yu qiu yu, doctor of letters honoris causa
with the simplicity of the sun-kissed dew, and the vigor of rumbling thunder in a storm, before us is an erudite scholar who possesses both diligence and elegance.
he is a pioneer of visions. in the quest of the very essence of chinese culture, he embarked on his journey, keeping the company only of books. in the solitude of the frosty long river, in the meditation on ‘where floats a flute tune’, his cultural pilgrimage yields nectar from a land of thorns and thistles, and, like the wind, sends to us in a breeze the prophecy of a grander cultural perspective for the art of prose-writing.
he is also an explorer of perseverance. in his longing and quest for learning of the world’s civilizations, he travelled 40,000 kilometres, traversing ruins buried in desert sand, and marking no boundaries to his steps. to alert his seeking eye to the answer to his musings, he sojourned in almost a hundred cities in europe, echoing, with a sigh, the wisdom resounding for thousands of years of history. at the end of his journey, he ascended the culmination of the world’s civilization, gaining him an assured command of the scenery before him of the myriad cultures on the globe.
more than anything, he is a preserver and promulgator of faith. in the face of the ocean of chinese culture, one cannot boast solely a socialist’s knowledge, even if one’s whole life be lent to such pursuit. catching sight of the apex of chinese civilization, one should find much more magnitude and magnificence than sketch notes can ever convey. hence, while proceeding on his journey at home, he voyaged across oceans to take his place at forums, spreading the promises of chinese civilization around the world.
this is he, a name that is both ordinary and extraordinary, yu qiu yu. congratulations on his becoming an honorary doctor of must. let us welcome prof. yu with our warmest applause to be a member of our family!