Review of the Shaw College 2019 Welcome Ceremony

“We spend most of our time chi gua (the literal translation is ‘having melons,’ which means being ‘onlookers’). But even if we are all onlookers, I hope that you could be an elegant, accomplished and happy onlooker.”

This amiable and humorous speech was delivered by Prof. Zhu Shiping, Vice President of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), at the Shaw College 2019 Welcome Ceremony.

On the afternoon of August 30, the Shaw College 2019 Welcome Ceremony was held in the Liwen Building as scheduled. Nearly 700 freshmen attended this solemn and grand ceremony in their college uniforms and formal robes, marking the start of their brand-new journey in Shaw College. Wang Qiqiang, a 2017 student from SSE, and Qi Yiwen, a 2018 student from SME, presided over the welcome ceremony. The unforgettable ceremony was witness by Professor Zhu Shiping, Vice President of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen); Professor Liang Yongbo, Professor Marlene AMSTAD, and Associate Professor Tan Anhou, members of the Shaw College Board; academic teachers and tutors of the Shaw College.

The Shaw College Board is responsible for determining the major issues in the College operation, as well as assisting the Dean in managing College affairs. At the beginning of the welcome ceremony, three board representatives were invited to send their blessings to the students.

(From left to right: Prof. Tan Anhou, Prof. Marlene Amastad, and Prof. Liang Yongbo)

Prof. Liang Yongbo first warmly welcomed freshmen to join the Shaw family. Then Prof. Marelene Amastad uttered that “University is not only about liking each other. It is much more important to understand each other.” Now that diverse voices coexist, listening to single voice is no longer enough. The multicultural consciousness is awakening, and learning to listen to different voices and understand different individuals becomes increasingly important. Finally, Prof. Tan Anhou who smiled with two dimples, sent his wishes to the students. Prof. Tan recalled himself in his student-days 48 years ago. He realized that it was every choice he had made, every class he had attended, every sport he had done, and every friend he had taught that shaped him — You are an accumulation of your past, and what you do determines who you will be.

Later, Vice President Zhu Shiping’s humorous speech pushed the ceremony atmosphere to a climax. His speech started with a thought-provoking question, “How will you spend your next four years in this university?” Seeing students immersed in contemplation, President Zhu put forward three suggestions in his subsequent speech: Do not indulge in video games. If you want to learn language well, you must be ‘shameless’ (not afraid of making mistakes). University is the last place to tolerate your mistakes.

The ceremony ended up in Dean Prof. Jenny Leung’s welcome speech. Prof. Leung expressed her wishes that every freshman could turn out to be：

A person of SCHOLARSHIP；

A person of HUMILITY；

A person of ACTION；

A person of WARMTH；

And A person of SHAW ！