19 June 2009

Government Officials, Mr. Yu, Faculty and Administrators, Parents, Friends and Graduates:

What a great joy to be here today, celebrating your jubilation in graduation and sharing your excitement in entering the world and beginning a promising future. On behalf of the board of trustees, to each of you I say… well done!  Well done, my young friends, you have scored one splendid round in life, and I know, even amid the ebb and tide of life and the economy, STU graduates will always strive to excel, for you have prepared your minds and hearts well.

What you have learned here you will keep in your hearts. Wherever you are and whatever your pursuits, I know that you will balance your conscience and your reason to guide you towards your highest ideals, and that you have the will and tenacity to realize your dreams.

Even in an increasingly uncertain, complex and divided world, where ends and means may seem neither fair nor just, you will remain true to the fundamental values of humanities. With strength deep in your hearts and your souls kindled with resilience, inspiration, and courage, you can lead a life of distinction and dignity.  You are determined to be more than an engineer who knows only how to build, a physician who knows only how to heal, a journalist who knows only how to report, a civil servant who knows only how to serve, a lawyer who knows only how to defend, a scientist who knows only how to research, an artist who knows only how to craft, or an entrepreneur who knows only how to create wealth.

It is Shantou University’s core belief that success, power and affluence come with greater responsibility. Empathy and tolerance are the fibers of a harmonious society; you must be sensitive to other people’s fears, suffering, joy, and happiness. You must know that poverty, exclusion, and discrimination are all forms of humiliation and it is our duty never to inflict them on others.  We must fight despair around us as ardently as possible.

I can still remember how thirty years ago, our university was only paddy fields.  Today, your beaming and confident faces reaffirm my conviction that education is the master key to the future. And can your life be better than your dreams?  Thousands of tributaries culminate in the mighty Yangtze River; millions of individual stars make up heaven’s great constellations.  Our world is what we make of it; through the effort of all of you who are capable of achieving your dreams and who care about the well-being of others, we can build a world that is better than our dreams.

Last August, I proudly attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.  While the athletes paraded around the stadium, I was struck by flashbacks of earlier times of war and poverty in China. You are fortunate to grow up in an age of abundance.  Go forth into the world with all your aspirations, knowledge and perseverance; explore, dream and discover!  May your future be filled with opportunities to excel, to sail through challenges with joy, and to find friends and mentors along the way whom you will cherish and remember.  Thank you and good luck.