Source: Publicity Department
Written by: Publicity Department
Edited by: Wang Dongmei

On the afternoon of August 30, 2019, the opening ceremony of the Museum of Sun Yat-sen University History was held in the square in front of the Grant Hall on Guangzhou South Campus. The university leaders including Secretary Chen Chunsheng and President Luo Jun, heads of functional units and schools, teacher and student representatives, as well as donors of items for the exhibition, a total of more than 80 people attended the ceremony. Secretary Chen Chunsheng presided over the event.

Secretary Chen Chunsheng expressed that since the launch of the museum project, it has received great support and extensive attention from all circles of the society. Led by Professor Xu Junzhong, Director of the Museum of Sun Yat-sen University (Museum of Sun Yat-sen University History), the compiling group has traced the historical line of the University, extensively soliciting and gathering opinions from relevant scholars within and outside the University. The Publicity Department, the Archives, the Library, among other units, have helped the compiling group to organize and collect the items. SYSU alumni have taken an active part in the item donations. Since the announcement of item collection in January 2019, we have received 23 clues, and 423 items of 367 kinds.

Professor Xu Junzhong delivered a speech on behalf of the compiling group. He said that through constructive historical narrations, the Museum will become a place for paying tribute to the heroes, expressing gratitude to the predecessors, drawing on wisdom and cultivating temperament, and serve as a link to connect the faculty, students and alumni. He hoped that the visitors can feel the temperature of SYSU’s history with their hearts, find the stories which resonate with them, grasp SYSU’s development with the country and the higher education in the world, and better understand the University’s past, present and future.

Mr. Lin Yicong, who enrolled at SYSU in 1981, gave a speech on behalf of the donors. Out of deep love for the alma mater, in the past 30 plus years, he has kept many items of his college life. This year he read the announcement of item collection by chance, and he made the decision to donate 331 items to the alma mater. He called on all SYSU alumni to care about the University’s construction, and make contributions to the development of the alma mater.

On behalf of the University, President Luo Jun extended warm congratulations on the opening of the Museum, and expressed sincere gratitude to the faculty, students and alumni who have made contributions to its construction. He pointed out that this is an exhibition with history, culture, taste, pursuit and hope. It displays SYSU’s historical tradition, embodies SYSU’s cultural spirit, and inspires us to strive forward with historical wisdom and responsibility. We should keep in mind the University’s founding history, its traditions of patriotism and revolution, as well as its academic tradition of pursuing excellence. We should inherit and carry forward the University history, and turn our respect for the history into the driving force to foster talents for the Party and the country.
After the opening ceremony, the attendees visited the Museum. As a carrier of cultural education, the Museum will become an important place for the publicity and education of the University history. It will open to the faculty, students and the public soon.

The exhibition includes four parts: “Founded by Dr. Sun Yat-sen”, "People’s SYSU”, "Leading the Trend”, and “Striving for World-Class”. Through various forms such as words, photos, items and multimedia, the exhibition vividly displays the University’s long history and rich culture. “Founded by Dr. Sun Yat-sen” (1924-1949) shows that in the 25 years from the founding of the University to the founding of the People’s Republic of China, SYSU went through the hardship of establishing, expanding, relocating and safeguarding the University, upheld Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s ideal of “rejuvenating China” and pursued progress unswervingly; “People’s SYSU” (1949-1977) shows that after the founding of the PRC, under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, SYSU actively participated in the great cause of socialist construction and serving the people; “Leading the Trend” (1977-2012) describes that after the reform and opening-up, the University has expanded campuses, restructured disciplines, optimized teaching and research conditions, and improved the quality of talent cultivation, the level of academic research, and the ability to serve national and regional development; “Striving for World-Class” (2012- ) highlights that since the 18th CPC National Congress, the University has entered the new era of pursuing excellence and stepping into world-class. The University has continuously perfected and improved its educational philosophy, setting up the goal to accelerate its advancement into the first tier of universities nationwide and forge ahead to enter the forefront of world-class universities, and develop into a world-class university with Chinese characteristics which is first considered by the society, the country and the academics.