Crabapples symbolize descendance of spring at Tianjin University (TJU) campus. When spring comes, faculty members, students, tourists as well as alumni get together to appreciate crabapple blossom.
The school have celebrated 11 Crabapple Blossom Festivals since it was first held in April, 2012.
Efforts for a decade have popularized the festival as a culture symbol, attracting tens of thousands of people to participate offline and millions of people to watch online. The festival aims at spreading Chinese thoughts, modern values, TJU’s characteristics and youth positive energy.
Forming Extraordinary Campus Culture
Crabapples were first extensively planted since TJU moved to Weijin Road campus. Later on Peiyangyuan Campus has also become a home to crabapples since 2015. Over the past 70 years, they have witnessed the development of the university and generations of students.
TJU’s Hydraulic Engineering Building boasts of its oldest crabapples of the whole university. The song Crabapples Blossom became well-known since its publication in December, 2010, whose lyrics are inspired by TJUers’ endeavors in and dedication to national hydraulic engineering.
Not only can crabapples stand freezing cold, but it can also serve as rootstock---symbolizing grit and willingness to giving respectively. Combining its long history, geographic traits and its education philosophy with the cultural connotations of crabapples, TJU created a peculiar campus culture brand with Chinese elements.
Creating Beautiful Cultivating Atmosphere
TJU’s beauty is reflected in both picturesque scenery and wholehearted cultivation of students. Crabapple Blossom Festival focuses on cultivating students through its beautiful scenery. Back to 1948 when Zhang Hanying, then headmaster of Peiyang University (now TJU), delivered a report on the merits of an engineer, emphasizing the significance in pursuing truth, well and the foremost beauty.
To encourage students to seek for beauty, the university held Crabapple Blossom Festival with the theme “Join Tianjin University, Appreciate Crabapples” and the slogan “In full bloom is your beauty, and flourishing is my youth”, followed by the birth of the first Season Postcard. Students greatly involved in designing postcard, organizing and participating various activities including singing, dancing, campus guiding, science popularization, through which improved their understanding of beauty.
Following up the Theme in the New Era
Crabapple Blossom Festival also provides an opportunity to keep up with current events in the new era---in 2020, TJU held a meeting to honor heroes of Tianjin University Affiliated Hospital for their fighting against the COVID-19 in the front line; in 2021, varieties of cultural activities were carried out to celebrate the centenary birthday of our Party; this year saw a livestream on the topic of “pursuing dreams in the new era”.
What’s more, TJU history museum has been playing a vital role in educating people and spreading culture. Like a wise man, the museum tells vividly and gently not only the history of China’s modern higher education, but also the origin aspirations of China’s universities which were passed down through generations.
During Crabapple Season, visitors can have a close contact with China’s creation, art of the state technologies including underwater glider, metamorphic robot, unmanned aircraft by intelligent control, human-computer interaction system of brain control and mysterious science. In 2018, TJU and the American Chemical Society (ACS) jointly held the second “Chemistry Carnival” in the hope of stimulating children’s interest in chemistry.
Passing down Traditional Culture of China and TJU
TJU attaches great importance to the spread of Chinese traditional culture. In 2021, open class on aesthetics of traditional life was conducted in the campus, introducing Yangliuqing (a town in Tianjin) woodblock New Year paintings, paper prints, and flying kites.
With the rapidly development of internet, TJU is getting more and more popular – taking advantage of WeChat public accounts including China Daily, China Youth Daily, TJU Official, etc. Besides, livestreaming through new media is an emerging way to appreciate crabapples, give lectures by special guests and deliver enrollment speeches.
In 2019, Miss Crabapple, the first college AI livestreamer, hosted the World Intelligence Congress. Her image can also be seen on TJU admission offer and enrollment brochures. Together all the achievements in science and technology, TJU also produces plenty of work of art---authentic music work Those Days when Crabapples Blossom, micro film called Crabapples Blossom, etc.
By: Zheng Xilong
Editor: Qin Mian
