On the afternoon of September 13, the opening ceremony for 2025 graduate students of Nanjing University was held, connecting two cities and four campuses both online and offline to welcome the new graduate students of 2025. Tan Tieniu, Chair of NJU CPC Council and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), attended the opening ceremony. Tan Zhemin, President of Nanjing University and Academician of the CAS, delivered a keynote speech titled "Carry Forward the Aspiration of Serving the Country Through Science and Education, Realize the Dream of National Rejuvenation."

Ceremony on four campuses

At the beginning of the ceremony, members of the NJU National Flag Guard escorted the national flag into the venue with neat and uniform steps. The opening ceremony officially began amid the solemn national anthem.

Tan Zhemin, on behalf of the university, extended a warm welcome and sincere greetings to the 9,322 new graduate students from all over the country and located in two cities and four locations. Tan Zhemin pointed out that the history of the 120-year-old Nanjing University is a century-long scroll of bravely shouldering historical missions and being determined to serve the country through science and education. Since its establishment, NJU has been renowned for its science and humanities; during the War of Resistance, the predecessors of NJU, relocated westward, enduring hardships and striving for self-improvement; after the founding of New China, NJU people persisted in passing on the torch and bravely standing at the forefront; entering the new era, the steps of NJU people in carrying forward the past and forging ahead have become more powerful.

Tan Zhemin expressed three expectations for all new graduate students. First, they should focus on national needs and anchor their direction forward. Second, they should grasp the trends of the times and achieve diversified development. Third, they should hone their innovative abilities and bravely climb scientific research peaks. He hoped that the students would achieve the great cause of becoming pillars of the nation through their diligent study today, and write a brilliant chapter for the new generation of NJU people in the grand practice of realizing the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation through Chinese modernization.

Tan Tieniu and Tan Zhemin presented honorary certificates to representatives of outstanding doctoral dissertation supervisors and authors in 2025, encouraging all teachers and students to follow the example of the award-winning teachers and students, be diligent in making progress and brave in innovation, and make new and greater contributions to accelerating the creation of a world-class NJU.

Zhou Zhihua, Vice President of NJU, presided over the ceremony and announced the "Decision on Commending the Authors and Supervisors of Outstanding Doctoral and Master's Dissertations of NJU in 2025."

Professor Wang Tao from the School of Astronomy and Space Science spoke as a representative of graduate supervisors. He suggested that students carefully choose their research directions, always adhere to problem-oriented research, highly value disciplinary intersection and the power of artificial intelligence, and hoped that new students would cherish their valuable time at NJU, pave the way for national rejuvenation, and contribute to the construction of a strong country.

Yang Huiqi, a 2025 master's student from the School of History, shared her experience and insights from participating in oral history research projects during the summer vacation.

During the school badge pinning ceremony, university leaders and guests presented school badges to representatives of new students. All new students pinned on these badges symbolizing their identity as NJUers.

All new students took an oath together and sang the university anthem, wishing NJU an even better tomorrow.

Those attending the opening ceremony included Fang Cheng, Academician of the CAS; Zhou Xiaohong, Distinguished Professor of Humanities and Social Sciences; university leaders Zheng Hairong, Liu Miao, Jiao Ruihua, Li Bin, Sun Leqiang, and Ding Aijun; representatives of the authors and supervisors of outstanding doctoral dissertations of the university in 2025; as well as leaders of each school, deputy secretaries in charge of student work, deputy deans in charge of graduate student work, representatives of graduate supervisors, and counselors for new graduate students.