Speech at the 119th Anniversary of the Founding of Shanxi University

Teachers, students, alumni, friends:

Today, we gather at Chumin Square to celebrate the 119th anniversary of the founding of Shanxi University and started the one-year countdown to the 120th anniversary.

On this occasion, on behalf of the university we extend our greetings to teachers and students at the university and to alumni all over the world, and express our heartfelt gratitude to friends from all walks of life who have long been concerned about and supported the reform and development of Shanxi University.

On May 8, 1902, Shanxi University officially opened on the bank of Yinghu Lake in Taiyuan, creating a precedent for modern Chinese higher education together with Peiyang University (now Tianjin University) and Imperial University of Peking (now Peking University). In the 1920s and 1930s, Shanxi University became one of the most influential institutions of higher education in China. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45), the masters and students of the university insisted on running the university despite difficulties. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Shanxi University, as one of the largest universities in the country at that time, adjusted its disciplines and contributed a special force to the foundation-laying of higher education in the country. Since the reform and opening-up, especially in the 21st century, the university has made remarkable achievements in comprehensive school-running strength.

Looking back over the past 119 years, generations of Shanxi University faculty and students have written glorious chapters with sweat, courage, wisdom, and strength.

In recent years, the university has been accelerating the connotative development centered on improving quality, building a high-level comprehensive research university, and striving to become one of China's outstanding and well-known universities.

A more reasonable structure of disciplines has been formed, and the construction of superior disciplines has achieved significant results.

The university has also promoted the reform of enrollment, optimized the talent training program, and innovated talent training models. It was selected as the "base of top-notch student training program 2.0 in basic disciplines (2020)" by the Ministry of Education, becoming the first of its kind in North China's Shanxi province, and has made progress in the development of Xinghuacun College and College of Synthetic Biology.

For scientific research and innovation, Shanxi University has significantly improved its ability to undertake major projects and achieved a breakthrough in national scientific research awards. Its scientific research results have been selected among the 10 major scientific and technological triumphs of Chinese universities in 2020.

In terms of social services, the university has started the construction of a spaceborne laser power-amplifier, participated in the construction of the Peking University Shanxi Carbon-based Thin Film Electronics Research Institute, and built colleges, labs, and research institutes focusing on ecology, biomedicine, and health.

It also established Yungang Research Institute to carry out cultural preservation and innovation.

In the past three years, 17 new national-level leading talent have been added, and a number of high-end talents from top universities have been introduced as deans of the university's colleges.

Regarding the reform of systems and mechanisms, the university has formulated a reform plan to fully stimulate the vitality of university operations.

When it comes to campus environment, Shanxi University has accelerated the construction of the Dongshan campus, and carried out the comprehensive maintenance and renovation of the Wucheng campus.

In the year to come, Shanxi University will celebrate its 120th anniversary. We sincerely invite alumni and people from all walks of life at home and abroad to take the time to attend the celebration with teachers and students, discuss the blueprints for the university's development, and work together to create a better future for Shanxi University.

President: Huang Guitian

May 8, 2021