On November 2, the unveiling ceremony of Ruth Mulan Chu Chao Library was held in Pudong Campus on the 90th anniversary of the founding of Shanghai Lixin University of Accounting and Finance. Dr. Chao Xicheng, founder of Linfair Shipping Co., Ltd and well-known Chinese shipping magnate, Pan Zengxi, former deputy director of Xinhua News Agency Hong Kong Branch, Angela Chao, chairman of Linfair Shipping Co., Ltd and visiting professor of the University, Lixin, deputy party secretary of Shanghai Municipal Commission of Education and Health and deputy director of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, Li Guohua, deputy district chief of Pudong New Area People's Government, Shen Qiqi, director of Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Shanghai Municipal People's Government, Li Shiping, party secretary of the University, Tang Haiyan, deputy party secretary and principal, Wen Jingchun, deputy party secretary and secretary of commission for inspecting discipline, vice presidents Gu Xiaomin and ZhaoRongshan attended the ceremony. Also present were representatives from Lai'an County, Anhui Province, Taiwan Jiao Tong University, Fumao (Shanghai) Shipping Consulting Co., Ltd., Harvard Center (Shanghai), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai Maritime University, Bank of China Shanghai Branch and other units. Several relatives of Ruth Mulan Chu Chao, leaders of various sister institutes, and school alumni and faculty also attended the ceremony as representatives.
In his speech, Li Shiping says that the unveiling ceremony of Ruth Mulan Chu Chao Library is of great significance and profound influence. Not only it encourages the younger generation to continue and carry forward Lixin spirit, but also carries the wish that Lixin’s teachers and students will uphold and carry forward the spirit of Mulan of fraternity, optimism, perseverance and enterprise and strive to become high-quality application oriented financial professionals with integrity character, practical ability, innovation consciousness and international vision. He sincerely hopes that Ruth Mulan Chu Chao Library will become a valuable witness to the spiritual growth of the new generation of Lixin, a symbol of the love of all teachers and students for Lixin, and a cultural landmark for the university to cultivate and practice the socialist core values and implement the fundamental task of fostering morality and cultivating people, so as to better serve the construction of first-class undergraduate courses, and further help to build a high-level application-orientated university of finance and economics with international reputation, significant domestic influence and distinctive features.
Chairman Angela Chao sincerely thanked SLU in her speech for the university naming its library after Ms. Ruth Mulan Chu Chao as a memorial. She saysRuth Mulan Chu Chao Library contains her mother’s lifelong desire for knowledge, and she hopes that this character will inspire generations of young students and wishes Lixin students a bright future with the support and encouragement of Mulan's spirit.
At the ceremony, Dr. Chao Xicheng was employed as honorary advisor of SLU. President Tang Haiyan presented Dr. Chao Xicheng with a letter of honorary advisor appointment and presented on behalf of Lixin the “Mulan” folding fans to him. He says the unveiling ceremony of Ruth Mulan Chu Chao Library representsMulan spirit of fraternity, optimism, perseverance and enterprise that is to take root, to sprout, grow and bloom in the campus, and it will surely become part of valuable spiritual wealth for Lixin’s teachers and students. Lixin must give full play to the educational functions of Ruth Mulan Chu Chao Library in faculty training, scientific research and innovation and social aspects. At the same time, he sincerely hopes Dr. Chao Xicheng will give advice and guidance for the development of Lixin.
Dr. Chao Xicheng sincerely congratulats Lixin on the progress made in various undertakings in the new historical period. He says that Lixin's reputation is famous overseas and it has made important contributions to the development of China's accounting industry. Teachers and students of Lixin should take the words and deeds of Pan Xulun's, the old founding father of Lixin, as their role model, inherit and carry forward Lixin spirit, make unremitting efforts for the development of Lixin in the future, better serve the country and the people, and strive to contribute to the prosperity of the country and the nation.
Huang Jingsheng, managing director of Harvard Center (Shanghai), says Harvard University has a deep connection with SLU and the Chao family. He hopes to bring the case teaching method of Harvard Business School and the participant-centered teaching method to more Lixin teachers and students, deepen exchanges and cooperation. He also hopes Lixin students will make full use of the high-quality resources and advanced facilities of Ruth Mulan Chu Chao Library to study hard and actively apply for the graduate school of Harvard University.
Mr. Li Xin points out in his speech that over the past 30 years, Dr. Chao Xicheng and Ms. Ruth Mulan Chu Chao have contributed to the cause of education in her motherland by donating money to help students and cultivating talents. The opening of Ruth Mulan Chu Chao Library on the 90th anniversary of Lixin's founding is another feat that Dr. Chao Xicheng and Ms. Ruth Mulan Chu Chao care about and support the development of education, and it is also a powerful driving force for the students to aspire to success. He puts forward three requirements for the new development in the new era: first, to build and make good use of Ruth Mulan Chu Chao Library to promote the students to read more books and high-quality books; second, to stick to moral principles and cultivate more socialist builders and successors; third, to adhere to reform and innovation and strive to build a high-level university. Standing at a new historical starting point, the Municipal Education and Health Party Committee and the Municipal Education Commission will give full support to Lixin's continuous progress towards the development goal of building an internationally renowned, domestically influential and highly featured applied university of finance and economics, making new and greater contributions to promoting Shanghai's construction of a world-class city and promoting Shanghai's education to take the lead in realizing modernization.
At the ceremony, Dr. Chao Xicheng and President Tang Haiyan unveiled the Chao Zhu Mulan Library, Mr. Pan Zengxi and alumni Zhu Jiandi unveiled the Mulan Report Hall, and Chairman Angela Chao and Vice District Head Li Guohua unveiled the Mulan Book Park. At the ceremony, there was also a video showing Mulan's life of perfect combination of ordinary and great life – “Frodent Mulan”. Wen Xuancai, the vice secretary of the party Committee presided over the ceremony.
After the ceremony, Dr. Chao Xicheng, Chairman Angela Chao, and Professor of Taiwan Jiao Tong University, Cui Jiarong, author of Fearless Against the Wind and Calm at Home, held discussions with representatives of teachers and students on such topics as the inheritance and promotion of Mulan's spirit and Lixin spirit, the social responsibility of college students in the new era, the cultivation of international vision, and the positive impact of Fearless Against the Wind on college students.
Participants also visited Ruth Mulan Chu Chao Library, Mulan Book Park and University Museum.
Ruth Mulan Chu Chao Library is another building named after the great Chinese woman Ruth Mulan Chu Chao after one in Lixin campus named after Li Xin's founder, Mr. Pan Xulun. It was set up to commemorate Ms. Ruth Mulan Chu Chao’s ordinary and great life and to carry forward her spirit of fraternity, optimism, perseverance and enterprise. It is a cultural venue integrating display, communication and learning. Three sections are: Mulan Library, Mulan Book Park and Mulan Report Hall. Mulan Book Park has a room in honor of Ruth Mulan Chu Chao, an academic seminar room and a multi-function hall. The total construction area of the library is over 40,000 square meters.
Photographed by Zhang Jiawei and Xu Meiling
