On the evening of December 31, the 2022 New Year Gala of the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) kicked off at the East Auditorium. Many prominent university and school leaders, including FU Yao, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of USTC, YANG Xiaoguo, Secretary of the Youth League Committee of USTC, watched the performance on the scene. The gala was also broadcasted live through social media platforms including Xinhuanet, Bilibili, WeChat, and Weibo, and the peak popularity index of the livestream reached 1.2 million.  

Prof. SHU Gequn, Secretary of the Party Committee of USTC, delivered a speech online, in which he extended his most sincere greetings and best wishes to USTCers and people from all walks of life at home and abroad who have always supported the development of USTC. Shu pointed out that, thanks to the hard-working of all USTCers, USTC has made steady progress in talent cultivation and scientific research achievements in 2021; in 2022, we USTCers will forge ahead diligently to build USTC into a world-class university with Chinese style, making greater contributions to the realization of the great rejuvenation of Chinese nation.

Prof. SHU Gequn delivered a speech online.

An awarding ceremony for “‘six haves’ college students” (College students with ideals, pursuits, commitments, achievements, virtues, and decencies) was also held at the gala, with ten students receiving the honor. Fu Yao and other leaders presented trophies and certificates to them, respectively.

With the theme of “USTC Gathers for the ‘Chinese Dream’ in Hundred Years of Glory”, the gala consists of three chapters: “Pass the torch”, “Stay true to the original aspiration”, and “Dream big”.

Full of verve and vitality, the gala began with the hot street dance “Crave for u”, which turned the whole audience. The beautiful melody of the song “Stars and Sea” lingered, dispelling the cold of winter. A wonderful unicycle performance “Spinning Elf”, brought by KDFZ (The Middle School Attached to University of Science and Technology of China), showed excellent balancing and good teamwork. The ensemble “Fair” brought by the Student National Orchestra, with the interplay of strings, wind, and plucked music, expressed the joy of ringing out the old year and ringing in the new.

The drama “Originality” brought by Student Performing Arts Club-Shuzhi showed the original aspiration of revolutionaries. The recitation, “Hundred Years of Glory” looked back at the 100-year journey of the Communist Party of China. The male and female chorus “Under the Flying Clouds” made the audience feel like they were in the boundless sky.

The actors were performing.

The traditional cross talk “Yellow Crane Tower” was humorous and witty, showing the solid basics of the actors. The dance “Heroine-Hua Mulan” presented the patriotic spirit. “A Little Red Flower”, performed by School Golden Autumn Chorus (made up by the retired teachers of USTC with an average age of 68), was joyful and lively, showing their love for life. The sign language performance “People in the crowd” paid tribute to the ordinary people who act bravely in our society.

The party ended with singing the school song “Eternal East Wind” together. In the new era, USTCers will inherit and carry forward the spirit of the old generation of scientists, serving the motherland and the people.  

(Written by DUAN Qingrong, edited by HOU Luyao, USTC News Center)