The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-Shenzhen) held an outdoor graduation ceremony for more than 700 bachelor’s degree graduates on campus on May 31.

This is the first time that The university has held an outdoor commencement with seats separated for social distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The commencement was also simultaneously broadcasted online, where more than 1,500 parents and relatives of the 2020 graduates and over 100,000 guests from all walks of life joined in the celebration.

Prof. Zhong Nanshan, top epidemiologist in China and also a former member of the CUHK-Shenzhen Governing Board, delivered a speech via the Internet, where he shared stories based on his experience in the epidemic fight.

“We should not only contribute to our country but also have a spirit of internationalism to love and protect all humanity,” said Zhong.

Prof. Zhong also encouraged students to think independently in future life and work and have the spirit of innovation.

Nobel Prize winner, Professor Arieh Warshel, was also invited to give an online speech, where Warshel urged students to think about what they can do in the current challenging world.

He also cheered students to make full use of their language advantage to connect the world and think about how they can contribute not only to their own country but also the world with the help of their major-related knowledge.

Nearly 84 percent of graduates will continue on to their master's or doctoral studies in world-renowned universities including Oxford University, Cambridge University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University.

Around 16 percent of students decided to join the workforce and many of them have received job offers from companies such as Huawei, Microsoft China, Tencent and Alibaba, said Prof. Yangsheng Xu, president of the CUHK-Shenzhen.

Prof. Xu extended his congratulations to all graduates and encouraged them to be confident and brave in pursuit of their dreams at the ceremony.

A total of nine undergraduates received an excellent student award.