On Peiyangyuan Campus of Tianjin University (TJU) stands a stone with the engraved motto weighing 260 tons. The front texture of the stone is like a huge tree. And the four characters of "Seeking Truth from Facts" are engraved on the shady side, facing the 1895 Administrative Services Building. This is Tianjin University’s motto stone.
The stone was donated and designed by Grade 1982 alumni who graduated from the classes of machining, foundry, welding, forging and pressing, and metallography, as well as TJU’s Research Institute of Architectural Design and Urban Planning. The stone is eighteen meters in length, a width of one meter, and a height of three and a half meters. TJU’s motto "Seeking Truth from Facts" was inscribed by former President Zhao Tianlin on the north facing side of the stone. On its opposite side, the texture of the stone is like huge trees with deep roots and lush foliage, symbolizing TJU’s accumulation of profound history and rich cultural heritage. Taking a closer look, you will find a square platform in front of the stone, with a dragon pattern engraved in the middle.
On the Opening Ceremony of Peiyangyuan Campus and Unveiling Ceremony of TJU’s Motto Stone, then President Li Jiajun received four buckets of soil from four alumni of different generations and sealed them into the platform which was buried in front of the stone. The four buckets of soil were collected from four sites of Tianjin University at different times since 1895 when TJU was founded.
TJU alumni go to Mount Tai for the first time to select the stone.
Alumnus Wang Zheng coordinates the transportation of the motto stone.
TJU’s motto stone was selected from Mount Tai. At the beginning, alumni of stone selection team went to Mount Tai for several times and have seen numerous stones. Finally, they found this stone with its texture like a tremendous tree with deep roots and luxuriant branches, just like Tianjin University being a century-old institution with long-standing history and accumulation. Its natural heavy, majestic and unvarnished temperament reminded them with TJU’s motto "Seeking Truth from Facts" at a glance. The members of the stone selection team unanimously agreed that the motto stone had been found. On September 5, 2015, Wang Zheng and Lin Bin went to Mount Tai to coordinate the stone’s shipment. In the quarry, an 800-ton crane placed the stone on a 22-meter-refitted heavy-duty truck with seven axles and, accompanied by eight cranes. The stone started the migration journey from the foot of Mount Tai to Peiyangyuan Campus of Tianjin University. Due to the heavy load, the truck could only "run at night". In the early morning of September 8, they arrived at the junction of Hebei and Tianjin, and moved slowly for 5 hours on the last 50 kilometers. And the journey of last few hundred meters of road bridge entering the gate of the campus was even more careful. It was not until Wang Zheng saw that the stone was unloaded and landed firmly on the planned foundation, that was relieved.
No matter how much time passes, the spirit of "Seeking Truth from Facts" will pass on. The stone faces 1895 Administrative Building, which echoes the realistic and steady office style of TJU with a straight road behind, which connects Xuanhuai Square and Shutian Square. It has become a landmark that seems to guide the students in the direction of their journey.
By Zhang Xu
Editor: Sun Xiaofang
