ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½

A new landmark, X Bar, at Xi¡¯an Jiaotong-Liverpool University¡¯s south campus is an additional attraction showcasing highlights of ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½¡¯s developments together with staff and student academic achievements.

At the opening, Professor Youmin Xi, ?executive president of ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½, said: ¡°The purpose of X Bar is to facilitate the integration of students into a different learning atmosphere, experience the wisdom of guests and give students the chance to communicate with scholars and experts."

Xin Xu, the team leader of ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½¡¯s Museum Division, said that X Bar took over half a year to design and construct and is mainly operated by the ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ Museum team. Staff and students can enjoy a quiet learning atmosphere and learn experiences from experienced guests with various backgrounds.

She added: "We hope to make X Bar into a new idea creator. This is a place to focus on human culture, pursue innovation and share your ideas."

Professor Xi and mascot of the ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ Museum then unveiled X Bar. A book titled, Did you know ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½? was also officially launched on the day. This book answers many of the frequently asked questions by ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ Museum visitors and includes cartoon pictures, pull-out postcards and bookmarks.

Another first for the University was the launch on the day of W?E (short for Wisdom & Exploration). Professor Xi (pictured below, middle), Dr Bing Chen (pictured below, left) from the Department of Urban Planning and Design, Hang Dong (pictured below, right), a PhD student from the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering were invited to share their opinions about education from their own experiences and stories.

As Hang Dong has rich educational experiences in several domestic and international universities, he compared the differences among ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½, traditional Chinese universities and long-established British universities.

Compared with the traditional Chinese universities, Hang Dong commented:" All courses are taught in English at ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ and this is a great benefit for ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ students. Particularly in some international academic activities, ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ students are often at a great advantage with their English abilities. What¡¯s more, ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ aims to develop the ability of students to be responsible for themselves.¡±

¡°What is education? Why should we accept education? What kind of education should we accept? How should we be educated?¡± Dr Bing Chen initially asked the audiences these four questions.

He then continued: "The real meaning of education is that faculty should inspire and guide students in their cognition of things, so that students can understand knowledge by themselves.¡±

He also put forward his expectations and suggestions to ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ students, saying: "I am engaged in innovative teaching work for several years and felt that it is hard to change from the traditional educational mode to research-led educational mode. Students should keep an open and compatible mind to meet the challenge.¡±

"Excellent university education should turn students from ordinary people to extraordinary global citizens, rather than smothering their creative talents with traditional spoon-fed education,¡± said Professor Xi.

He continued to raise concerns about the current education in traditional Chinese university. He pointed out that many education resources are put into scientific research while education for students is neglected. ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ emphasises developing the well-rounded abilities of its students and facilitating them to be qualified global citizens.

Professor Xi gave his wishes to students saying: "You should do what you are capable of at present and you will find that you will progress towards your dream. As long as you dare to challenge the real world and yourself, you will have a different life.¡±

(translator: Yanzi Wu, editors: Guojuan Wang and Jacqueline B¨¢nki, photos by Weiqian Zhang and Yingjun Zhou)