On the afternoon of May 14, the School of Foreign Studies held a meeting at Liangzheng Hall for teachers and students of the “Patriotic Education Fund” established by Gao Dongshan, an American alumnus. Gao Dongshan, his wife Zhu Baoyin, and grandson Lin Jiarui attended the meeting. Li Qinghe and his wife Han Shumin, alumni of Nankai University who majored in Russian, along with Chang Yaoxin, the executive deputy secretary-general of the Tianjin Municipal Party Committee and director of Tianjin Municipal Party Committee’s General Office, Liu Shicong, former head of the Foreign Languages and Literature Department of Nankai University, and his wife Prof. Gu Qinan, former dean of the Department of Foreign Studies, Prof. Cui Yonglu, vice dean of the School, and his wife Prof. Sun Yibing, alumnus and secretary of the Party committee of the School of Foreign Studies, Mu Xiangwang, Prof. Yan Guodong, Dean of the School of Foreign Studies, Xiang Yu, and Prof. Hu Jun, Vice Deans of the School of Foreign Studies, as well as representatives of the award-winning teachers and students, attended the meeting. The meeting was presided over by Prof. Ma Hongqi, Vice Dean of the School of Foreign Studies.
Gao Dongshan discussed the original purpose of establishing the “Patriotic Education Fund”. Combined with his study, work, and life experience, Gao elaborated on the importance of patriotism and expressed his good wishes for the prosperity of the motherland.
Over the years, Gao Dongshan has always been concerned about Nankai University and the development of our School. In 2019 and 2023, Gao Dongshan donated a total of to the School in two installments. The donation was intended to reward teachers with strong ideals and beliefs, who are loyal to the Party and love the motherland, and who have made outstanding contributions to ideological and political education. It also aimed to recognize those who volunteered to enlist in the military to contribute to national defense and those who have worked in grassroots units in central and western regions, as well as in challenging and remote areas to provide employment and services. The award is given annually to student counselors, professional teachers, and management personnel who have made outstanding contributions to the work in the three-all-round education, as well as students who have shown exceptional performance in patriotic dedication. The award was first presented at the end of 2023, and 17 teachers and 5 students from the entire School were honored.
At the meeting, Gao Dongshan also donated a collection of valuable books and materials to the School. Xiang Yu accepted the donation on behalf of the School.
On behalf of the School, Mu Xiangwang and Yan Guodong presented Gao Dongshan with a donation certificate to express their high respect for his selfless dedication.
In his subsequent speech, Prof. Yan Guodong highly praised Gao Dongshan’s patriotic sentiment and expressed his heartfelt gratitude to him on behalf of the School. Yan Guodong introduced the recent major achievements of the School and its characteristics in student training. The School has always insisted on cultivating students’ patriotic spirit and is committed to developing well-rounded foreign language talents with a focus on “foreign language expertise, humanistic literacy, international vision, Chinese sentiment, and Nankai characteristics”.
Afterward, the teachers who received awards from Gao Dongshan’s Patriotic Education Fund, namely Wang Ai, Ni Yang, and Zhang Wenzhong, delivered speeches. They expressed their gratitude and respect to Gao Dongshan and elaborated on their understanding of the spirit of patriotism.
Immediately afterward, the alumni who participated in the meeting spoke consecutively. They fondly recalled their campus experience, recounted their friendships with classmates over the years, and expressed their strong belief in the country’s resilience along with their well wishes. The alumni expressed that despite the passage of time, their initial intention of serving the motherland remains steadfast. Regardless of their current location, they always keep the motherland in their thoughts and aspire for the School to continuously improve, nurturing more outstanding students. Professor Cui Yonglu and his wife, Professor Sun Yibing, alumni, presented their paintings and calligraphy to Gao Dongshan.
Finally, Secretary Mu Xiangwang delivered a concluding speech. She once again expressed her gratitude and admiration for Gao Dongshan and emphasized that the School would continue to inherit and carry forward the patriotic tradition of the gentlemen. She mentioned that the School will continue to enhance its efforts in nurturing ideological education and other areas, aiming to cultivate students into valuable talents for society and to contribute to the prosperity and strength of the nation.
After the meeting, Gao Dongshan and his delegation also exchanged views with the teachers and students of the English Department and visited the Jinnan Campus of Nankai University. Seeing the rapid development of his alma mater, Gao Dongshan was very excited. He expressed the good wishes and firm confidence of overseas Nankai alumni in the future development of their alma mater.
Gao Dongshan, a Chinese American, is an alumnus of the year 1965, majoring in English in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literature at Nankai University. After graduation, he taught English at the School. From October 1996 to February 2021, he worked as a librarian and branch librarian at the Queens Library in New York City and retired in February 2021. In his spare time, he maintains and edits the public service patriotic website, the Overseas Nankai People Network. He also serves as the editor of Overseas Nankai People and contributes to its translation.
