On September 10th, the opening ceremony for graduate students was held at the central sports field of the main campus. The university welcomed 2,185 doctoral students and 7,684 master students to join the HUST family.

Facing the national flag, the teachers and students sung the Chinese national anthem.

As it was Teachers’ Day in China, freshmen expressed their gratitude by presenting flowers to the representatives of their mentors and student counsellor.

President Li Yuanyuan delivered a speech. He called on the students to integrate their youth into the development of the community and the country, enhance their pioneering and innovative ability and promote the spirit of unity and hard work to pursue healthy growth and become an instrumental force in realizing their own personal ideals through national progress.

Xie Yanxia, a new PhD candidate of the College of Life Science and Technology, shared her experience in poverty alleviation and rural revitalization through science and technology in Yunnan province. She called on her fellow students to aim high, broaden their horizons and retain their thirst for knowledge in the future. In addition, she said, “we should be down-to-earth, cultivate strong skills and shoulder responsibilities”.

Zhang Yanbo, a 2017 doctoral student of the School of Public Health, said that he firmly believed that science and technology are significant in the growth of a powerful country and that his personal experience showed him that he should always strive to be at the forefront of innovation. He also called on everyone present to be dedicated, to stick to their original aspiration and to not focus too much on wealth and fame.

Sun Qizhen, professor and doctoral supervisor of the School of Optical and Electronic Information, encouraged the graduate students to embrace their firm ideals, instinct for innovation and passion for collaboration to grow into high-level talents so they could meet the needs of national progress in an era full of opportunities and challenges.

The ceremony was hosted by Ma Jianhui, the Vice-Chair of the University Committee. University leaders, school deans and relevent faculty members attended the ceremony.

Written by: He Rong

Edited by: Andrew, Peng Yumeng