On the afternoon of June 22, the 2022 Graduation Ceremony of Xinya College of Tsinghua University was held in the East Plaza of the Art Museum. The ceremony was conducted both on campus and online. Up until now, it has been the third batch of graduates of Xinya College since it was founded. The on-campus participants, with the number of nearly 100, included 2022 graduates, teachers, representatives of the student community, leaders of the School of Architecture, Department of Computer Science and technology, School of Economics and Management, School of Humanities etc., leaders of Postgraduate Student Affairs Office, Management Center of Colleges and other departments and institutions, and the Xinya academic team. Some graduates, parents and teachers participated online. The ceremony was hosted by Jin Zeyu, an undergraduate student majoring in Creative Design and Intelligent Engineering (CDIE) in 2018.

The graduation ceremony opened with the song named "Xinya Prologue":

"Forever gentle, forever young

Our college was born

Containing all as one”

The 2017 CDIE graduates recollected their undergraduate time at Xinya College through a video, and recalled the stories of those classes, teachers and various people that they met with. Zheng Zhi delivered a speech as the representative of the 2017 CDIE graduates. He narrated the process of how he gradually found the answer to his initial doubts about the meaning of liberal arts and interdisciplinary learning during his 5-year-long undergraduate period. Specifically, he said that with the belief that learning itself is the purpose of learning, he successfully found the way to enjoy different kinds of fields, and finally he grew into the kind of person that he liked.

The students entering Xinya in the year of 2018 showed a video upon the graduation interview to look back on their common experiences in liberal arts, laboring, physical exercises, overseas exchanges, college life etc. In this way, they explored their thoughts on community experience and future life.

The representative Wang Tianyu, who majored in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) in 2018, reviewed his learning experience in Xinya and PPE in which he gradually improved himself and was oftern suddenly inspired by some thoughts after suffering a long period of the state of confusion and fear. He said that the training mode of Xinya liberal arts and PPE emphasizes the cultivation of a well-rounded human, and it is designed to to answer the question of "how people should live". He sincerely wished the students to achieve the state of "Unity of Knowledge and Action" in the future and to firmly go on with what they have been determined to do.

Another representative Zhang Xiaoyu, majoring in Computer Science and technology, recalled the "Way of University" that she experienced with her partners of Xinya community, and mentioned that liberal arts allowed her to treat herself, the world and others more honestly. Also, thanks to liberal arts, she did not forget the vastness of the world and the limitations of the individual during the pursuit of her inner self.

The Xinya Band brought a lively and exciting graduation performance, namely the Spanish song "Dónde Estás Yolanda", to all the audience.

《Dónde Estás Yolanda》

Mr. Xu Shuzheng, head teacher of the class of 2018 of Xinya College and teacher from the Department of Electronics, delivered a speech. Mr. Xu offered sincere congratulations to the students who were about to successfully complete their undergraduate studies and to start a new journey, and he also encouraged them to believe in their own potentials and to explore the natural good qualities hidden in their souls through the constant self-examination.

Mr. Li Ping, the teacher of the course "Classics and Imagination: New Readings of Ancient Chinese Legends" from School of Law, also delivered a speech to Xinya students as a representative. Mr. Li encouraged students, no matter whether they would be praised and admired for once studying at Xinya College, they should not evaluate themselves by the standards of the crowds. Instead, they ought to “develop greater minds, to read greater books, and to ponder upon details”, in order to enter the state of the Confucian “Ren” and to be a true person.

Mr. Zhang Weite, vice president of Xinya College, read out the list of the students of "Contribution Award" and "Academic Award" of Xinya College. From 2020, the academy has set up two awards, the "Contribution Award" and the "Academic Award"—the Contribution Award aims to reward students, assistants or teachers serving for college who have made outstanding contributions to the construction and development of Xinya community, while the Academic Award aims to reward students for their exploration and innovation in the academic field. In this year, Mr. Geng Rui, former vice director of the Working Committee of Xinya College (Experimental Zone of Liberal Arts), and head teacher Mr. Xu Shuzheng won the "Contribution Award" for the group of teachers; Zhang Yuanzhe, Yu Gang, Feng Lichen, and Wang Leijie won the "Contribution Award" for the group of assistants; and there were 24 students, including Li Shihao, winning the "Contribution Award" for the student group. Furthermore, 7 students, including Wang Tianyu, won the "Academic Award".

Mr. Ruan Dong, head of Work Group of Communist Party of China and vice dean of Xinya College, reported the graduation situation of Xinya College in 2022, and announced the list of the students awarded with the "Certificate of Liberal Arts of Xinya College ". 69 students in 13 majors, including engineering, economics, law, art, science, architecture, literature etc., met the graduation requirements in 2022; and 69 students won the "Certificate of Liberal Arts of Xinya College " in different levels.

Mr. Ruan Dong

Mr. Mei Ciqi

Mr. Mei Ciqi, dean of Xinya College, delivered a speech on behalf of the college. Mr. Mei first expressed his sincere congratulations to the graduates, and he showed great gratitude to the teachers, assistants and parents who led, helped and cared for the growth of students. Mr. Mei concluded the Xinya spirit, which he understood and deeply agreed upon after his communication and interaction with students since he officially took office, as this: to be more determined and courageous when confronted with the various opinions of the world, due to the inclusive and fulfilled mind. At the same time, he also hoped that on the one hand, the students who were about to graduate would not be over-determined and over-courageous—otherwise, they would not give the new world a chance; on the other hand, however, they would not lose their precious determination and courage due to changes in the environment. To realize these goals, Mr. Mei especially told the graduates three points: first, we should be open-minded enough to the new world and be brave enough to get rid of our determination and courage based on the past experience; second, we should have the courage not to care about the evaluation external to us, but to follow our inner voice and discover the meaning of life; third , we should always keep the third-person pespective, both to ourselves and to the world. In the end, Mr. Mei wished the students to attain a bright future and to bravely march toward their glorious dreams.

Finally, Mr. Mei Ciqi and Mr. Ruan Dong awarded the "Certificate of Liberal Arts of Xinya College " to all the qualified graduates one by one.

With the chorus singing the song "Those Flowers", the 2022 graduation ceremony of Xinya College came to an end.

Best wishes to Xinya graduates. Forever Gentle, Forever Young! Forever be a better person on behalf of both Xinya and Tsinghua.