The first stream of people, the first flow of knowledge

-- Talking Tsinghua University law school dean Wang Zhenmin in the 2013 - 2014 school year opening ceremony

September 15, 2013

Dear 2013 freshmen, and old classmates, teachers:

   Good evening! At this time of the year is an exciting time. Our law school opening ceremony held here today, the official welcome 463 around the elite students become law school, a new member of the family. This year, students from all the provinces, there are 70 students from USA, Canada, Italy, Bulgaria, Rwanda, Burma and other 11 countries, it is everywhere. Welcome you! Thanks to Professor Feng Xiang and Wang Ying alumni just give you advice, thank the teachers attending tonight's new activities.

   Tomorrow I will start, I want to tell you you are the next few years in the Tsinghua University should learn what questions tonight. Chinese previously used to read the University called "learning", who entered the University, are "learned person". The so-called "knowledge" is to study, complete their studies. When you go into the Tsinghua School, of course, to learning, and do the first flow of knowledge, first class academic achievements, the future to create first class enterprise. However, there is a premise, is that you have to become a first class first. At all times and in all countries, successful achievement University asked, to create a great cause, is first has the first class character, do the first stream of people, be honest, honest, dignified and imposing, open and aboveboard, compassion, upright gentleman. They are ready to do boldly what is righteous, hate injustice like poison, admission; they understand the important principle thoroughly, show common, selfless; they not wallowing wealth, poor but with lofty, defy steadfastly all brute force; they respect the old and love the young, caring for others, caring society; they behaved, talk civilization, be a model for others; they respect others, respect for themselves, do not swim, do not casually; they are hard-working, of indomitable spirit, mainstay, the tide in both, supporting the building to lean; they return with kindness, compassion, swallow humiliation and bear a heavy load, not evil evil, not to release negative energy.

   The most basic, most important, is often the most difficult, in fact, should be the most easily, they stick to the bottom line of life, always keep in mind not to people with common animal, human, humane, humane; who, do personnel, as people. But to his every word and action, every act and every move, and constantly develop precipitation unique to humans, deep in the heart of conscience, conscience, conscience, we eliminate the people still exist, sometimes very spectacular animal wild, willful, greed, let human being far away from the animal nature, not egoistic, be insatiably avaricious, intrigues, let more and more human like people, more and more civilized, more and more rational. These are the bottom line of life, but the bottom line is often a breakthrough, which is sometimes difficult to distinguish from the animal! Despite the good time, is the best animal animal, but the worst, the worst is animal animal. Recently, some place extremely brutal, violent crime means extremely cruel, especially those who become frenzied, be utterly devoid of conscience, for the innocent children and infants of violent crime, even in the animal world is not going to happen, why it happened in the twenty-first Century human society? Human is in progress, or in the back?

   The ultimate concern of all the humanities and social sciences is to continuously enhance the human nature, the weakening of animal attribute. The human pursuit, every day thousands of years of history of civilization is in a continuing effort to prove that they are not the general animal, with "all". So was born the humanities and Social Sciences, the phenomenon of political, legal, cultural and human society; also produced the education, the University, use to learn civilized life to educate people. We should not only let each person in civilization, but also to let the government, let the national civilization, rational, put power into the legal system of the cage to go inside, so that it can only be good, not for non, many human tragedies are caused by the country uncivilized, not rational policy, the so-called "tyranny is fiercer than tigers". Compared with the constraints of individual people, constraint of state and government of the wild more difficult, and this is a solemn mission of constitutional, legal science and legal person.

    Therefore, how to behave, how to do the first one, is the next few years you required course in tsinghua. On the legal person, especially important to do a really great person. Because the law is not the average person, to the traditional code of conduct, there are more strict requirements on how to behave. Before Chinese rural, village people what contradictions and disputes, generally will not engage in a lawsuit, but to find the village old man "be of noble character and high prestige". The old man and do not understand the law, he with what to settle disputes, of course, is on the ethics of his soul and plain, rely on the conscience and sense of justice. The villagers why take the old man's decision, but also because of his ruling in accordance with the nature and human. People often say "everybody has the steelyard", is the meaning of. Statutes and judgments we sometimes not implementation, often because of the legislation, the judgment does not conform to common sense, do not accord with the basic norms of human morality. If the law has nothing to do with justice, independent justice, law is the evil law is such, this is we're trying to avoid. The legal person is tall, respected, because that be of noble character and high prestige as the old man in the village, they not only understand the law, is the law enforcement, more important, they are "protecting priests", is the human nature, is the social and moral value of defenders, the practitioner, is the moral bottom line of Jian shou.

    Conversely, if you are not, do not pass, "human science" don't learn, talent without virtue, knowledge without wisdom, no matter how much you master the legal knowledge, no matter how much you proficient in legal skills, no matter how much you One's mind, knowledgeable, skilled in the debate on how to write, was good at logical reasoning, investigation and evidence collection this, everything is in vain, will be without a single success. At all times and in all countries history proves, Avenue, a great man, will have great wisdom, must carry the world before one, be ever-victorious in one's forward march. Therefore, from the beginning of the first day in school, you must put the self-cultivation, edify sentiment, cultivating good quality, creating the perfect personality, strengthen the sense of responsibility, as the most important academic. Our school motto is "to improve the virtue and refine the achevements, public housing", is the first in Germany, then study; to the world is a bosom, to common people, practice of fairness and justice, the pursuit of It's perfection itself. Our building is called "Ming Lou", also is to let you understand the principles first, then the method, only the first reason, can we truly know law.

   If ask you now, what is the purpose of entering the university? Many students will answer: knowledge, learning skills! Indeed, there are many knowledgeable, educated master, there are several generations to finish reading books, learning, learning the knowledge and skills of course is an important objective of your university. But this is not you enter the university the most important purpose of University, to provide you the first should not be the knowledge and skills, but the "Tao", you should first learn to "Dao", "Dao university should teach". Today, many ways for a person to get knowledge and skills, don't even need to enter the University also can obtain knowledge and skills, the university has not the monopoly of knowledge and skills. But why do you go to the University, there are so many students take part in the entrance exam, hope to get university admission notice? I think, the main purpose is to enter university study "Dao" and "de", to explore, the pursuit of truth. University is the way of Tao, University is a university, because there are a lot of road, Tao Tao teacher and expert, to designate as the confused crowd direction, for the lost souls of light the hope can. University is not only the creation, knowledge and skills to gather, communication, it is more of a social conscience of the Department, is the social moral high ground, is a strong position to maintain, develop the conscience of mankind. The difference between the university does not have the knowledge and skills of how many, today Tsinghua University There is not a fraction of difference and general university in the University, is the difference between how many enlightened master. The first Chinese emphasized preaching, imparting knowledge, about second, "Wen Chao, Xi dead can", "the way of the University, the illustrious virtue, in people, in aim at absolute perfection", is also this meaning, the basic function of education is to cultivate the citizen that gentleman Mingde first, perfect personality, good conduct.

   But today we see the university too much emphasis on imparting knowledge, FAQ, spread over emphasis on knowledge and skills, ignoring the release and teach ethics and culture. A former dean of Harvard College in 2007 Harry professor Lewis published "excellence without a soul -- Harvard is a Book How to forget the purpose of education", reveals the Harvard educational goals to guide education from real to cater to students and social demand of "consumerism" direction of development, severely criticized the education process at Harvard, the lack of long-term plan and goal, in the curriculum, evaluation of students, campus culture, moral education, etc., to "improve students' satisfaction as the goal, always trying to" please "students", rather than to help them grow, University of dereliction of duty to the healthy development of students personality and morality cannot be. In March 26, 2008 the president of Harvard University professor Derugilpin Foster published an article entitled "change" of higher education in the world's speech at the Tsinghua University, put forward "education function and ideal is committed to illuminate the beauty, this principle should be regarded as the soul of higher education." This is perhaps the fear response to Professor Lewis.

   If Harvard education existence "of" thin "Dao" phenomenon, this tendency is more obvious China university. Originally Chinese University pay great attention to cultivating ideals, morality, pursuit, social responsibility consciousness of citizen. These years, with the development of market economy, the University's academic level has greatly improved, published a lot more than before, but the University increasingly lose their moral and adhere to truth appeal, lost the right value orientation and spiritual pillar. "The kindergarten to primary school, primary school to middle school, high school to university, University to kindergarten learning" is typical of. "To the company, to go abroad, to money place", with many years ago "going to the countryside, to the west, to the hard place to form a great contrast".

   Therefore, in the new school year begins, our teachers and students here to discuss how to learn, what to learn, how to teach, what to teach, so it is necessary to probe into the University in twenty-first Century. University must return true colours, foster lofty ideals and beliefs, have a strong sense of social responsibility, concern for human peace and sustainable development of the "perfect", not only can stand on solid ground to solve practical problems, but also to look up at the starry sky, have noble moral sentiment and ideal pursuit, never let the professional knowledge and skills beyond human virtue and conscience of the bottom line. Reading people if not civilized hero, is the culture of sinners, no third possible.

   We set the dean's honor graduate award this year for the first time, is to change the past evaluation standard "good student" overemphasis inadequate academic achievement. We evaluate two criteria, academic excellence is a chance to win the honor, if your school is not necessarily the most outstanding, but excellent in character and learning, have both ability and political integrity, moral cultivation and learning there are achievements, have a strong sense of responsibility and dedication, can also receive this award. Hope that after a few years you graduate, to strive for the highest honor awarded for law school graduates.

   Of course, I'm not saying 'not important, of course, important knowledge, achievement first class academic nature is the proper meaning you tsinghua years, with your talent, diligence and wisdom, these are not difficult. I just want to in the moment, to remind everyone must strive to cultivate himself as "a noble person, a pure person, a moral person, a divorced from the vulgar person, a benefit to the people". (Mao Zedong Memorial: "Bethune", December 21, 1939) because only the first stream of people, can make the first flow of knowledge, in order to create a first-class career future. Hope you remember!

   Bless you, thank you!