On September 9,Zhu Fangwei, President and Deputy Secretary of the CPC Committee of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law (ZUEL),delivered the school opening lecture for Class 2025 at the university’s Shouyi and Nanhu campuses.The events were held at the Shouyi Grand Sports Field and the Nanhu Arts and Sports Center, where over 9,000 freshmen listened attentively, simultaneously embarking on their new academic journey together. The lectures were presided over by Chen Shi, Deputy Secretary of the CPC ZUEL Committee, at the Shouyi campus, and by Vice President Qin Hong at the Nanhu campus, respectively.
A Long History: A Red University
“Established by the Party, founded for the Party, growing for the country and developing for the people.” In the speech,President Zhu Fangwei led the students to review the school’s development and change from the perspective of history and the people of ZUEL respectively. From 1948 when the Party established the Chung Yuan University to provide intellectual support for the revolution, to the dual-branch opening and the mutual complementarity of the two schools(Zhongnan Institute of Finance and Economics and Law and Zhongnan Institute of Political Science and Law), then to the current joint development of economics and finance,law and politics, the school’s comprehensive strength has reached a new level.
Since its founding, the university has nurtured a vast number of outstanding talents across various fields.Notable alumni include contemporary economist Zhang Zhuoyuan and China’s first female symphony conductor, Zheng Xiaoying. Generations of ZUEL students have excelled in their respective domains, witnessed the university’s growth, participated in the national construction drive, carried forward its “red genes,” and upheld the unique ZUEL spirit.
Integrated Advantages: A World-Class University
President Zhu Fangwei said that the university aims to become a world-class university which deeply integrates finance and economics with law and possesses distinct advantages. To show the unique advantages of integrated majors belonging to the ZUEL, President Zhu explained from three aspects. Discussing the question of who to cultivate talent for, the university obviously improves the state-planned and specially established majors’ construction for supporting national strategy. Now, it has provided strong talent support in finance, economics and law with the pattern that is rooting in Hubei, radiating to the central-southern of China and serving country in Chinese modernization. Answering the question of what kind of talent we educate, the university develops Five-dimension education(including moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic and labor education) persistently and trains many highly qualified talents who have an unshakable political stance and solid professional knowledge. Focusing on the question of how to cultivate talent, the university constantly deepens and integrates the methods about talent educating. As the saying goes “It is wealth that binds the people of a country together, and it is the law that governs the wealth of a country.”(said by Wang Anshi, a famous statesman and litterateur in ancient China, and quoted by Xi Jinping in a speech), finance, economics and law are closely integrated.Depending on itsmajor advantages ofELM(economics, law and management), the university can connect finance and economics with law deeply. Therefore, a strong core competence can be formed, and educational characteristics continue to be achieved, deepened and improved.
Growth and excellence: New Talents of the Times
After reviewing the university’s profound history and distinctive school-running characteristics, President Zhu Fangwei extended the sincerest teachings and the most heartfelt expectations to the new members of ZUEL.
Zhu Fangwei hoped the students to balance three pairs of relationships: First, the relationship between the “small self and the greater self”. Each person should place themselves within a broader context to perceive the weight of responsibilities, obligations, and rights, and to remember the value of “studying for the rejuvenation of China.” Second, the relationship between “short-term and long-term.” Plan university life with a long-term perspective, pursuing lasting benefits rather than immediate gains, and staying grounded rather than merely discussing blueprints. Third, “innovation and rules.” Integrate innovative thinking with a sense of rules, combining forward-thinking with bottom-line thinking. Dare to question and explore boldly, yet remain vigilant and self-reflective, examining oneself three times daily.
Finally, during the Q&A session, Zhu Fangwei provided comprehensive and detailed answers to students’ questions regarding academics, majors, and future career paths. This helped freshmen gain a deeper understanding of how to identify their own positioning, clarify their learning methods, and grasp the university’s educational philosophy.
“The School Opening Lecture for Class 2025” was rich in content and profound in meaning, drawing frequent applause throughout the session. Afterward, students were deeply inspired and unanimously expressed how enlightened they felt. Liu Huiyi, a 2025 freshman from the School of Philosophy, remarked, “President Zhu’s dialectical discussion on short-term versus long-term perspectives truly opened my eyes. We must avoid falling into short-term utilitarianism while also avoiding empty talk about poetry and distant horizons.” Zeng Ziyun, a 2025 freshman from the School of Public Finance and Taxation, remarked that this lecture taught us that truly outstanding talents must closely integrate their knowledge with the strategic development of the times. They should not only actively adapt to the era but also strive to become the elite who lead it.
(END)
Reporters: Hou Jing, Gao Ying
Photographers: Xie Lingjun, Zhao Yiming, Chen Shuyi, and He Beier