In this wonderful autumn, the 2022 undergraduate freshmen of WUT had their first class of the university. On the morning of September 21st, the opening ceremony for 2022 undergraduates was held at the Boxue Square in Nanhu Campus and the South Sports Ground in Yujiatou Campus respectively. The university leaders Yang Zongkai, Wang Qiankun, Liu Zuyuan, Chen Wen, Zhao Jing, Wang Fazhou, Wang Shijie and Wu Chaozhong, and the president assistants, Shen Gewu and Luo Rong, attended the ceremony. Heads of relevant functional departments, colleges, responsible staff for student affairs, instructors of the training unit, all 2022 counselors and undergraduate freshmen participated this event. Vice President Wang Shijie moderated the ceremony.

In the solemn national anthem, March of the Volunteers, the opening ceremony for 2022 undergraduates kicked off.

President Yang Zongkai, lectured the “First Lesson” entitled “Inheriting the spirit of WUT to achieve an excellent life”, and led the freshmen to feel the greatness of WUT, grasp the situation of change, and explore the way of excellence. "I am very happy and excited, just like you. You are the first batch of freshmen I welcomed into Wuhan University of Technology as the president of the university. It is very memorable." President Yang Zongkai, on behalf of all staff and students, expressed a warm welcome to 9220 freshmen from all over the country.

President Yang Zongkai introduced WUT from three aspects: the great pattern, the large scale and the excellent teachers. He pointed out that in the digital age, WUT deployed and implemented the “5.30” action of high-quality talent training, enrollment and employment, and created a new education ecology reform initiative that was student-centered, connected, open, shared, and personalized. As the first batch of beneficiaries, witnesses and practitioners of the digital transformation of school education, he hoped that students would cherish the opportunity, accelerate self-transformation, self-improvement and self-education, and realize self-learning, self-management and self-service in the intelligent education environment provided by the university.

"University  is the best time in your life. And only hard work and striving can make the time more precious." President Yang Zongkai told the students that the way that WUT pursues excellence is to build a road to excellence for the students. The president hoped that students of WUT would take up the mission of the times on the road of pursuing excellence, be strict in moral cultivation, consolidate the foundation of knowledge, be diligent in learning and specialization, refine the innovative ability, and be brave in the pursuit of excellence, so that they could live up to the trust of the times, the expectations of the school, and the ideal of life, and achieve their outstanding lives in the pursuit of being leading talents.

Han Hua from the School of Sciences, the model of teacher morality of WUT, and Ma Yong from the School of Navigation, the national outstanding young teacher, delivered speeches as teacher representatives. They brought earnest advice to the students who were about to embark on a new journey of life and made suggestions for their study and life.

Anna, a 2020 undergraduate from the School of Transportation and Logistics Engineering, and Maimaiti Alijiang Abuduaini, a 2018 undergraduate from the School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, gave speeches as representatives of the students. They shared stories about their studies, life and growth in WUT.

Du Heyou, a representative of the 2022 freshmen, from the School of Materials Science and Engineering, and Xu Zhu from the School of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Energy Power Engineering, said that in the future, they would closely link their personal ideals with the great cause of the rejuvenation of the motherland, work hard on the youth track, devote themselves to national construction in a positive manner, and write their papers on the motherland.

The university leaders affixed the WUT badge to the freshman representatives. All the students of the 2022 class wore the WUT badge under the witness of the teachers, which meant to start a new journey of life in WUT.

All the students stood up, waved the national flag in their hands, and confessed to WUT, to the great party and the great motherland. Their passionate voice of "sound in morality, broad in learning and pursuing excellence" and "“pledging to the Party to make my country strong” resounded throughout the campus. Hope that the freshmen would keep in mind their sincere vows and become WUTers with ideals, skills and responsibilities, living up to their youth and the ardent expectations of the Party and the people.

The opening ceremony for 2022 undergraduate students came to a successful conclusion with the chorus of Song of Excellence by teachers and students. Since then, the 2022 undergraduate freshmen’s journey of striving for excellence in life formally set sail.

Written by: Xie Xiaoqin, Lu Xiaoyi, Wang Yuxuan, Deng Liao

Rewritten by: Li Huihui, Luo Qiyun

Edited by: Zou Xing, Li Tiantian

Source: Publicity Department of the CPC WUT Committee