The Sixth Graduation Ceremony for Postgraduate Students, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen was hosted on November 6, receiving both online and in-person participants. More than 700 graduate students embarked on a new journey in the presence of President Yangsheng Xu, university officers, as well as friends and relatives of the graduates

Addressing the ceremony, President Yangsheng Xu expressed his hope that all of the graduates would be courageous and brave enough to explore, to try, to venture out and to take a different path in the face of an uncertain life.

“For people with guts, any time is the best time, and even in the midst of hardship and setbacks, they can see opportunities that others cannot.”

At the end of his speech, President Xu warmly assured the graduates, "CUHK-Shenzhen is always your home, and you will always be a part of it."

Prof. Yangsheng Xu, President of CUHK-Shenzhen

Next came the announcement of the President's Distinguished Graduate Student Award. Read out by Vice President Shiping Zhu, the recipients were awarded a certificate of honour and a medal from Vice President Shiping Zhu and Graduate Dean Shuk Yin Tong. The medals were engraved with the affirmation and expectation for the outstanding graduate students.

The 10 recipients of the President's Distinguished Graduate Student Award are as followed:

Ph.D.: Jiawei Zhang (Computer and Information Engineering)

Master's: Kaiquan Fan (Materials Science and Engineering), Liming Ma (Global Studies), Yue Tian (Simultaneous Interpreting), Chundan Lan (Accounting), Canyuan Tang (Applied Psychology), Chuxuan Fan (Data Science), Jinyuqi Huang (Economics), Jiezheng Wei (Economics), and Gengbiao Wu (Finance). 

Rocky Sung-chi Tuan, President of The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Chair of the Governing Board of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, remarked, “As the Chair of the Governing Board of CUHK-Shenzhen, I have witnessed the rapid development of the University. In the past two years, the number of schools at this research-intensive university has increased to seven, with the establishment of the School of Data Science, the School of Music and the School of Medicine. I am proud of the University's beautiful campus and international teaching environment, which I think will continue to bring in top talent from around the world. I am sure you are all no stranger to the topic of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. CUHK-Shenzhen is rooted in the innovative city full of entrepreneurship, while inheriting CUHK's profound academic atmosphere. What this collaboration reflects is the tremendous advantage of synergy in the Greater Bay Area.”

Prof. Rocky Sung-chi Tuan, President of CUHK and Chair of the Governing Board of CUHK- Shenzhen

Through another video, Mr. Shi Wang, Founder and Chairman of China Vanke, told the story of how he made up for his shortcomings through reading and exercise.

He said, “Do not worry about flaws. Instead, you should actively look for shortcomings, then take them seriously and try to live with them. In the process, life may unfold to a width you could never have imagined.”

Over the years, despite his busy schedule, Wang keeps reading as his habit. He also practices calligraphy, and writes blog on a daily basis.

“So is reading useful? I didn't realize it when I was at school, but I found it quite helpful in my work. When I encounter new problems, the authors of those books I read would automatically come to my mind. Many of my decisions and innovations, including my second start-up, cannot be separated from my previous reading experience,”

Mr. Shi Wang 

Ph.D graduate representative Dr. Jiawei Zhang expressed his gratefulness to the University for providing rich research resources and academic guidance.

“These five years at CUHK-Shenzhen have been immensely enjoyable and fulfilling. The University not only provides first-class hardware and software facilities, but also introduces us to knowledgeable yet approachable professors, enthusiastic and responsible staff, and a group of like-minded friends. CUHK-Shenzhen boasts a wealth of academic resources and an excellent academic atmosphere where one can freely explore science and technology. I am honoured to have been supervised by Professor Tom Luo during my Ph.D studies at CUHK-Shenzhen. I have learnt a lot from him, including how to identify valuable research topics, how to use and create mathematical tools to solve difficult problems, and how to communicate and present my research.”

Ph. D graduate representative Dr. Jiawei Zhang

Ms. Yue Tian, a representative of the master's graduates from the Master of Arts in Simultaneous Interpreting program, shared how she gained respect, opportunities and expectations at CUHK-Shenzhen. In the future, she will dedicated to the education industry to inspire more people. 

“It is in this university, we are seen, heard, respected, and given chance to shine. It’s in this university, we are continuously encouraged and supported by our dear teachers, so we are able to dream big while being down-to-earth. Actually I have gained far from what I want to learn in this university.”

Master's graduate representative Ms. Yue Tian

CUHK-Shenzhen's sixth cohort of postgraduate students consists of 728 students, including 718 master's students and 10 doctoral students. Postgraduate programmes offered to this cohort include Management, Accounting, Marketing, Economics, Finance, Computer and Information Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Simultaneous Interpreting, Translation & Interpreting Studies, Applied Psychology, Global Studies, Data Science, Financial Engineering, and Supply Chain and Logistics Management. The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area remains the most popular job destination for Class-of-2021 graduates.

Many of these graduate students have participated in frontier research projects that meet the needs of national strategic development during their studies, with excellent results published in top journals and conferences at home and abroad or licensed as patents. Most of them are now employed by well-known enterprises, universities and research institutes in the Greater Bay Area and other first-tier cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. Some of the employers include China Development Bank, Exim Bank of China, Shenzhen National High Tech Industry Innovation Center, Yangtze River Delta National Innovation Center, China Central Depository & Clearing, Hong Kong Civil Engineering and Development Department, Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Bank of Communications, Pudong Development Bank, HSBC, China Merchants Fund, CICC, Tencent, Alibaba, Huawei, Midea, Guosen Securities, China Resources Capital, Guotai Junan Securities, China Industrial Secs, Kuaishou, Meituan, Vivo, ByteDance, and Harvest Fund. A further portion of graduates proceed to pursue their studies at prestigious domestic and international schools such as MIT, Johns Hopkins University, National University of Singapore, Tsinghua University, Chinese University of Hong Kong, University of Hong Kong, and Hong Kong Polytechnic University.