Opening Ceremony Speech for Freshmen of 2018

6 September 2018

Tao Wenhao

Good morning!

Boys and girls, faculty members, ladies and gentlemen.

First of all, congratulations to each one of you. Over endless tests, eagerly waiting and cross-country travelling, you have finally arrived at the School of Foreign Languages, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai. On behalf of the faculty members, I am extending my warmest welcome to all of you.

I think all of you must have had a remarkable summer vacation because you had been enrolled by BNUZ. Now you are here, which is the reward after your years of industrious learning and hard work. I assume many of you have travelled half of the country to get here. I hope you and your parents refreshed yourselves from the exhaustion of the journey and took the opportunity to tour around this beautiful city. I am pretty sure that many of you are very much impressed by the beauty of our scenic campus and what it represents. This is where you will spend the next four years or two years of your life. This is where your new dreams are realized and your potentials are explored. This is where your personal transcendence will be achieved.

Today marks a new chapter in your life, as well as once again a big step forward of the development of our school. Now I would like to make an introduction to the School of Foreign Languages, BNUZ.

The School of Foreign Languages was founded in 2003. There are about 80 teachers and faculty members, which makes our school one of the biggest in BNUZ. The achievements are inseparable from years of effort and commitment of all staff members. Our excellent teachers all have been dedicating themselves in teaching and in helping students in every possible way.

Over half of the teachers are native speakers. These native teachers are here by travelling across the oceans for their love for education, for Chinese students as well as for Chinese culture. They share their passion by fulfilling teaching practices and offering alternative insights in the School of Foreign Languages. The Chinese teachers also have sweated away at construction and betterment of our school. I am happy to tell you that more than 80% of Chinese staff members hold an overseas degree. Their understanding of both Eastern and Western cultures helps to create an open and resourceful learning environment, thus making our language programs and courses more diverse and rewarding.

The School of Foreign Languages has been carrying innovation of language and teaching as her mission since the day it was founded. Now this fast-developing world and ever-changing market only reinforced my belief in this mission more than ever, which brings me to introduce to you our programs highlighting bilingual orientation such as English-French orientation, English-Portuguese orientation for English majors to expand their language capabilities to meet their future challenges with a winning edge. For Japanese majors, their program is complemented with the most widely used language as Japanese-English orientation for the students’ competitiveness against their peers on both job market and Master program application. The employment rate of this year, 2018 graduates scaled new heights by reaching 98.61%. Almost 20% students have been admitted to Master programs that they dreamed of. The fulfillment of these dreams relies on the school’s full-around support, on faculty members’ tireless guide, but most importantly, it relies on students’ own effort and perseverance.

Indeed, we have come a long way to be where we are today, but today is about you. Today, you embark on a new journey to explore the unknown of the school, of the world and of yourselves. As your dean who has witnessed thousands of students going through this phase, I would like to offer two suggestions:

First, respect your time. You are at the prime of your life. Every hour, every minute, every second is precious. Your time should be spent in expanding your knowledge, cultivating your interest and nourishing your soul. You yourself are the most valuable assets of investment. As the old saying goes, “As a man sows, so he shall reap.” You are here today because you worked hard before, where you are four years later lies in every minute you are willing to invest in yourself. Unfortunately, in a society flooded with multimedia and mass information, we are surrounded by instant chatting, celebrity gossip and live-streaming. Time easily slips away as our fingers casually slide across the mobile phone screen. Even in this efficiency-worshiping culture and era, where “Time is money” is like a propaganda, people often find their attention stolen by their phones, got away from their families and friends, away from what is truly meaningful to the growth of one’s heart and soul, away from one’s dreams. And it is such a waste of the gift equally endowed to each of us. Respect your time, make wise use of it. Forget “time is money”, as it is more precious than any type of currency or jewelry.

My next suggestion is to embrace the fun of reading. I am not talking about textbooks today so you can relax. I am talking about other books as the refinement of human knowledge, the books of human wisdom from generation to generation. With over a million of paper books and two million E-books, our library is on your side. As it is said, “Books are the best friends. No matter what difficulties you will meet with in life, you can turn to them for help and they will never discard you”. For confusion, reading will lead to solutions and show you the struggle for a solution is what truly count; for sadness, reading will bring comfort and condolence and expose you to the complexity and beauty of human emotions; for loneliness, reading will serve as the best companion and enlighten you. Reading is the best way to understand yourself and see clearly who you are.

Boys and girls, this is maybe the first time for some of you to be this far away from your home, and maybe the first time to be away from your parents. You will meet new challenges; and you will meet new opportunities at the same time. You will make new friends; and you will make new progress. There is much to look forward to, and I look forward to your growth and maturity in the next four or two years. Today, it is time to weave your own dreams.

Thank you.

亲爱的同学们，老师们，女士们，先生们：

早上好！首先我向每位在座的各位同学表示祝贺。各位同学经过了严格考试、翘首期盼和漫长的旅途，来到这里。在此我代表外国语学院的全体教职工，热烈欢迎大家。

大家一定度过了一个愉快的暑假，因为你们考上了北师大珠海分校。各位通过多年以来的努力学习来到了我们的学校。对于有些同学来说，还要跨越大半个中国来到这里。我希望各位同学和父母来到珠海后有机会观光旅游，在这个美丽的城市里一扫旅途劳顿。我想大家都被校园的美景所深深吸引，欣赏美景之余，我想说的是身处这美景中的含义是，这里是你勤奋努力的回报，这里是未来四年或两年的人生，是你锻造梦想和最大程度发掘自己潜力的地方。这里是个人成长实现超越的地方。

今天是各位同学人生的新篇章伊始，同时也标志着北京师范大学外国语学院前进的新步伐。在此我给大家简单介绍一下外国语学院的情况。

外国语学院成立于2003年，现有80余位教职工，是北京师范大学珠海分校最大的学院之一。我们今天的成就离不开全体教职工多年的努力和奋斗。优秀的教师团队爱岗敬业，孜孜不倦，从各方面积极帮助学生。这里有超过半数的外籍教师。这些外籍教师秉承对教育事业的热爱，对中国学生和中国文化的热爱，跨越大洋来到中国来到了我们学院。他们认真教学，分享他们的洞察、见解与热情。我们的中方教师也为了外语学院的建设和发展挥洒了自己的汗水。有80%以上的中教都获得海外学历。他们的学习生活经历使得他们对东西方文化有着深层次的理解，鉴于此给我们了创造了开放、自由、资源丰富的教学环境和学习氛围。这样的教师团队教学，使得我院的各个专业及课程更加多元精彩，丰富有效。

自建院以来，外国语学院就以创新的语言教学和教学改革为己任。在这个发展迅速的时代中，面对不断变化的就业市场，我的信念更加坚定。接下来我就本院外语专业的特色进行介绍。本院英语专业设有两个方向，即英法双外语和英葡双外语方向。旨在扩展学生语言能力，面对未来的挑战和就业能够提高自身的优势。日语专业有日英双语方向和商务日语方向，目的在于培养学生的就业竞争力和攻读硕士研究生的竞争力。今年，2018届毕业生的就业率又取得新高，达到98.61%。近20%的同学成功考上了自己梦想中的大学，成为该校的研究生。这些就业梦、考研梦的实现离不开学院全方位的支持，离不开教职工谆谆教诲和帮助，但最重要的，离不开同学们自己的努力和坚持不懈。

外语学院走到今天一路艰辛，但是今天的主角是你们。今天，你们踏上人生的新旅程，开始探索学校，探索世界，探索自己。作为外院院长，我见证了一届又一届的众多学子走过这四年的路；我在此给大家提两点建议：

首先，尊重自己的时间。你们风华正茂，每时，每分，每秒都无比珍贵。这样的时光应该用来扩充自己的知识，培养自己的兴趣，丰富自己的灵魂。你自己才是最有价值的投资资产。正如俗语“种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆”。你们今天身处此地是因为以前的刻苦付出，而你们未来身处何方将取决于你们现在如何投资自己。可惜的是，在这个媒体如流、信息爆炸的时代，我们的生活被网上聊天、名人八卦和视频直播所包围。时间随着我们在手机屏幕上曼妙滑动的手指一点点流逝。即使当今社会崇尚效率，到处宣扬“时间就是金钱”，人们的注意力仍然轻易地就被手机偷走。人们的注意力不在家人朋友身上，也不在真正有意义的事物上，不在个体的灵魂成长上，也不在梦想上。而这对于时间，这个上天公平地赐予每个人的礼物来说，真是极大的浪费。所以请尊重自己的时间，合理利用时间。不要轻信“时间就是金钱”，因为时间远比任何一种货币或珠宝更加珍贵。

我的另一个建议是热爱阅读。我不是让大家今天回去立刻读课本，大家不要紧张。我是指的广义的阅读，即人类知识的结晶，传承了一代又一代人类智慧的书籍。我们学校的图书馆，有中、外文纸质图书130余万册，中、外文电子图书200余万种，欢迎大家随时借阅。常言说，“书籍是最好的朋友。在生活中遇到任何困难，都可以向其求助，他们永远不会弃你而去”。迷茫时，阅读会指引你找到解决方法，同时告诉你解决问题的过程往往更重要；悲伤时，阅读为你带来慰藉，并向你展示人类情感的奥妙与美好；孤独时，阅读是你最好的伴侣，并启迪你，使你懂得孤独才真正能够帮助一个人了解自己，看清自己。我们生活在一个单一的世界，书籍却能向我们描绘出多种世界。而你对这些信息的体会和解读，将会引领你到达梦想的目的地。

同学们，今天，对于来说，可能是人生中第一次离家如此遥远，可能第一次这么长时间地离开父母。未来你们会碰到新的挑战，但也会迎来新的机遇。你们会交到新朋友，也会取得新成绩。未来充满期望。而我期望见证你们未来四年或两年的成长、成熟。从今天开始，请编织你们新的梦想。

谢谢！