How to Create Miracles — A Speech at My Alma Mater’s Awards Ceremony

How to Create Miracles — A Speech at My Alma Mater’s Awards Ceremony

It has been twenty years since I first walked into No. 1 High School. Over these past two decades, I have often found myself returning here in my dreams—to this campus of tiered steps and steady ascent, where I left behind my youth and my struggles. I still remember vividly the day I enrolled together with my classmates from the first Olympiad Chemistry class; it feels as if it were only yesterday. Yet twenty years later, our class has already left the campus behind and gone on to contribute to the country in different fields. Besides people like me working in industry, some have gone into higher education, some have taken on technical and management roles at Fortune 500 companies, some serve the public in government agencies and medical institutions, and others conduct scientific research in the military and in civilian research institutes. Today, standing before the teachers of No. 1 High School and all of my younger schoolmates, I can confidently report that, as graduates of the school’s first Olympiad Chemistry class, we have not let down the expectations placed on us by our school and our teachers.

As the saying goes, there are a thousand Hamlets in the eyes of a thousand people. In my eyes, No. 1 High School is a place where miracles are created. During my years of study here, my mentor—now Principal Zhao—often told us: “Miracles are created by people. Right now, you are in the very process of creating them. Before a miracle appears, no one knows how much you have given; only when the miracle finally happens can people see it.” During the grueling and demanding years of study, these words gave us tremendous encouragement and strength to overcome all kinds of difficulties. The hardest moment for me in the college entrance examination came when I heard that there were only 15 minutes left, while there were still 30 points’ worth of problems on my math paper unfinished. At that moment, it was precisely this belief in creating miracles—and the determination that came with it—that enabled me to use the remaining time steadily and practically, complete 24 points’ worth of those problems, and ultimately earn a score of 144 in mathematics. And it was under the inspiration of this same spirit that our class of 36 students created a miracle in the school’s history: 10 were admitted to Tsinghua and Peking University, 12 to Fudan University and the University of Science and Technology of China, and several others to Nanjing University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Coming back today and seeing this grand gathering of honored guests and a hall full of distinguished attendees fills me with joy. I firmly believe that, with No. 1 High School’s fine traditions and fighting spirit passed down from generation to generation, with the tireless instruction and patient guidance of all the teachers, and with the determination and hard work of all the younger students here, the school will continue to make new history and create new miracles.

Returning to my alma mater fills me with emotion, and there is so much I would like to share with my teachers and fellow students. But time is limited, so before I close, I would like to share a quote I have always loved from the martial arts superstar Bruce Lee, as encouragement for us all: Do not pray for an easy life; pray for the strength and courage to face whatever difficulties come your way.

Thank you, everyone.