2016 High Table Dinner
Intended to follow CUHK’s educational tradition of bringing Chinese Culture and Western Culture together and to broaden students’ mind, Diligentia College organized an annual high table dinner on November 25th, 2016.
On that evening, the usual air of effervescence in Liwen Building was replaced by solemnity, with all its lights ablaze and sitting seven white-clothed and delicately-set tables. Our stars, all dressed up, waited quietly to march in.
The dinner was started by professor Gu’s welcome speech
to all attendees with her blessings for every student of Diligentia College.
Next, Mr Deng Xueqin，founder of Genzon foundation，shared with students his life experience and concluded his speech by giving three pieces of advice to all students present: to maintain integrity, read extensively and to strive for dreams.
After presenting Mr. Deng with an exquisite souvenir, President Xu greeted faculty
and students present and everyone raised glasses together to celebrate such beautiful moment.
Tasty dishes were then served to us by waiters standing at high tables in the end of wonderful speeches.
1/4 Palatable Bread~
2/4 Creamy Pumpkin Soup
Creamy pumpkin soups with fresh vegetables placed before us with a tempting aroma.
3/4 Roasted Turkey Fillets
Golden-crispy tender turkey fillets, coupled with egg-wrapped rice, are placed
alongside with potato and vegetable dressings.
4/4 Walnut Pie
We were dinning amid a beautiful melody of Amazing Grace, played by Jianfang Lin and sang by Yangyadi Jiang. Delicious food and beautiful singing together made our time both wonderful and cozy. In a video especially prepared by Diligentia College as a pleasant surprise for us, many teachers appeared to give students their blessings.
Comments
Danlin Lu from 2015 SSE
As a sophomore who has attended the dinner for the second time, the dinner is no longer a haze to me. Unlike that of our school, this dinner’s attendees are from different schools and grades, so its purpose is more of care-giving and communication promoting, which was well embodied in the process. Above all, the seating is well arranged. Although surrounded by fellows whom we had never met or rarely spoken to, we started to break the ice and open up with the help of teachers seated nearby. Besides, speeches delivered by Professor Gu and Mr. Deng were student-oriented, amiable, humorous, thoughtfully covering work, life, future and dream. The little surprise gift prepared by the college made me extremely high, and it’s beyond description to tell you how touched I was when teachers, familiar or not, sent their blessings to us. The dinner was overall very satisfactory. I indeed enjoyed the amiable communication with teachers and other students, which was the intended effect of the dinner. By the way, the name card was so pretty and well-designed that I have put it into my personal collection with deep appreciation.
Tinghao Si from 2015 SME
Another banquet dinner and already a sophomore on autopilot. Without the primness and timid of a fresher, I’m now a little expectant. But juniors’ mourning for upcoming loss is so contagious that it works on my sentimental feelings. We also relish the new main course endowed by the timing on Thanksgiving instead of Christmas Eve. As a students of Diligentia College , I have to say that “Father Deng” delivered an intriguing speech with interesting story-telling instead of hunger-causing peroration.
Yanyuan Li from 2014 SME
Time is lapsing so fast that it has led us unknowingly through 3 summer-winter years (you know, we have no spring or autumn in Shenzhen). The lapse of time strengthens our wish to hang on while the sense of mission is pushing us forward. Every dinner is the perfect time to look back and decide what to hold on and what to let go. I’d also like to take the opportunity to express my warmest thanks to friends and teachers along the way, and thanks to ourselves as well. Wish we all have a unique life experience.
Yuhang Wu,a postgraduate from 2014 HSS
Excellent dinner and food. Nice to see traditional Thanksgiving dishes like cranberry juice and turkey that we have got to know in episode 3 of Diligentia et Sapientia. Exited to see everyone wearing black tie! Many thanks to college office’s wonderful arrangement.
Shuying Li from 2016 SSE
I really love the fresh juice, sweet melon, and especially the delicious bread. Really enjoy the ambience and appreciate the efforts made by our university.
Xinrui Chen from 2016 SME; student assistant of Diligentia office
When I rushed to Liwen Building to help set name cards on table at around 13 o’clock, the sight that staff and waiters were preparing for the dinner was so impressive. It’s a pity that they cannot join in the formal meal. Finally, the dinner didn’t fail our expectation! It’s quite interesting to check in the queues dressed in formal suit and with name lists in hand, looking like real estate brokers. And the random seating arrangements also brought me new friends!
Kefei Ye, a postgraduate from 2015 HSS
I’ve attended the high table dinner for the second time. Maybe because it’s about our college, I feel this dinner an extra amiable one. Listening to speeches by professor Gu and Mr. Deng along with my fairylike neighbors made very forceful impression on me. I had a good time with Dr. Wengao Gong and learned a lot from his experience sharing on translation. Scraping knives and forks, jingling glasses, and joyful laughter mingled with each other…I can’t help thinking that maybe it’s how you would feel in a bigger family with siblings. Under the theme of “Thanks for Being with Diligentia College”, sincere gratitude should be given to our dedicated faculty and volunteers of this event. Because of you, we make Diligentia a second home.
Xinyu Ji from 2016 SME
A black-tie high table dinner was held in Liwen Building by Diligentia College the day after Thanksgiving, where guests, faculty and students enjoyed a wonderful meal together. We found much to our benefit in Mr. Deng’s speech and gained deeper understanding of Thanksgiving from the speech by President Xu. The delicate meal and warm ambience have left with us precious memory.
Wishes from Diligentia: Our providential meeting is precious and the future will witness our growing up together. Thanks for the beautiful you bring to us and for being with Diligentia College.
