Written by: Liu Peixiang
Translated by: Du Yufei
Edited by: William Mosteller
Date: February 2nd
Dear faculty, students, alumni and friends:
Greetings for all of you!
How time flies! The most popular festival among the Chinese—Spring Festival—came again. Here in Harbin, known as the Ice City, I extend my New Year greetings to all students and faculty of HIT and alumni in China and abroad. Meanwhile, I wish friends from all walks who give concern to and support for the prosperity of HIT a happy and health new year.
As the Chinese poem goes, it is the endless flow of spring water that makes the pond clear. Over the past year, guided by Xi Jinping's thoughts on socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era and following the CPC and our state, all HIT members have worked hard to run our university along the right political direction. As a result, we have passed difficult tests and overcome tough challenges. With concerted efforts and hard work, we have made many hard achievements and reached satisfying results in school management and operation by the appropriate development method. We revised the first-class university construction plan in accordance with the spirit of the nineteenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, calibrated the comprehensive reform direction of education in accordance with the spirit of the National Education Congress of the Communist Party of China, accelerated the construction of large-scale scientific projects in accordance with the strategy of strengthening the country through science and technology, and established the College of Medicine and Health in accordance with the strategy of strengthening the country through health. Our school set up the "800 Strong Men" spiritual propaganda group of Harbin Institute of Technology, and was selected to be a part of the first batch of demonstrative colleges and universities, benchmarking departments, and model branches of Party building in the whole country. Also, we have won the title of Advanced Collective and Advanced Individual in the competition of grassroot theory propaganda organized by the Propaganda Department of the CPC and we have made a typical address as the only representative of colleges and universities on the working conference of national organizations. Reviewing this year, we can say with pride that we have taken a solid and powerful step towards building a strong hundred-year-old university with "Chinese characteristics, world-class standards, and Harbin University of Technology specifications".
We are committed to the spirit of never giving up. Last year, with student cultivation as the central work, we made every step of our education and teaching moral- and quality-oriented. We insist on studying and implementing the spirit of the National Education Conference and the National Conference on Undergraduate Education in the New Era, comprehensively promote the "four returns" of undergraduate education and teaching, and have passed the audit and evaluation of undergraduate teaching work with high quality. We have gained many achievements with new ideas in the reform of graduate education. For instance, phased breakthrough has been made in the revision of the "integration of undergraduate and graduate" graduate training program. Autonomous cross-disciplinary, cross-level course selection by students is becoming normal, which means the day when students can choose their curriculum according to their interest is coming. The vitality of various reforms in personnel training is fully demonstrated as follows. 16 courses are selected as National Excellent Online Open Courses, and many achievements are selected as National Teaching Achievement Awards. A large number of students have achieved historical breakthroughs and won the world championship in domestic and international competitions. The Leju Intelligent Robot appeared in the eight-minute video introducing Beijing, which is called “Beijing Eight Minutes”, at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games. Two achievements won the gold medal of the national "Internet +" College Students' Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. Besides, Wu Buchen was honored as the "University Student Self-strengthening Star Pacesetter of China". All the above demonstrate that hard-working HIT students have won our school honor and shown their capability in various fields.
As the Chinese poem goes, with a hundred boats competing in the river, the one that tries its best will be in the lead. Last year, we have "rolled up our sleeves and refueled ourselves", deeply integrated into the national innovation-driven development strategy, persisted in meeting major national needs, advanced international science and technology, and repeatedly made breakthroughs in scientific research and added new achievements. Academician Liu Yongtan was awarded the first state highest science and technology prize, which needed great effort to obtain since the establishment of HIT. Academician Liu Yongtan's scientific spirit and national sentiments are worth learning, inheriting, and practicing by every HIT member throughout his whole life. In addition, four achievements led by our university won the second prize of the National Technological Invention Award and the Scientific and Technological Progress Award respectively, and the four achievements accomplished by cooperation won the second prize of the National Scientific and Technological Award. HIT members, with the spirit of arduous struggle and searching up and down, have worked hard to tackle key problems and promote landmark achievements, and the leading achievements continue to emerge. These achievements include that as the Longjiang 2 microsatellite roams around the moon, our school has become the first university in the world to send a micro-probe into lunar orbit. The level of basic research is steadily improving, the number of NSFC engineering projects is leading the national universities, and the construction of platforms such as medical-industrial intersection, civil-military integration and artificial intelligence has made remarkable achievements, thus enabling the school's ability to serve the economy and society to be continuously strengthened. We have accelerated the "2511" first-class discipline (group) construction plan, and comprehensively consolidated the discipline construction pattern of first-class universities with science and technology as the dominant factor and multi-disciplinary coordinated development. In the historical journey towards a world power in science and technology, HIT will take the responsibility to contribute more and take the lead.
As the Chinese poem goes, even though the plum is less white than snow, it is more fragrant. We have made continuous improvement on the multiple evaluation system towards all kinds of talents. As everything has its own advantages and disadvantages, a man cannot be without blemish since he is not a perfect jade. Under the principle of the tolerance of individuality, shortcomings, advantages and disadvantages, we will continue to deepen the reform of the personnel system, resolutely break down the "four-only" barrier, and use talented individuals without restriction. The leverage effect of long-term and quasi-long-term employment has been fully demonstrated so that the building of high-level and young talented professionals has achieved remarkable results. For instance, a number of teachers have been selected as Yangtze River scholars, National Outstanding Youth, National Excellent Youth, Ten Thousand People Plan, Young and Middle-aged Scientific and Technological Innovation Leaders, Longjiang Scholars, Longjiang Scientific and Technological Talents, etc. Besides, a number of teams and individuals were honored as the National Pioneer of Workers, the Top Ten Innovative Persons (Teams) of National Defense Science and Technology Industry, the Excellent Achievement Award of IEEE Industrial Applied Society, the Tan Jiazhen Life Science Award, the Chinese Youth Science and Technology Award, and the Longjiang Model.
As the Chinese poem goes, from shore to shore it is wide at high tide, and before fair wind a sail is lifting. Last year, we have made the pattern of foreign cooperation and exchange more open by making more sincere, deeper friendships. The number of "111" intellectual bases has topped the national efforts, and the number of visiting groups going abroad and overseas students studying in China has jumped to a new high. What’s more, HIT TIMES was founded, and overseas publicity channels were further expanded. A group of teachers have issued a loud voice of HIT to display our strength in the international academic arena and a group of world-renowned scholars have been here in our campus, bringing all kinds of things to teachers and students. As host, we also hosted a series of international academic conferences such as the 2018 China Space Day home event and the first Sino-Russian Science and Technology Forum. By various methods, we have continuously expanded our “friend circle”. With the rapid improvement of overseas popularity and international reputation, a brand-new HIT which is all-embracing, inclusive, and more international is rising up in front of the world.
As the Chinese poem goes, stars keep changing positions and spring and winter are alternating as time goes by. Last year, our more beautiful campus was soaked in a more intense atmosphere for studying and teaching. Upholding the principle of "making good use of increments, revitalizing stock, optimizing allocation, and supporting first-class", we have made lots of achievements. For instance, more than 10,000 square meters of real estate have been added to be mainly used in teaching and studying. The Service Center for teachers and students has been put into use, motivated by the considerate idea of “the more the information runs, the less teacher and students run”. The library renovation project has created an open, humanized, intelligent, and ecological reading hall. The canteen has transformed into a "literary and artistic model" to create a first-class dining experience. Three newly put-into-use apartments make living here warmer. Optimization of the traffic layout and the comprehensive management of campus make it safer and more convenient for teachers and students to travel. The library project of the Weihai Campus has passed the comprehensive completion acceptance of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Part of the expansion of undergraduate education in the Shenzhen Campus has been put into use. The continuous construction of one school and three campuses has made teachers and students happier. Retired staff and workers "positive energy" propaganda group sprinkled "positive energy" across the campus. “Beautiful HIT” is becoming a happy home satisfying both teachers and students. We have every reason to expect a better HIT and more wonderful life in HIT.
The year 2019 marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the key year for building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way, and also the year for us to make a decisive victory in building a 100-year strong school with Chinese characteristics, world-class quality and HIT standard. As the Chinese proverb goes, at the beginning of a new year, everything will have new start. At this new start, we can see many opportunities and challenges lying ahead on our new journey. At present, the in-depth implementation of a series of innovation-driven development strategies provides us with great opportunities, the comprehensive revitalization of Heilongjiang Province requires us to fight bravely for the first place, and the "double-first-class" construction and the comprehensive reform of education need us to accelerate. We are only more than a year away from the centenary of the school in 2020, and we are facing arduous tasks during such a short period. Let us keep the confidence to be the first to undertake new tasks. Let us be persistent and make every possible effort to march forward. Only by these can we make a good performance in pursuing and realizing our dream, can we offer our people with a satisfying education, and can we present the 70th birthday of our motherland with outstanding achievements.
At the turning point of the new year and the old one, I would like to share with you a poem by Wang Mian, a Chinese poem known as “the farming boiling stones”. This poem vividly coincides with the honest and humble school-running style of HIT. It goes like this: there is a plum tree beside my pond and every one of its blossoms shows a pale black without bright colors. Compliment on its beautiful color is not needed since its pursuit is to leave fragrance between heaven and earth.
To conclude, we would like to wish our motherland a better future and every one of us a happier life. Let us work together towards our dream to make HIT more confident, more beautiful, and more open!
