out deep exchanges and discussions at different levels and concerning different aspects in an effort to intensively develop China’s higher education. They should make notable contributions to lead the strengthening of the overall level of China’s higher education so that China can be a power of higher education.

Wang Shuquan said in his speech that HIT will always keep in mind how General Secretary Xi Jinping ardently entrusted our school with an important task when he came for an inspection. HIT will firmly adhere to Xi Jinping’s new thought on socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, in order to arm the mind, guide practice, promote work, unshakably take root in the northern part of the motherland, and unswervingly explore the development of “Chinese characteristics, world first class, and HIT spirit”. Stepping into the new era, something different needs to be done in the new journey. The important speech delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping at the National Education Conference has further strengthened the confidence of HIT to develop higher education with Chinese characteristics, which once again provided HIT with a source of power and a fundamental basis to take root in China and build a world-class university. HIT is willing to work together with all the partner universities to march forward hand in hand, and take up the great responsibilities given by the party and the people in the new era. HIT will contribute more towards decisively building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Centered on the themes of “The Construction Path and Thinking of World-Class Universities with Chinese Characteristics”, “The Construction of a Talent Cultivation System for High-level Undergraduate Education in the New Era”, and “The Role and Effect of Universities in the National Innovation System”, the representatives of the 12 universities shared their exploration and practice in the new journey of creating world-class universities with Chinese characteristics in the new era.

Building a world-class university with Chinese characteristics is the historical mission and focus shared by the participating universities. Nanjing University, Peking University, Zhejiang University and Harbin Institute of Technology reported on the theme of “Construction Paths and Thinking on World-Class Universities with Chinese Characteristics”. Lü Jian, president of Nanjing University, interpreted the exploration and thinking on the new personnel training system, new discipline ecological system, and new engineering and professional system that related to the development of new engineering courses in the report entitled “Thinking and Practicing of New Engineering in Nanjing University”. The report from Wang Yanglin, Vice President of Peking University, was “Opening the Border to Meet the Change”. The report introduced how Peking University deepened reform from the three levels of “school boundaries, discipline boundaries, and learning boundaries” to meet the challenges and changes of higher education. Zhejiang University has actively built a world-class comprehensive, research-oriented, and innovative university with Chinese characteristics in the construction of “double first-class”. President Wu Zhaohui elaborated on a series of explorations of Zhejiang University on strategic design, development path, and implementation advancement in the report of “Building an Innovative University: Development Path and Practice Exploration”. Zhou Yu, the president of HIT, gave a report titled “Serving the National Development Strategy, Constructing the Pattern of One School with Three Campuses”. In the report, he shared the exploration and practice of HIT that established the pattern of one school with three campuses—in Harbin, Weihai, and Shenzhen—based on the national development strategy in the new era, and the construction of a world first-class centennial university with strong educational power, Chinese characteristics, and HIT spirit.

at the forum

Sun Dongsheng, Vice Governor of Heilongjiang Province, is delivering a speechXu Zhongbo, Deputy Director of the Department of Degree Management and Graduate Education of the Ministry of Education, is delivering a speech