From June 18 to 19, the XMU 2017 commencement ceremonies were held with grandeur at the Jiannan auditorium. The commencement ran smoothly by following the sequence of Faculty of Social Sciences, Faculty of Humanities and Art, Faculty of Engineering Technology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Earth Sciences and Technology, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences. Attending the grand ceremony were Zhu Chongshi, President of XMU, Prof. Li Jianfa, Vice President and Deputy Party Secretary of XMU, leaders of relevant colleges and departments and representatives of alumni, teachers and working staff. There are totally 7,651 students graduating from XMU this year, including 4,477 graduates conferred baccalaureate degrees, 2,984 master degrees and 190 doctorate degrees.

Following the performance of the national and school anthems, Zhu Chongshi, president of XMU, delivered the commencement address. In his speech, President Zhu expressed sincere congratulations and best wishes towards all the graduates. And he offered three pieces of advice to the new grads: First, no matter who you are in the future, you should always be a good person and bear in mind the principle of "do as you would be done by"; Second, no matter where you are, you should always be confident, know yourself well before you are able to better understand others; Third, no matter what job you take, you should always have the courage to take risks, to blaze a new trail, to think outside the box and have no fear of failures, which is one of the keys to success. Finally, President Zhu hoped that the grads  would bear in mind that XMU is always their sincere friend. “When you prosper, your alma mater will applaud for you and will be delighted at your achievements; when you come across difficulties, she will reach out to you with open arms."

Each ceremony proceeded according to the fixed procedures, including commencement addresses by teacher representatives from different faculties, alumni representatives and graduate representatives as well as the turning of the tassel. All went smoothly and each ceremony drew to a close in a solemn but harmonious atmosphere.

The ceremonies were also streamed live in full through multiple media, angles and channels in order to let the general public to witness and experience the graduation as it unfolds, to gain a better understanding of the past and present of Xiamen University.  Better still, buffets were provided  between ceremonies at the entrance hall of the Science and Arts Center of Siming Campus where the grads, along with their teachers and families, gathered together, having heart-to-heart talks while enjoying the delicacies. In this beautiful season when phoenix flowers are in full blossom, all the newly-minted graduates of 2017 are about to bid farewell to their beloved alma mater and embark on a new journey by carrying forward the spirit of “ Pursue Excellence and Strive for Perfection “.

Edited by Fu Chenyun & Gao Huaxue