On the afternoon of September 16, undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students of the School of Foreign Languages' 2026 cohort gathered at the Yang Yongman Building for the School's freshman orientation ceremony and Dean's First Lecture — the formal beginning of their journey at SJTU.
The ceremony brought together Dean Shang Biwu, Party Secretary Zhu Yifan, Distinguished Professor Peng Qinglong, Vice Dean and Chair of the Department of Translation Tao Qing, Deputy Party Secretaries Zheng Wendong and Zhang Yifan, Vice Deans Zhen Fengchao and Jiang Yan (who hosted the event), department chairs and vice chairs including Wang Pin (English), Jin Wenfeng (Japanese), Xue Yuan (German), and Wang Lin (Japanese), class advisors Nie Ercong, Huang Jianxiang, Zang Xiaomeng, Zhong Chenlu, and Tang Yili, as well as faculty from the academic affairs and student affairs offices. The ceremony opened with the national anthem.
Welcome Address: "Embrace Expectations, Fear Not Fatigue"
In his welcome address, Dean Shang Biwu extended a warm greeting to the new students on behalf of the School. Under the title "Embrace Expectations, Fear Not Fatigue," he encouraged students to weave their personal growth into the broader currents of national development and rejuvenation, and to aspire to become bridges of mutual learning among civilizations, linking China with the world. "May you set out from the School of Foreign Languages," he said, "and meet a better version of yourselves along the way."
Appointment of Class Advisors
Party Secretary Zhu Yifan presented appointment certificates to the newly appointed class advisors — Nie Ercong, Huang Jianxiang, Zang Xiaomeng, Zhong Chenlu, and Tang Yili — who will play a key role in fostering a rigorous academic atmosphere and guiding the all-round development of the 2026 undergraduate and graduate cohorts.
Words of Encouragement from Faculty
Speaking on behalf of the entire faculty, Distinguished Professor Peng Qinglong offered the new students three guiding principles: consolidate and nourish your foundations, connect and transcend disciplinary boundaries, and keep your aspirations high. He urged them to build solid grounding in their fields, break through the barriers between disciplines, and align their academic pursuits with the nation's development — becoming new-era foreign language professionals capable of shouldering major responsibilities.
Representing the class advisors, Nie Ercong drew on Rainer Maria Rilke's advice to "try to love the questions themselves," encouraging students to set out with curiosity and grow through inquiry. He also called on foreign language learners to embrace artificial intelligence with an open mind, building bridges of mutual empowerment between language and AI.
Voices of the New Students
Three students spoke on behalf of the 2026 cohort: Zhang Xinze (undergraduate, Japanese Studies), Jin Peixuan (master's student, Foreign Languages and Literature), and Du Xinran (doctoral student, Foreign Languages and Literature). Zhang Xinze encouraged his peers to "press forward in pursuit of the wind and moon without tarrying," embarking on the new journey with wholehearted sincerity. Jin Peixuan advised classmates not to rush to define themselves but to allow time for self-discovery, letting their chosen field become a window through which to understand the world. Du Xinran observed that doctoral study is as much the inheritance of a mission as an academic pursuit — one that demands deep roots in the humanistic tradition of language and the courage to embrace interdisciplinary opportunities.
Following the speeches, Vice Dean Tao Qing, Deputy Party Secretaries Zheng Wendong and Zhang Yifan, and Vice Dean Zhen Fengchao presented welcome gift packages to student representatives. They encouraged the new students to live by the university motto — "When drinking water, think of its source; love your country and honor your school" — and to set sail from this new starting point with vigor, pursuing their dreams and achieving steady breakthroughs along the way. The ceremony drew to a close with the spirited university anthem.
Dean's First Lecture: A Century-Old Legacy, A New Horizon
After the ceremony, Dean Shang Biwu delivered the Dean's First Lecture. Tracing the School's roots to the Translation Academy of Nan Yang College — founded in 1898 and recognized as the first publishing and translation institution in modern China — he reviewed how SJTU's foreign language education has evolved in resonance with national development across more than a century. Generations of faculty, he noted, have been guided by the needs of the times, continuously enriching the discipline through language education, cultural exchange, and academic research. Today, the School adheres to the principle of "building the School through teaching, strengthening it through talent, and advancing it through research." It is deepening its commitment to organized research while dismantling barriers between languages and disciplines to open up new frontiers of interdisciplinary inquiry. Looking ahead, the School will uphold its mission of inheriting civilization and pursuing truth, integrate itself into the national drive to build China into an education powerhouse, and respond to major strategic national needs. By advancing interdisciplinary integration and innovation in talent cultivation, it will contribute its strength to the construction of a world-class university with Chinese characteristics.
A Message to the Class of 2026
Youth meets a flourishing era; the time for striving is now. The School wishes every new student to cherish these prime years and devote themselves wholeheartedly to learning — communicating with the world through language, responding to the times with knowledge, and shouldering responsibility through action. May they contribute their youthful wisdom to the mutual learning of civilizations and, setting out from the School of Foreign Languages, write their own splendid chapters on the journey toward a strong and thriving nation.
