Speech By President Yu Jianyong At The 70Th Anniversary Of Donghua University

Yu Jianyong, President of Donghua University and academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering

Speech at the celebration of the 70th anniversary of Donghua University

(October 16, 2021)

Dear leaders, distinguished guests, dear alumni, teachers, students and friends

Good afternoon, everyone!

Golden October is the season of nostalgia and harvest. Today, we gather on the beautiful Jingyue lake. Alumni from home and abroad meet in the clouds to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Donghua University. On behalf of the school, I would like to extend my sincere greetings to all teachers, students and alumni at home and abroad! I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the Ministry of education, Shanghai municipal Party committee, municipal government, China Textile Industry Federation, local governments at all levels, enterprises and institutions, and brother colleges and universities who have been concerned and supported the development of Donghua cause for a long time! I'd like to extend a warm welcome to all the leaders and guests who come to the conference in their busy schedule!

Looking back on the past, we are filled with emotion.

In 1951, in order to accelerate the development of the textile industry, the pillar industry of the national economy, the state established the first textile institution of higher learning in New China, East China Institute of textile technology, which has become the cradle of China's textile senior professionals training and the support of independent scientific and technological innovation of China's textile industry. In 1960, the University was identified as a national key university. Since then, the "national team" consciousness has become a deep brand in the hearts of Donghua people.

Since the reform and opening up, the school has entered a critical period of transformation and development. In 1981, it became one of the first universities in China with the right to confer doctor's degree, master's degree and bachelor's degree; In 1985, it was renamed China Textile University; In 1998, he was transferred to the Ministry of education and entered the ranks of "211 Project" universities; In 1999, it was renamed Donghua University. The university has gradually established a multidisciplinary university discipline system based on engineering and coordinated development, deeply promoted the transformation from "industry characteristic university" to "characteristic high-level university", actively integrated into the mainstream of world higher education, and laid a solid foundation for benchmarking, first-class and pursuit of excellence.

In the new era, with the improvement of China's comprehensive national strength and the development of higher education, Donghua University has entered a fast track of connotative development. In 2017, the University was selected as a "world-class discipline" construction university. The first round of "double first-class" construction has achieved remarkable results, and a new round of "double first-class" construction is about to start. Donghua people have the confidence and determination to strive for higher goals, and have sounded the clarion call to speed up the construction of "high-level research university".

Throughout the 70 years of running the school, although the school has gone through different periods of development, the spirit of Donghua school motto, which originated from the textile dyeing institute founded by Mr. Zhang Jian in 1912, and the spirit of "advocating morality and erudition, striving for ambition and upholding reality" formed through years of accumulation, has become the spiritual power for Donghua people to move forward.

Forge ahead, we live up to our mission.

In the course of 70 years of development, Donghua University has always adhered to the party's overall leadership, consciously woven the era of national rejuvenation into the school's development blueprint, continued the way of the University, fulfilled the mission of the University, and composed a colorful chapter of taking root in the land of China and running well the education of people's satisfaction.

- we adhere to the principle of discipline construction, continue to build a high-level discipline system with textile as the "one", materials and design as the "two wings", and radiate and drive the coordinated development of other related disciplines. Textile Science and engineering keeps the leading position in China, and its comprehensive strength has entered the ranks of world-class disciplines; Materials science and engineering have leapt to a new level, and new achievements have been made in discipline level, innovation ability and platform construction; Seven subjects were selected as the top 1% of ESI in the world; The number of doctoral programs in first-class disciplines has been increased to 11; New breakthroughs have been made in the authorized categories of professional degrees and doctorates. We are on the road of promoting the construction of high-level Research-oriented Universities under the guidance of discipline construction.

- we are committed to strengthening the university with talents as the support, make great efforts to cultivate, introduce and make good use of talents in an all-round way, and gradually establish a high-level talent team system suitable for the development of disciplines. We should further promote the reform of education evaluation, adhere to the first standard and primary task of the construction of teachers' team, guide teachers to devote themselves to education and research, and have successively emerged advanced models such as "national excellent teachers" and "National College Huang Danian teacher team". Further promoting the reform of talent development system and mechanism, and implementing more active, more open and more efficient talent introduction and cultivation policies are conducive to the continuous optimization of the institutional environment for stimulating the enthusiasm and creativity of all kinds of talents. The school now has 4 full-time academicians and more than 50 high-level talents such as Yangtze River and outstanding young people.

- we adhere to the fundamental principle of moral education, thoroughly implement the party's educational policy, and strive to cultivate new people of the times who are responsible for the great task of national rejuvenation. We will accelerate the construction of a high-level personnel training system with "simultaneous development of five educations", continue to promote first-class undergraduate and first-class graduate education, make high-quality physical education, aesthetic education and labor education more popular among the people, and make a series of new breakthroughs in the national teaching achievement award, the national excellent teaching material award, and the national curriculum ideological and political demonstration project. The ideological and political quality and comprehensive competitiveness of college students have been continuously improved. Since the establishment of the University, more than 260000 talents of all kinds have been trained for the country, and outstanding alumni such as Hao Jianxiu and Huang baomei have emerged, as well as the backbone of all walks of life.

- we adhere to the mission of serving the country, and consciously transform the awareness of the "national team" of higher education, the "mountaineering team" of scientific and technological innovation, and the "vanguard" of serving the society into the ability to serve the economic and social development. We have deepened the integration of science and education, industry and education, and won 29 national "three awards" since the new century. Some of the achievements have broken the international technology blockade and product monopoly, providing strong support for China's high-level science and technology self-reliance and self-control of the industrial chain supply chain. We have actively arranged the research directions and fields of national strategic needs, and have been approved to set up major innovation platforms such as the national advanced functional fiber innovation center and the national advanced printing and dyeing technology innovation center. Actively integrate into the Yangtze River Delta integration development and the construction of the Yangtze River economic belt, promote school local cooperation, school enterprise cooperation to improve quality and efficiency. In depth connection with the construction of Shanghai Science and technology innovation center, design city and fashion city, and make positive contributions to the construction of Shanghai's urban hard power and soft power. Actively respond to the major initiative of the belt and road initiative and launch the establishment of the belt and Road World Textile University Alliance. We should actively participate in the public health management such as fighting against SARS and new crown pneumonia, give full play to the advantages of disciplines and specialties, and build a strong defense line against "epidemic" in science and technology war.

Facing the future, we are full of pride.

Based on the strategic overall situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the unprecedented great changes in the world in a century, how can Donghua University grasp the opportunity and continue to write a new chapter? This is a question that Donghua people must face and answer in the new era.

Facing the future, we will polish the background of universities. We should adhere to and strengthen the party's overall leadership over the cause of colleges and universities, comprehensively implement the party's educational policy in the new era, adhere to the socialist orientation of running schools, and build a solid political, ideological and organizational guarantee for the development of the University, so as to ensure the stability and long-term development of the party's education.

Facing the future, we will strengthen the "characteristics" of the discipline. Adhere to the discipline construction as the guidance, consolidate and enhance the advantages of textile, materials, design and other disciplines, and promote more disciplines to enter the forefront and strive for the first-class. Taking a new round of national "double first-class" construction as an opportunity, we should comprehensively promote the development of disciplines of advantage promotion, plateau cultivation and strategic development, and form a discipline growth system with multi peaks and mutual support of various disciplines.

- facing the future, we will add "bright colors" to talents. We will implement a more active, more open and more efficient talent introduction policy, provide more perfect, more effective and more sustainable talent cultivation support, and strive to cultivate and bring up a high-level talent team that is compatible with the future development of disciplines and has international competitiveness. We should adhere to the guidance of excellent university culture for talent development, nurture excellent university culture with talent development, and constantly enhance the appeal and attraction of Donghua culture to excellent talents.

Facing the future, we will stick to the "true nature" of education. We should carry out the original mission of "educating people for the party and the country", continue to deepen the reform of education and teaching and education evaluation, highlight the cultivation of top-notch innovative talents, guide every teacher to become a "big teacher" trusted by students, promote every course to become a "big classroom" loved by students, and make Donghua University truly become a master, a talent and a great career, Well respected Chinese universities.

-- facing the future, we will improve the quality of development. We should carry forward the culture of endeavor, encourage Donghua people to be more conscious of being "the big one of the country", respond to major concerns, and promote the high-quality development of various undertakings of the school while serving the strategic needs of the country, region and industry. We should adhere to the "four orientations", enhance the ability to tackle key problems in key core technologies and independent innovation, dare to "lead" while "following" and "running together", lead relevant fields to continuously strengthen original innovation, and strive to become an active practitioner of China's innovation driven development strategy and a strong promoter of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance.

Leaders, guests, alumni, teachers, students and friends, 70 years of fruitful spring and autumn have laid the confidence and confidence for Donghua to move forward, and also strengthened Donghua's determination and courage to forge ahead. Standing at the historical intersection of the "two centenaries", Donghua people are embarking on a new journey of high-quality development in the "14th five year plan" with the confidence and determination to set sail again. We sincerely hope that people from all walks of life will continue to care and support the construction and development of Donghua University and become the builders and participants of "striving for Donghua". Let's make joint efforts to build a "domestic first-class, internationally influential and distinctive high-level research university", and make new and greater contributions to building a socialist modern country in an all-round way, realizing the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and promoting the progress of human civilization!

Thank you!