On September 25, Beijing City University held its "Pass the Torch, Set the Sail" 2025 Welcome Ceremony at the Shunyi Campus. University leaders, heads of schools and departments, and fresh students from across the country gathered on campus to embark on a new chapter together.
The ceremony opened with the resounding performance of "The March of the Iron Stream."
President Liu Lin delivered an impassioned speech, reflecting on the university’s 41-year journey and encouraging the incoming class to strive for excellence and co-create a brilliant future. He shared five hopes for the new students:
First, to ground their growth in a sense of national and familial responsibility—by studying earnestly the spirit of President Xi Jinping’s important speech at the 80th Anniversary of the Victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, carrying forward the torch of legacy, and becoming young Chinese with backbone, ambition, and confidence. Second, to set lofty aspirations as their compass for success—by studying diligently and striving to become pillars of society equipped with solid, in-demand skills. Third, to embrace human-AI collaboration as a new paradigm for development—actively learning, applying, and innovating with artificial intelligence to become pioneers who seize the opportunities of the future. Fourth, to embody the university’s motto in their personal growth—by staying grounded, integrating knowledge with action, and aiming to graduate as outstanding students and future distinguished alumni. Fifth, to fuel their development with innovation—daring to question, eager to explore, and skilled at creating, thus writing extraordinary chapters of youth.
The ceremony was structured into three thematic acts: "Blood and the Land," "Forging Ahead," and "Youth for the Nation." The audio-visual poetry performance "On the Songhua River" vividly recreated the heroic resistance of Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army soldiers. Ma Jimin, grandson of the legendary general Yang Jingyu, attended in person to share stories of his ancestor’s revolutionary legacy. Chair of University Council Gong Yu presented Ma with an appointment as an Off-Campus Moral Education Mentor. The dramatic poetry reading "Letters from the Flames of War" moved the audience with heartfelt emotion, while the piano-accompanied choral performance of "Defend the Yellow River" stirred spirits with its powerful melody. The song "My Motherland" evoked shared memories of the homeland cherished across generations. The group dance "Dong Fang Hong" expressed historical warmth and contemporary passion through youthful movement. Performances by the Children's Choir of Zhongguancun No.1 Primary School (Shunyi Campus) singing "Yu Pan" and by veteran student soldiers performing "The Motherland Will Never Forget" conveyed deep patriotism and a sense of duty. Students who participated in the 80th Anniversary of the Victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War choir returned to the stage, leading the audience in a rousing rendition of "Without the Communist Party, There Would Be No New China," bringing the event to a powerful climax.
Feng Xiaoyuan, a new undergraduate student in the School of Economics and Management, and Zhang Luyao, a new postgraduate student in the School of Information Technology, spoke on behalf of the incoming classmates, voicing their youthful pledges and aspirations for university life, and expressing their determination to become BCU students with ideals, capabilities, and a sense of responsibility.
The ceremony concluded with a collective singing of "Sing to the Motherland." As the call of a new journey sounds, BCU students will carry forward the torch, bravely set sail, and shine their youth in the new era—building youthful families, a youthful nation, and a youthful people, and writing a magnificent chapter for BCU on the path toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
