Beneficiary Students Memories of President Yang Fujia
12 August 2022
President Yang Fujia was a firm believer in the value of education and a passionate advocate of liberal arts education and a well-rounded learning experience. Here, some of the beneficiaries of the President’s Award of Outstanding Graduates and the Dream Scholarship, both funded by President Yang, share how Professor Yang changed their lives and inspired their studies.
He Ning, UNNC President's Award for Outstanding Graduates Winner
"Almost every UNNC student has had the honor to hear President Yang's teachings at the opening ceremony, and his words kept inspiring me. UNNC, which President Yang played a key part in founding, makes me feel that university ‘changes your life’ and it also guides me on a path of development that I have never thought of before. The knowledge I have gained over the past four years is inspiring. I also appreciate President Yang for his 'Liberal Arts Education', I feel that university is not only a place to impart knowledge, but also to cultivate morality. Finally, I would like to sincerely express my gratitude to President Yang, and I will always remember and practice his principle of 'being a person first, studying second'."
Ni Qinghe, UNNC Dream Scholarship Individual Prize Winner
"'Wisdom is more important than knowledge, knowledge expires, wisdom is eternal.' President Yang Fujia hoped that we didn’t merely consider our grades - because every student is different - but most importantly we find our own fire, and light it. Thanks to President Yang, the spark will start a wildfire, and his spirit will live forever! I would like to thank President Yang for leading us to find our own fire at UNNC. I also would like to thank President Yang for always advocating liberal arts education. Perhaps when we first joined UNNC, we did not truly understand what 'liberal arts' was, but with our growth at UNNC, we can feel the practice of 'liberal arts' on campus more and more. We salute the eternal spirit of President Yang.
Zhang Qianxi, UNNC Dream Scholarship Group Prize Winner
"I still remember that at the admission ceremony in September 2020, Principal Yang asked us new PhD candidates, “Fudan University and University of Nottingham Ningbo China, which one do you think is better?” It caused discussions in the audience. Some people said that UNNC was better, some said Fudan University. And Principal Yang replied: “These two universities are like a chair and a table. There is no comparison between them. They are both the best.”
This sentence is still etched in my mind to this day, which helped me to think about the advantages between different education models and the underlying reasons for my choice to study at UNNC. Principal Yang always taught students: “‘Wisdom’ is more important than 'knowledge', 'knowledge' will expire, but 'wisdom' is eternal.” He insisted that education should “ignite the fire in students’ hearts". In the experimental field of Liberal Arts Education at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China, I start to deeply understand the President Yang's educational philosophy. I try my best to insist on my interest and protect my inner "fire" on the road of research."