On 25 June, DLI’s inaugural graduation ceremony and undergraduate degree congregation were held in Auditorium E03 Panjin Campus. A total of 139 graduates attended the grand ceremony and express their thanks to parents, teachers and friends and respect their alma mater for nurturing and cultivating.   

In the ceremony, Professor Zhu Hong, vice president of DUT, Assistant Presidents Professor Luo Zhongxuan and Professor Guo Jinming conferred degrees to graduates. Besides, leaders and professors from DUT and other peer colleges were both invited to attend this ceremony. Due to the pandemic, VIPs from the UoL side could not attend in person. Sarah Davies and Philip Baker the Pro Vice-Chancellors of UoL and other leaders both expressed their wishes and thanks to their dear students through a live zoom meeting. This ceremony was hosted by Professor Zhan Jingjing and Professor Pan Jingzhe, the Chinese and British Dean of DLI.  

Nishan Canagarajah, the President and Vice-Chancellor of UoL addressed a speech by video and congratulated all the graduates. Our graduates are our ambassadors across the world.  You embody our values and you carry forward the good names of our two institutions, he said. He encouraged the graduates to be the best that they can be and do themselves and our two universities proud.

Professor Zhu Hong, the Vice-President of DUT, on behalf of the university extend her warmest congratulations to the 139 undergraduates, pay the highest tribute to the faculty for their commitment and efforts, and express her sincere gratitude to the parents for their understanding, trust, care and support extended to DLI. She encouraged the graduates to embrace this era to ride the waves of our days, to stay inclusive to promote mutual learning among different cultures, to stay down-to-earth and forge ahead and to pursue dream with their nation in heart.

Sarah Davies delivered a speech to the graduates. Since your first day of registration, you are part of DLI, part of DUT and part of the University of Leicester. So you are already part of our history and part of our future. As graduates of DLI, you will be joining our University of Leicester alumni. Please remain in contact with us. As a DLI graduate, we know you will change and influence our world, she said.

Sun Yuanzhi, the graduates representative gave his speech to expressed thanks to their alma mater and DLI. He suggested to his mates that they should enhance basic knowledge, break the thought limits and give priority to innovation. He said that they will undertake the responsibility of improving social development, building a prosperous world, fight against the pandemic and contribute to the human health issue by using the knowledge they learned with the original aspiration. As the first graduates of DLI, they prepared a special gift for the institute which is a picture consisted of their photo and in the shape of “2017” which is a remarkable number for them.  

In this ceremony, Professor Luo Zhongxuan awarded the prize of “My Favourite Teachers”. Professor Guo Jinming awarded the prize of “Outstanding Graduates and Group”. Professor Zhan Jingjing expressed congratulations to every graduate by holding heads after they were conferred the degrees.

The ceremony was ended with the song Back to 17 from graduate representatives which conveyed the spirit and wishes of the students to their future. They will continue to keep DUT’s sprite “Unity and Progress, Truth and Innovation” in mind.