Tsinghua University and Peking University, as China's top universities, represent the highest level of higher education in the country. None of the students dream of getting into these two prestigious schools because it means that they will be on their way to the pinnacle of life.
Tsinghua University
In 2017, Shi Yigong, former vice president of Tsinghua University, put forward a shocking goal: to invest 200 billion yuan to build a Westlake University comparable to Tsinghua University and Peking University within five years.
Now, it has been a while since Shi Yigong's grand wish was proposed. How is the construction of Westlake University progressing?Has it achieved the lead goal it set at the beginning?What is the difference between this young and legendary university in terms of its educational philosophy and talent training model?
Shi Yigong's scientific research path
Shi Yigong was born in 1967 in a small hospital in Zhengzhou, Henan Province. Both parents were high-achieving students, but later the family was sent to a small village in Zhumadian and lived in a simple cowshed.
Shi Huailin quickly integrated into rural life, learned various labor skills, and was deeply respected by the villagers. Shi Yigong grew up in a family of intellectuals and became interested in scientific research.
At the age of 18, Shi Yigong was admitted to the Department of Biology of Tsinghua University with the first prize in the National High School Mathematics League. From a remote town in Henan to a famous school in Beijing, it was not easy for him.
During his university years, he excelled in biology subjects and was often praised by his teachers. However, he is not satisfied with this, he is more enthusiastic about using his spare time to delve into cutting-edge life science research, especially in the fields of molecular biology and genetics.
After graduating at the age of 22, he decided to go to the United States to further his education. During his Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University, he discovered important mechanisms in the regulation of gene expression and published several highly cited articles in top academic journals**.
After receiving his Ph.D. at the age of 28, he became the youngest professor at Princeton University. There, he continued to conduct cutting-edge biomedical research and developed several important theories that made key contributions to the development of the field.
At the age of 40, he decided to return to China for development. He successively served as the dean and vice president of the School of Life Sciences of Tsinghua University, and founded Westlake University in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, where he served as the first president. Under his leadership, Westlake University's life science research has made great strides and gained widespread international recognition.
With his outstanding contributions to the field of life sciences, Shi Yigong was elected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. However, honor was never his pursuit. He often went back to his hometown to visit his teachers and fellow villagers, and called on young people to give back to society and never forget their hometown.
The male god of academia is a strong country
Shi Yigong, who grew up in a scholarly family, inherited the academic tradition of his ancestors. After entering the Department of Biology of Tsinghua University, he performed well in the department and was always praised by his teachers for his many unique views. In his spare time, he often reads at night and knows all kinds of academic works well.
However, just as he was hungry to study at Tsinghua University, a sudden change disrupted his life. On a gloomy evening in 1987, he received the news that his father had died in a car accident. The bad news plunged him into deep grief and his grades plummeted.
However, Shi Yigong slowly began to regain his confidence and was determined to remember his father with better results. In order to get himself out of his grief, he decided to study abroad and continue his study life in a completely new environment.
While studying in the United States, he met his younger sister Zhao Renbin, who was also a top student. The two quickly established a relationship and married in the United States in 1992. In 1995, Shi Yigong received his Ph.D. and began to engage in cancer research.
However, his patriotism inspired him to return to his home country. In 2008, with the encouragement of his grandfather, he quit his teaching position at Princeton and returned to work full-time in the biology department of Tsinghua University.
After returning to China, Shi Yigong worked diligently and was affectionately called "Big Bull" and "Boss" by students. In 2013, he was awarded the title of Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and in 2015, he became Vice President of Tsinghua University.
In 2018, he co-founded Westlake University with scientific and technological elites and served as its first president. Today, he inspires his students to pursue their dreams with his story.
Challenges and the future of Westlake University
Westlake University, founded by Shi Yigong, is based on the edge of West Lake in Hangzhou. Despite its beautiful location, advanced teaching facilities and strong strength, at present, there is still a significant gap between this young university and 985 universities.
At present, Westlake University is small in scale and has a limited number of students, but it has strong faculty, excellent courses, and attaches great importance to the cultivation of students' scientific research ability. The university has published some high-level scientific research results in international authoritative journals.
Westlake University's philosophy is "small but refined, research-oriented", which is different from the large-scale policy of 985 University.
Although the development of Westlake University is still in its infancy, its path is worth looking forward to. In order to surpass top universities, Westlake University should adhere to its original intention, increase investment in scientific research, attract more top talents to join, and cultivate high-end scientific research talents for the country. It is believed that after long-term development, Westlake University will become a bright pearl of China's higher education.
Conclusion
Dreams are the driving force that leads people forward, and they are also the beacons that guide the future. The dream of Westlake University is not yet complete, but people are looking forward to its tomorrow and expecting every beautiful dream to shine in reality.