On October 1st, to jointly celebrate the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the PRC and the grand opening of the 20th National Congress of the CPC, teachers and students gathered for a flag-raising ceremony in the South Lake Center Stadium, including the Standing Committee of the Party Committee, heads of relevant functional departments and of each teaching unit, counselors and freshman cohort representatives. Singing the national anthem in unison, they paid tribute to the five-star red flag.

Flag-raising ceremony. Photo provided by Deng Ziyang

The flag-rising ceremony was followed by a series of celebration activities. With poetry recital Youth China, teachers and students representatives spoke highly of the Party’s leadership; in on-campus jogging, runners were visiting and photographing buildings with ethnic characteristics; with a traditional dragon and lion dance as well as 20 group games, like horses in stilts, board-shoe racing, soft dart, power loop, etc., participants felt team spirit with amusement.

Poetry recital   Photo provided by Li Shimo

Power Loop. Photo provided by Ning Xueqing

Activities also included three patriotic-themed movies, Forever Young, The Founding of a Republic and 1921 to enrich students’ cultural lives. In addition, class meetings with the theme of 20th National Congress Advances a New Journey were held in each school to recall the eventful years and firm the determination to strive under the leadership of CPC. Lan Deqing, a doctoral student representative from the School of Biological Science, expressed his determination to forge ahead in expertise and serve his country with knowledge. Huang Jebing, a sophomore from the School of Computer Science, said, “I really appreciate these celebration activities that further strengthened a strong sense of community among Chinese people in the joy of National Day. I sincerely wish our country prosperity and SCMU a brighter future!”

Edited by Lan Yongli  Reviewed by Pan Wenjun