CFLC Party Secretary Chen Zhiwei addressed the inauguration ceremony for new students on September 24. Ms. Chen began her address by extending a warm welcome to the new students and offering congratulations to the winners of CFLC’s various scholarships.

Mr. Chen noted that 2016 is a special year as it marks the 95^th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party and Xiamen University and the 93^rd anniversary of the establishment of CFLC.

She also stated that many of CFLC alumni are leaders in their respective fields, and that CFLC prides itself on providing an environment where future leaders will develop and be nurtured.

Mr. Chen commended CFLC students for their active involvement in the restoration efforts on campus in the wake of Super Typhoon Meranti, which caused considerable damage to the University.

To the new students, Ms. Chen stated: “Universities are places of transformation: the changes that you will experience in the next few years are twofold. The first aspect is the personal: you will gain new knowledge, make new friendships, have new experiences, enjoy much greater freedom than ever before.”

Moreover, she said: “CFLC has brilliant teachers and talented researchers that are contributing to new knowledge, we have wonderful facilities for teaching and learning and for research. We will help you to capitalize on opportunities within and outside XMU: these may be study exchanges, experiential learning or internships, they may be in China or overseas, they may be short-term or long-term. They will take you outside your comfort zones, allow you to make new friends and contacts in very different parts of the world from those with which you are familiar. You will have the chance to find something which really interests you and captures your imagination. It doesn’t really matter what you do, just that you seize the opportunities to make yourself the best you can be, to improve your own world and the world of those people around you.”

Furthermore, Ms. Chen encouraged students to pursue their dreams. She said: “As part of a select and elite group, do not underestimate the impact you will be having on the community and the nation.  As you try to pursue your dreams, make sure you strike a good balance between winning over not just with bright ideas but through people’s hearts and minds; you exert confidence but with humility; and you strive for your ambition with responsibility and conscience.”