President Xu Celebrates Lantern Festival with Students in Hubei Online

As the center of the novel coronavirus outbreak, Hubei Province is the most affected region with more than 30,000 people diagnosed.Therefore, the over 200 students of CUHK-Shenzhen who are currently in Hubei province become the greatest concern of the Univeristy. In order to encourage these young people, Prof. Yangsheng Xu, President of CUHK-Shenzhen, reunited with them through an online activity with visual images of everyone presented on the night of Lantern Festival (February 8th). 

Prof. Xu took this chance to not only express his concern, but give life advice on how to overcome fear and spend the time in a meaningful way. 

"First of all, I hope that you and your parents stay safe. When you have time, please do more readings. The anxiety in your heart should not disrupt your reading rhythm. You may also extract the philosophical ideas and the essence of the books for further reflection. Read more and think more, to make a full use of this special time", said Prof. Xu. To inspire students, Xu shared an experience that he finished his writing of Human Behavior Learning And Transfer during the SARS outbreak.

Prof. Xu then explained the significance of communication in this unusually difficult period, which can help to pass love and energy, to break the rumors and develope thinking. 

 "During this once-in-a-life-time period, please have more conversations with your parents, relatives and friends. You can also exchange ideas with your classmates and mentors by means of internet. Though stay indoors, don't trap your mind in a fixed corner."

Qin Renjie, a year-four student from Xiangyang, Hubei, is one of the participators of this online actibity. She was deeply touched and encouraged by Prof. Xu's sharings. Staying cool and calm, Qin will work hard to prepare herself for the application for postgraduate programmes.

The activity provided a perfect opportunity for students to interact with the president and their peers. More importantly, it helped to relive their stress under the severe situation in Hubei.