At 9: 00 am on June 21, 2020, Tsinghua University’s Law School held the Graduation Ceremony in 2020 as scheduled. Affected by the recent COVID-19 epidemic resurging in Beijing, in order to meet the needs of epidemic prevention and control, this Graduation Ceremony adopts the form of "cloud Graduation Ceremony", which is broadcast live by Tencent Conference. Shen Weixing, Dean of the Law School, Deng Haifeng, Secretary of the Party Committee of the School, Wang Chenguang, a teacher representative, and a few other faculty members and student representatives attended the ceremony in the mock court of the Tsinghua University Law Library Building. All the 2020 graduates of the Law School and their relatives and friends watched the ceremony online. The Graduation Ceremony was presided over by Chen Hangping, deputy secretary of the Party Committee of Law School.
The Graduation Ceremony was opened with the singing of the national anthem. First, the undergraduate student representative Lin Ziyu and the graduate student representative Song Yiyang delivered speeches successively. Lin Ziyu recounted how she and her classmates explored knowledge on the Tsinghua campus with a rigorous academic atmosphere, how they identified their own interests, and how they protected the rights and interests of vulnerable groups. Song Yiyang noted that with the careful training and teaching of Tsinghua Law School professors, students should devote themselves to studying the ocean of law, where their faith in justice can be used as boats to brave challenges. Their hearts should not be swayed by material desires, and their breadth of their minds should not be replaced by their keenness of thinking.
Professor Wang Chenguang, who had previously attended a symposium of experts and scholars on pandemic prevention and control hosted by President Xi Jinping, shared his thoughts with graduates as a teacher representative at this special moment. Wang Chenguang noted that the COVID-19 pandemic revealed thought-provoking ideas. First of all, it tells us to be risk-conscious. Facing all kinds of risks, we can't escape, let alone indulge in depression. Instead, we should be prepared for danger in times of peace, guard against all kinds of risks and fight against them. Second, the pandemic also warns us people studying and practicing law that the antenna of law should go deep into every social field and level. Law is an indispensable pillar for maintaining social order and human development. Third, the pandemic also tells us that interdisciplinary and compound talents are the talents needed by the society in the future, and whether we can become compound legal talents depend on our own will and efforts. Wang Chenguang concluded that daring to take up commitments, think differently, take actions and make innovations should be the born spirit of young people.
In the scholarship system of the Tsinghua Law School, a special award is conferred to graduates, that is, "Honorary Dean Graduates", which is to recognize outstanding graduates excelling in both character and scholarship, working tirelessly for their ideals, and striving to surpass themselves. This year, a total of 12 graduates from the whole school won this honor. Shen Weixing, Dean of the Law School, read out the winners of "Honorary Dean Graduates” of the Law School in 2020, and presented awards to the winners.
Dean Shen Weixing delivered a speech on the theme "With More Self-discipline You Have More Freedom, Going through More Hardships You Become Stronger”. Prof. Shen pointed out that the pandemic has given us more time to be alone than ever before, thus also providing space and time for learning how to exercise self-discipline. People studying and practicing law should especially understand the significance of observing self-discipline and respecting the law.
Shen Weixing noted that law graduates from Tsinghua having experienced the most special graduation season should think more about their social responsibility and commitment in the post-pandemic era. Having witnessed how the pandemic has developed, how people have suffered from the pandemic, and how the country has withstood the test of the pandemic, the graduates of 2020 have more profound experience of the people’s yearning for a better life than any other graduates, they should have more profound concerns from their home and country and more deeply understand the world as a community of a shared future of mankind.
Shen Weixing mentioned that the promulgation of the Civil Code was an inspiring event for people studying and practicing law. The team of legal experts in Tsinghua led by Prof. Cui Jianyuan has also actively participated in the compilation and publicity of the Civil Code, to fulfill the social responsibility of the Tsinghua Law School. It is hoped that the graduates will fulfill their obligations benevolently and exercise their rights correctly in the future, so that the Chinese Civil Code will truly become an encyclopedia of social life in China! Finally, Shen Weixing extended his best wishes to all the graduates.
In the chorus of Tsinghua University's school song, the Graduation Ceremony of Law School in 2020 ended successfully. Also present at the ceremony were Vice President Nie Xin, Vice President Gao Simin and other faculty members such as Chen Xinyu, Wang Yang, Shen Zhaohui, Ren Zhong, Wu Yufang and Li Haoying.
At present, the epidemic prevention and control is in a normal situation. Under the multiple pressures of graduation and employment, all graduates of Law School in 2020 still actively cooperate with epidemic prevention work, overcome difficulties, and strictly abide by the requirements of the state, local government, schools and colleges on epidemic prevention and control, which fully embodies the responsibility and responsibility of Tsinghua students.
