Dear students, distinguished guests and colleagues:
Good morning!
It is a great honor for me to be here representing the faculty and staff of Peking University-Shenzhen Graduate School to welcome our new graduate students to join us in this great school.
Today is definitely an important milestone in your life when you become a new member of Peking University, a prestigious institution in the world. I understand what it means for you to get here today. It means hard work for many years. It means great academic achievements. I congratulate each of you for your great success. Today is also a starting date for a new page of your life.
Like most of you, I am also a new comer to Peking University. I just joined this great institution this past January. As we all know, becoming a member of the PKU family is a dream for many young Chinese for generations, maybe now for many international friends, too. It probably took you a few years to make your dream become true, but it took me over 30 years. I was among the first generation of high school graduates right after the Cultural Revolution. Guess which one was our dream university? Bei Da, of course… Unfortunately, I didn’t make an excellent score that was necessary to get into Bei Da because I was very sick during the examination days. However, I never forget my dream. That dream kept me working hard in different institutions in China, Europe, and the United States. And finally my dream became true right here at Bei Da - Shenzhen Graduate School.
My generation is a lucky one because we had great opportunities, and challenges, of course, when China was rebuilding its economy on the ruins from the Cultural Revolution. At that time the whole world was watching China’s initiation of its economic reform. The pioneers of the reform were right here in Shenzhen. Since then China has enjoyed a tremendous economic growth for over 30 years.
Thirty (30) years later the world is focusing on China again, for a very different reason this time. In the last few years almost the whole developed world has been experiencing a very difficult economic situation. China, on the other hand, has kept a high economic growth rate and played as the engine for the global economy. However, the rapid growth in China has also caused challenges such as sustainability issues, environmental concerns, etc. At this time, there are great opportunities for China to play more active roles and take leaderships in the global societies. At the same time, we need to develop a new model for social and economic development in a sustainable and environmentally-friendly way.
To meet the challenges and address the problems, we need leaders in different areas, social, economic, science, etc. There are great opportunities and challenges for you. My fellow students, it’s your turn. You came to the right place at the right time. Bei Da has a tradition to provide good education for leaders. Shenzhen is the right place for pioneers in China’s economic reform. I believe that Bei Da - Shenzhen Graduate School will provide a perfect platform for you to study and plan for your future. I am very confident that you will be qualified leaders in different areas in the near future.
Thank you very much and good luck for your study in Shenzhen.
尊敬的各位来宾，各位同事以及亲爱的同学们：
大家上午好！我非常荣幸能代表北京大学深圳研究生院全体教职员工欢迎我们的新同学加入美丽的南国燕园。
今天，同学们将迎来人生中的一个重要的里程碑，从此你们将成为北大这所世界一流学府的新成员。这意味着多年学有所成，意味着重大的学术成就。此时此刻，我能感受到大家激动的心情，我要为你们取得的成就祝贺你们！今天，也注定成为你们人生的新起点，从此翻开生命的新篇章。
和大家一样，我也是一位新北大人，于今年一月份刚刚加入这个大家庭。众所周知，成为北大人是我们几代中国年轻人的梦想，现在也正成为外国朋友的梦想。同学们也许只用了几年来实现这个梦想，而我却用了三十多年。当年，我正赶上文革后恢复高考，而我那时梦寐以求的大学正是北大，不幸的是考试期间大病一场，从此与北大失之交臂。然而，我从来没有放弃自己的梦想，并以此作为努力工作学习的动力，无论在中国、欧洲还是美国。终于，我的梦想正是在这里——北京大学深圳研究生院得到了圆满实现。
我们这一代是幸运的一代，当时的中国经济正从文革的破坏中慢慢恢复，我们面临着巨大的机遇与挑战：中国当时的经济改革世界瞩目，而深圳正是改革开放的先驱城市。从此，中国的经济迎来了三十年的大幅增长。
三十年后，世界再一次聚焦中国，而这一次却是因为完全不同的原因。在过去几年中，几乎所有发达国家经济形势都比较困难，而中国一直保持着较高的经济增长率，并成为全球经济的动力。然而中国的快速发展也带来了挑战，如可持续发展问题、环境问题等。此时，中国正面临着一次在全球社会发挥更积极的或者领导作用的伟大机遇。与此同时，我们的社会和经济发展需要建立一种可持续的、环境友好型的新模式。我们需要在社会、经济、科技等领域培养新型领导人才，以迎接新挑战和解决新问题。
亲爱的同学们，你们正面临着巨大的机遇与挑战，天时地利人和，北大正是培养领袖精英人才的摇篮，深圳又是改革开放的先驱城市，我相信，北大-深圳研究生院将为大家提供一个完美的学习平台，实现你们未来的梦想和计划。我坚信，不久的将来，你们将接过重任，成为各行各业出类拔萃的领袖！
谢谢，祝大家在深圳的学习一切顺利！
