The award-winning teachers take a group photo with the guests.

As a Chinese saying goes, “Education is a primary task that is crucial for generations to come and the teacher is the core of education development.” On September 30, 2018, Tianjin University held an award ceremony for teachers who won the awards for faculty including Truth-seeking Teaching Models Award and Shen Zhikang Teaching Award. Six teachers were recognized with the first Truth-seeking Teaching Model Award. They were Jia Shaoyi, Liu Xijun, Zhang Sherong, Zhang Yuqin, Liu Junji and Ma Zhiyao. In all, 60 young teachers were recognized with the 2018 Shen Zhikang Teaching Award.

Jia Shaoyi receives the award from Party Secretary Li Jiajun and President Zhong Denghua.

Liu Xijun and Zhang Sherong receive the award from Professor Feng Yaqing, from the School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Deputy Director of the Steering Committee of Undergraduate Teaching, representative of National Distinguished Teachers and Vice President Wang Shuxin.

Zhang Yuqin, Liu Junji and Ma Zhiyao receive the award from Professor Zhao Naiqin, from the School of Materials Science and Engineering, representative of National Distinguished Teachers, Deputy Director of the Steering Committee of Undergraduate Teaching and Vice President Wang Shuxin.

Consequently, the ceremony opened with a dance named Song Xian, which means in Chinese ‘eulogizing persons of virtue’. The performance brought the audience back to over 2000 years ago, when Confucius set up Xingtan (a place in Qufu, Shandong Province) to teach the Six Arts (rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, mathematics) to many students. Interviews were held during the ceremony. The six teachers who received Truth-seeking Teaching Models Awards shared their teaching experiences and thoughts on the stage, demonstrating their noble ethics as teachers. They have been doing the work of undergraduate education for decades. They stick to cultivating talented people with high moral standards, caring for students, organically combining teaching and scientific research, attaching importance to cultivating students’ practical abilities and innovating a series of teaching methods. Therefore, they won the hearts of a great number of students.

Opening Dance Song Xian

Interview Scene

"Teaching cannot be done well by one person. The achievement is gained through the joint efforts of our teaching team. I would like to sincerely thank the teaching team of Chemical Engineering Principles and Experiments. Thanks to nearly 3,000 students I have taught. With their support, encouragement and praise, I draw passion and motivation, which enables me to devote myself to teaching.” said Jia Shaoyi, who won the Teaching Models Special Award after the award ceremony, adding, “the award is more than an honor. It's an encouragement. I will work and study hard, improve my teaching, passing down the principles of chemical engineering courses to the generations to come. I should live up to the title of Truth-seeking Teaching Model!"

In November 2017, Tianjin University launched the “2030 Action Plan for a World Class Undergraduate Education” to comprehensively deepen the reform of undergraduate education and teaching and to build a world-class undergraduate education system. With a donation from Ren Ai Group, Tianjin University set up the “Tianjin University Truth-seeking Teaching Models Award” for the first time, with the total amount 10 million yuan, which will be reviewed once a year. It is used to reward outstanding teachers who care for students, devote themselves to teaching and enjoy fruitful achievements, academic results and outstanding performance. It is designed to stimulate the enthusiasm and vitality of teachers, to improve teaching performance and the quality of personnel training and to consolidate and strengthen the position of education and teaching with talent cultivation at its center. Alumnus Ma Ruren also addressed the audience and said he will continue to support the development of his alma mater to build a world-class university. 

Since 2016, in recognition of the contribution to the development of Tianjin University made by young faculty members and to create a sound atmosphere for their career development, our outstanding alumnus Shen Zhikang set up a special teaching award for young faculty members, amounting to 1.2 million yuan per year.

On the same day, the six teachers who had received the Truth-seeking Teaching Models Award were invited to confer the Shen Zhikang Teaching Award on the 60 young teachers, encouraging them to emulate the working style of the older generation of teachers and to make progress in various aspects of Tianjin University.

The ceremony was hosted with alumnus Ma Ruren, Chairman of Ren Ai Group, leaders of Tianjin University, representatives of state-level teachers, together with more than one thousand TJU representatives from relevant departments and offices, faculty members and students.