On December 1, GZU held a ceremony in its new history museum on the East Campus to mark the unveiling of the exhibition for the "Ode to Guizhou University" and the donation of the palace examination papers of the Qing Dynasty featuring the He Family in Guizhou province.
Key personnel concerned attended the event, including: Zhao Yufei, former director of Guizhou Daily, director of the Commission for Science, Education, Culture and Health under the Guizhou Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and a GZU alumnus (enrolled in 1981) majoring in Chinese and Literature with the Chinese department; Yang Qingwu, former deputy director and first-class inspector of the Guizhou Press and Publication Bureau; He Jing, chairman of the Guizhou Foreign Cultural Exchange Association, donor of the Qing examination paper from the He Family in Guizhou, and a GZU alumnus (enrolled in 1980) majoring in Chinese and Literature with the Chinese department; and Wang Xiaowei, author of the "Ode to Guizhou University" and a GZU alumnus (enrolled in 1977) majoring in Chinese and Literature with the Chinese department. Other participants of the University were Li Jianjun, secretary of the CPC Committee; Zhang Dalin and Chen Xiangsheng, vice presidents; affiliated departments’ coordinators; and representatives. Vice president Chen presided over the ceremony.
In Li Jianjun’s speech, he placed great importance on the donation of the Qing examination papers (duplicated copy), the exhibition of the “Ode to Guizhou University”, and the opening of the new GZU history museum. He, first of all, stressed the priceless value of the palace examination papers, which spanned various dynasties ruled by four emperors: Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang and Xianfeng. Such a rare collection can shed insightful light on the studies on ancient imperial examination systems as well as customs and rites in Guizhou. He gave credit to the donors, He Jing, whose predecessors in the He family passed the imperial examinations for future positions in civil service, and He Li, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the Guizhou Provincial People's Congress. It is apparent that they have demonstrated their deepest affection, sincere care, and strong support for their alma mater. Secretary Li then pointed out the meaning of the exhibition of the “Ode to Guizhou University” on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the founding of GZU. The exhibition of the ode was made possible because of Professor Wang Xiaowei, who had once again penned the contents covering GZU’s remarkable achievements in the past decade, and Min Jun, a famous calligrapher, painter, student of the renowned educator Qi Gong, chairman of the Guizhou Alumni Association of Beijing Normal University, and director of GZU Publishing House, who wrote the ode in Chinese calligraphy with ink. Lastly, secretary Li remarked the completion of the new GZU history museum together with the digitization of archives at the current phase indicates that GZU has made tremendous efforts to increase the archive’s collection and to ensure GZU’s history to be told. Specifically, with the completion and exhibition of the "Ode to Guizhou University" and the palace examination papers of the Qing Dynasty archived in the newly-opened school history museum, GZU inherits not only invaluable treasure but also intellectual wealth. It is certain that these efforts will help enrich the university’s culture and empower it to achieve more.
In Wang Xiaowei’s remark, he recounted some of the best memories as a student at GZU, where he built the deepest bonds. He suggested that we should celebrate the university’s culture heritage on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the founding of the university, where we are all culturally connected and instilled with hope. He encouraged all alumni to continue to show their support and contribute to GZU’s further growth.
According to He Jing’s introduction, it was Chen Su, a GZU alumnus and currently director of the East Asian Library at UCLA, who discovered and conducted research on these lost Qing examination papers that were kept elsewhere overseas. He commended that numerous scholars and influential figures have made unremitting efforts to build an advanced GZU since its establishment and thus led to a more extensive education across Guizhou province. By the same token, he will continue to contribute to the development of GZU in the future.
Geng Yi, dean of the College of Fine Arts, introduced the construction and design concept of the university’s history museum on behalf of the staff who were tasked with the project. He noted that the focal point of the museum was to showcase a sense of "grandeur" and "nobility" embodied in the century-old school and its long history.
During the ceremony, the leaders present jointly unveiled the "Ode to Guizhou University"; Zhang Dalin accepted the donation of the examination papers from the He Family in the Qing Dynasty on behalf of the school.
Editor: Zhang Chan; Kang Meihua
Chief Editor: Zhang Yajun
Senior Editor: Yang Nan
Translator: Li Xiaorong
