The topic of graduation season has become more and more "out of the circle" in recent years. The unique sense of ritual of youth and the creative farewell are both heartwarming and heartwarming. This year, the graduation ceremonies of many colleges and universities staged unforgettable scenes, once again drawing people's attention back to the youthful and passionate campuses. Qingdao University turned its graduation ceremony into a concert, and the student covers of "Serve the Country with Devotion" and "Blue and White Porcelain" were praised as "a god-level performance". Jiang Tiehong, dean of the Dance School of Minzu University of China, who became famous for her Mongolian dance, danced "Pentium" again at the graduation ceremony to bless the graduates. There are also new academic uniforms from many universities. The Renmin University of China has customized degree ribbons and badges as gifts to graduates. Shandong University has designed exclusive "The sea is vast and the sky is high" cloud shoulders, which are cleverly integrated with traditional culture.
Echoing the theme of the times and inheriting the spirit of the university, university graduation ceremonies carry important cultural and educational functions. For students, this ceremony is of great significance. It transitions from school space to social space, from student identity to social identity, and to transform book knowledge into practical knowledge. Before entering the society, the encouragement given by the "last lesson" is extraordinary. Looking at the essence through traffic, compared with the past, what changes have occurred in the graduation ceremony that frequently hits the screen? What kind of mentality does it convey?
From ceremony to brand
Ceremony carries collective value. From ancient times to the present, Chinese civilization has left deep traces of its emphasis on ceremonies and rituals. The graduation ceremony related to education is a typical representative and has a profound cultural tradition. From the Sui and Tang dynasties to the Ming and Qing dynasties, local governments would set up deer-minging banquets to celebrate candidates who passed the rural examinations. In addition to banquets, there were also musical performances and a culture of "respecting the elderly" and "respecting the virtuous" that demonstrated cultural taste. Function. During the Qionglin Banquet in the Song Dynasty, the emperor would give flowers to new scholars at the banquet. In the Qing Dynasty, the Imperial College's Wine Sacrifice and Siyehui held a "hairpin flower" ceremony for new academicians, offering wine and gold hairpins to the number one scholar, second place scholar, and third flower respectively. As a symbol of honor, the "hairpin" is similar to the "tassel" used in today's graduation ceremonies.
Nowadays, the sense of ritual of graduation has basically not been lost. Basically every college will take the initiative during the graduation season, planning and designing in advance to prepare for the graduation ceremony. However, there are many graduation ceremonies in some colleges and universities that are just a formality. They are too didactic and mainly focus on speeches and presentations. They are far away from students' ideological reality and have little effect. Students' evaluations are not high. For a long time, college graduation ceremonies were absent from the public eye and did not stir up much excitement.
Entering the Internet era, colleges and universities are no longer completely closed ivory towers. Every bit of campus life flows into multiple communication channels. Campus culture is not only spread within the school, but also realizes mass communication and network communication. The forms of communication are becoming more diverse, from traditional text to the now popular short videos, and the connection between universities and the public is getting closer. The more personal, resonant, and in-depth cultural content is, the easier it is to be disseminated and recognized. Behind the famous scenes of graduation ceremonies is the public's recognition of the university spirit and concern for the cultural value of the campus.
"When I graduated as an undergraduate seven years ago, our school did not have a school-level graduation ceremony. It was only held at the college level." Chen Huihui, who has been working for many years, told reporters, "Graduation ceremonies have changed significantly in recent years." In recent years, she has often attended Videos of his alma mater’s graduation ceremony were posted on social platforms. Not only did he give an exciting speech, but he also prepared a special pop-up program for teachers and students to participate in the performance, which has frequently been trending on social platforms. College graduation ceremonies have become a grand cultural event. With the help of Internet communication, a large number of audience groups are attracted to participate in this ceremony every year. They with different identities can transcend time and space barriers and gain resonance through their common attention to the ceremony. Build cultural identity.
From form to connotation, the current graduation ceremony is full of the flavor of the times, youthful color, and rich humanistic care. Improving cultural taste and creating distinctive brands reflects the importance that colleges and universities attach to graduation ceremonies, returning the ceremony to its educational and cultural functions, leaving exclusive memories for young students, and exporting the spirit and values of the university to society.
Three "Highlight Tracks"
A university is never isolated. The concept of openness and inclusiveness should be reflected in all aspects. The graduation ceremony opened a special window. Summarizing the graduation ceremonies of colleges and universities in recent years, there are three highlight tracks.
The speech by the president of the university was the highlight, which moved the students and inspired them. Last year, Wang Shuguo, the president of Xi'an Jiaotong University, delivered an unscripted speech in the wind and rain, hoping that the graduates would always cherish the feelings of their home and country. "On the road of wind and rain, we need courage, courage and down-to-earthness. Move forward boldly, just like today's wind and rain. Come on, it doesn't matter!" "The powerful words not only excited the graduates present, but also inspired countless netizens. It can be seen that with the blessing of Internet communication, the graduation speech of the president of a university is not only a vivid "last lesson", but also an open class for the society. The content of the speech reflects the voice of the times and demonstrates the power of personality. Confidence, ideals, responsibility, innovation, etc. have become key words in the principal’s graduation speeches in recent years. The scope of influence of these contents is not limited to the school, but resonates with the development of the entire society.
Student representatives spoke, making the "Farewell Confession" unique. The greatness of a university lies not in the campus and high-rise buildings, but in the exploration and sharing of knowledge. The protagonists of the graduation ceremony are the students. From here, they start the next stage of their lives. The speech of the student representative is both a summary and an outlook. Not long ago, Wang You, a 2024 graduate of the University of Science and Technology Beijing, spoke as a student representative. She reviewed the gains and breakthroughs in her nine years at the school, "It is the school's spirit of serving the country with steel that inspired me to take on the responsibility of steel and iron!" This scene is in The short video platform went viral and received hundreds of thousands of likes.
's "fancy decoration" adds more humanistic care to the graduation ceremony. In 2019, Qingdao University's graduation ceremony became a hit with a pop-up performance. Students sang wonderful covers and contributed many famous scenes such as "The Wind Rises", "Down the Mountain" and "My Motherland", which established a cultural brand. Over the past six years, millions of netizens have eagerly awaited every live broadcast of Qingdao’s graduation ceremony. This year's "Loyalty to the Country" and "Blue and White Porcelain" once again topped the list of hot searches, and were hailed by netizens as "the best admissions brochures." Dr. Pai Daxing of China University of Geosciences confidently walked up to the podium of the ear-tacking ceremony to receive his certificate. People applauded for his inspirational story of studying all the way and setting no limits in life.
The initiative of "two-way rush" is behind the
college graduation ceremony that frequently hits the screen. It is inseparable from the two-way rush between schools and students, reflecting the emotional integration and spiritual integration between colleges and young students today. In order to realize the expectations of the graduation ceremony to convey values and strengthen collective identity, major universities have deeply explored the educational connotation and cultural connotation of this campus activity, put an end to the mere formality and superficiality, closer to the students' thoughts and life reality, and paid attention to the students. The real feeling, full of youthful atmosphere.
In addition to regular speeches, ear-tapping, and performances, colleges and universities also put a lot of thought into creating a unique graduation ceremony. This year’s graduates of Beijing Normal University received new academic uniforms as a gift from the school. After three years of polishing and perfection, the design of the new academic uniform is embroidered with the school emblem, school motto and the name and student number of each graduate, giving each Beijing Normal University graduate a unique graduation memory. Shandong University has designed an exclusive cloud shoulder with the theme of "broad seas and high sky", with spring swallows announcing good news and fish leaping over dragon gates as the main themes, wishing graduates to win the first prize and have a bright future. Staff from the School of History and School of Archeology of Shandong University said in an interview with reporters: “Every year at the college’s graduation ceremony, special blessings are given to students. This year, the college has carefully prepared cultural and creative umbrellas, group fans and other college-specific features for each graduate. A graduation gift. A solemn, elegant, warm and loving graduation ceremony provides the 'last lesson' for graduates."
A survey conducted by the China University Media Alliance showed that 74.18% of the college students surveyed believed that "the graduation ceremony is a lifetime experience. It is an unforgettable experience and a moment worth remembering. "The students' deep participation and individual expression made the graduation ceremony full of surprises.Some took out wine glasses and champagne at the degree conferring ceremony to toast with the teacher who plucked their tassels; some had a "competition" with the principal and brought a toy bear to participate in tasseling; and some gave the principal a homemade hairpin. Damn it... the way young people "live up" at their graduation ceremony is a true expression of their emotions, optimistic and confident. It not only loses the sense of standardization and ritual, but also allows for individuality and interest. You can feel more emotional experience and emotional sublimation in it. The value and significance of the graduation ceremony are being demonstrated. (Popular News Client Zhu Ziyu)
