On the morning of April 30th, QMES held the “Silver-haired Lecturers” appointment ceremony and the unveiling ceremony of the “Five Elders” Care Workshop at the Chang’an Campus. The ceremony was attended by Chen Jianyou, Deputy Director of the NPU University Affairs Committee and former Deputy Secretary of the NPU Party Committee; Zhao Hongzhang, Secretary General of the NPU Committee for the Wellbeing of the Next Generation and Director of the Office for Retired Personnel; Zhang Kun, Deputy Secretary General of the NPU Committee for the Wellbeing of the Next Generation and Deputy Director of the Office for Retired Personnel; Fan Xiaoli, Dean of QMES; Dai Fuping, Party Secretary of QMES and Director of the Committee for the Wellbeing of the Next Generation; Wang Yongxin, Vice Dean of QMES; Cheng Yin, Deputy Secretary of the QMES Party Committee and Deputy Director of the Committee for the Wellbeing of the Next Generation; Wu Aijing, Chairperson of the QMES Union, as well as over 60 faculty and student representatives from QMES. The meeting was chaired by Dai Fuping.

The first item on the agenda was the reading of the personal biography of “Silver-haired Speaker” Chen Jianyou by Fan Xiaoli, Dean of QMES.

Following this, the second item saw Zhao Hongzhang, Secretary General of the NPU Committee for the Wellbeing of the Next Generation and Director of the Office for Retired Personnel, presenting the “Silver-haired Speaker” appointment certificate to Teacher Chen Jianyou.

The third item on the agenda involved Zhao Hongzhang and Fan Xiaoli jointly unveiling the plaque for the QMES “Five Elders” Care Workshop.

After the appointment ceremony, Professor Chen Jianyou delivered a keynote speech titled “Relocating Westward for the Nation, Cultivating Talents for the Nation, Forging Swords for the Nation”, in which he systematically elaborated on the historical logic and contemporary significance of NPU’s Chief Engineer Education Culture. The speech traced the glorious history of NPU’s three westward relocations, using vivid examples from the distinguished cases of the three chief engineers in both military and civil aviation, as well as outstanding alumni, to comprehensively showcase the remarkable contributions of NPU’s chief engineer talents. Professor Chen delved deeply into the historical evolution and spiritual heritage of NPU. He emphasised that the Chief Engineer Education Culture should be regarded as both the educational value and a guiding principle, seamlessly integrated into the entire educational process, and deeply intertwined with the construction of campus culture. The speech concluded with the original musical “Rongshui Ballad”, which vividly reenacted the arduous journey of China’s poverty alleviation campaign, demonstrating the NPU faculty and students’ sense of responsibility, determination, and patriotism. It also highlighted the inheritance and development of NPU’s motto and school spirit in the new era, injecting vibrant contemporary significance into the Chief Engineer Education Culture.

QMES will take this event as an opportunity to fully leverage the experience and resource advantages of the “Five Elders”, thereby advancing the development and effectiveness of students’ ideological and political education and related work. Moving forward, QMES will continue to optimise the operational mechanism of the “Five Elders” Care Workshop, creating distinctive brand activities to guide young students in inheriting the spirit of NPU, embracing the mission of the era, and making positive contributions to cultivating more top-tier, innovative talents who can serve the strategic needs of the nation.

Text: Ma Xiaoxuan

Photo: Si Zhe

Editor: Chen Xinyan

Translator: Shen Xinyi

Reviewer: Cheng Yin