On November 7th 2015, the conference of the 50th Anniversary of GDUFS was warmly held for one and a half hours (from 10:00 to 11:30) in the campus gymnasium, by numerous alumni of different ages and from different places.

 

 

Nearly 3000 alumni at present

The conference began with a brief introduction of the present distinguished guests, including HUANG Jianhua, the first President of GDUFS; Professor LUO Haocai, Vice Chairman for the 9th and 10th CPPCC; presidents of Asian universities; consul-generals of different countries in Guangzhou, and so on.

Professor SUI Guangjun, Secretary of the CPC Committee of GDUFS, chaired this conference. He firstly delivered a warm welcome to all guests and alumni present and gave a brief demonstration of the main achievements that GDUFS had made throughout the 50 years. Also, he was very obliged to all for organizing the conference, and thankful for those who had sent their sincere congratulations from all over the world.

After the opening ceremony was completed, the flag raising ceremony followed.

 

 

The Flag-Raising Ceremony

President ZHONG Weihe

Then, Professor ZHONG Weihe, President of GDUFS, was invited to deliver a speech. President ZHONG said: “There are three things about GDUFS we shall never forget. Firstly, we shall never forget how we have started from scratch and grown from strength to strength. Secondly, we shall never forget those who are engaged in self-improvement, devoted to academics and ready to innovate. Thirdly, we shall never forget the days when GDUFS shouldered heavy responsibility, proceeded against adversity and made advancement with a pragmatic mindset. Through half a century, GDUFS is ready to be the pioneer who always cherished the spirit of university: reform and innovation. As the home to numerous accomplished students, GDUFS proudly cherishes the principle of university: people-centered education. Holding dear the principle of excellence and inclusiveness, GDUFS has always taken the responsibility of university to serve the society. We are dedicated to improving the institutional framework and striving to become a benchmark of a modern university. We are dedicated to serving national development and striving to become a key platform for national strategic consultation. We are dedicated to disseminating Chinese culture and striving to become a gateway of communication between China and the rest of the world. Based on the pleasant accomplishments we have achieved, we are looking forward to fulfilling the next goal—to build a high-quality university with distinctive characters.”

 

 

Professor LUO Hongcai

Professor LUO Haocai, Vice Chairman for the 9th and 10th CPPCC, delivered his congratulatory speech as the representative of guests. Professor LUO mentioned that he once studied in Guangzhou around 60 years ago and the city indeed impressed him with its profound history and culture. “Located in this beautiful city, GDUFS has developed rapidly. And I believe that there lies a greater chance for GDUFS to bring off a brighter future”, said LUO.

Professor PENG Long, President of Beijing Foreign Studies University, as the representative of domestic sister universities, and Dr. Tim Matthews, Governor of Coventry University, as the representative of international sister universities, conveyed their sincere congratulations to GDUFS respectively, and wished a new relationship concerning academics and teaching between the two sides.

Dr. Tim Matthews

As the alumni representative, General LI Shaoshan expressed his gratitude to GDUFS, as this is where he received his PhD and countless precious knowledge. He is proud of being a part of GDUFS. And Professor ZHENG Lihua, as the faculty representative, conveyed his pride in teaching at GDUFS and his willingness to dedicate himself to education.

The most emotional moment came when 43 representatives of faculty and staff between 1964 and 1965 were awarded commemoration medals by Professor SUI and President ZHONG.

The Awarding of Commemoration Medals

The conference ended with a performance of poem recitation featured the growth and development of GDUFS.

The Performance of Poem Recitation

“Happy Birthday, GDUFS! I’m proud of being a GDUFSer”, excitedly shouted all alumni.