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| Premier Wen visits the East Asia College and discusses “fairness and justice” with students |
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| Premier Wen visits ICMS to learn more about the advanced Chinese medicine quality control technologies |
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| Premier Wen warmly welcomed by UM students |
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| Premier Wen visits UM to learn about the latest developments of UM |
“If Macao is to be stronger, education must be strengthened first, for Macao’s future depends on the existence of a pool of high-calibre professionals,” admonished Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao during his recent visit to Macao. In a reflection of his emphasis on the importance of education, Premier Wen squeezed in a special trip to the University of Macau (UM) despite his tight schedule, in the company of Macao SAR Chief Executive Dr. Chui Sai On.
Premier Wen shown the latest developments of UM
At 16:00 on the afternoon of 14 November, Premier Wen was greeted at the entrance of UM, by University Council Chair Dr. Tse Chi Wai and UM Rector Wei Zhao. After the party slowly ascended several flights of stairs, and walked past the university’s landmark Nine Dragon Wall, Premier Wen was warmly welcomed by the anxiously-waiting students whose faces glowed with excitement.
Waving hello to students lining both sides of the passageway, Premier Wen entered the exhibition section of the Tai Fung Building, to be greeted by several giant boards promoting UM’s recent developments, including the approval of the two state key laboratories by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Vice Rector Prof. Rui Martins’s being the only one in Asia to have been elected Corresponding Member of the Portuguese Academy of Sciences, dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology Prof. Philip Chen’s being the first active scholar in the Greater China region to have been elected president of the Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a UM-headed research project’s being approved for funding under the national “973 Programme” (Rector Wei Zhao serves as the chief scientist for this project), and so on. Equally impressive progress has been made in the field of humanities. For instance, introduced Rector Wei Zhao, last year UM developed a research and development plan for Macaology with the hope of developing this discipline into an “academic business card” of Macao. Nodding his approval, Premier Wen concurred that it was indeed very important for UM to promote the development of Macaology, for it would shed some light on the important role of the history and culture of Macao in the development of Chinese and world history.
UM places dual emphasis on improving the quality of facilities and that of the faculty team
The new UM campus heralds a new era for the higher education in Macao. It will also bring new opportunities for UM. Pointing to the new campus countdown timer, Rector Wei Zhao told Premier Wen: “There are 766 days to go before the completion of our new campus.” Rector Wei Zhao then added: “We place dual emphasis on improving the quality of our facilities and that of the faculty team. In terms of facilities, the new campus will definitely create better conditions for UM to pursue the goal of becoming a world-class university. In terms of the ‘software aspect’, we have launched a series of reform initiatives. We will also increase research funding. We hope that by adopting such a multi-pronged approach, we can enhance UM’s brand image and its quality in both teaching and research. ”
Research on Chinese medicine quality control for the welfare of the public
UM is now cooperating with Fudan University and Peking University in establishing two state key laboratories, one in microelectronics, and the other in Chinese medicine. In recent years, UM has gained increased international influence in these two fields due to numerous major achievements. At 16:15, the quiet of the ICMS lab, where a team of students were busy doing experiments, was replaced with a stir of excitement at the announcement, “Premier Wen is coming!” Touring the lab equipped with advanced equipment for the quality control of Chinese medicines, Premier Wen showed considerable interest in how researchers used state-of-the-art technologies to analyze the ingredients of Chinese medicines. Prof. Wang Yitao, dean of ICMS, updated Premier Wen on his team’s findings on the active components of Cordyceps as well as the novel approach to cultivating precious Chinese medicines with such technologies as transgenetic technology and artificial fermentation. Premier Wen expressed hope that while pursuing technological advances, the lab could use their research achievements to serve the welfare of the public.
Discussion about “philosophy of morality” with students
UM will establish approximately ten residential colleges on the new campus, which is expected to be completed by 2012. By then, UM will become the first university in Asia to fully implement the system of residential colleges. To give students a taste of the benefits of living in residential colleges, this year UM launched on the current campus a pilot programme which features two colleges—the East Asia College and the Pearl Jubilee College. In order to learn first-hand about the uniqueness of UM’s residential colleges, Premier Wen visited the East Asia College in the company of UM Rector Wei Zhao, Vice Rector Prof. Simon Ho, and head of East Asia College Prof. Iu Vai Pan. A group of students and teachers were having a discussion about “the philosophy of morality” in the East Asia College when Premier Wen entered the room, to the pleasant surprise of everyone present. Curiosity piqued by the topic, Premier Wen joined the discussion. “In my opinion, the highest form of morality is compassion,” remarked Premier Wen. “Menfucious once famously said that ‘He who has no compassion does not deserve to be called a human being.’ When we see someone in need, we must lend a helping hand.” A student of the Faculty of Business Administration leapt at the chance to ask: “What, Premier Wen, do you think is the relationship between morality and law?” Premier Wen answered: “One must first internalize, practice, and promote a set of moral standards before he can follow not only the letter, but also the spirit, of the law.” He further added: “Those who make and enforce laws must be upholders of morality, otherwise fairness and justice in society would be elusive. The steady development of society is pushed by two ‘invisible hands’. One is the market mechanism, and the other is social morality. ” Premier Wen left, but his words stayed.
“The future of Macao is in your hands”
It was nearly 17:00 when Premier Wen left the East Asia College, the final leg of his visit at UM. As University Council Chair Dr. Tse Chi Wai, Rector Wei Zhao, Vice Rectors Prof. Simon Ho, Prof. Rui Martins and Dr. Alex Lai, as well as professors and students waved goodbye to Premier Wen, Wen beamed a warm smile and, at the insistent request of some students who wouldn’t let go of his hands, offered his final words of encouragement: “Dear students, UM has a bright future ahead. The future of UM and Macao is in your hands. While material conditions are important, they should never be mistaken as the soul of a university. The soul of any educational institution, in my opinion, is a spirit of continuous pursuit of self-improvement. I have faith that over time UM will grow stronger and will have its own tradition, style and spirit. Long live the spirit of self-improvement!” The crowd erupted in thunderous applause. The expression on their faces is one of solid determination to try their best to fulfill Premier Wen’s high expectations.
Strengthen the faculty team to enhance the competitiveness of graduates
In recent years UM has made progress in leaps and bounds, in teaching, research, and faculty team development, thanks to the unreserved support of the central government and Macao SAR government. UM Rector Wei Zhao has on numerous occasions said something to the effect that, “President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen both expressed their expectations for UM to become a first-class university during their separate visits to UM. Premier Wen also stressed the importance of cultivating a unique spirit of the university. Their hopes conform with UM’s established goals. A university should not be a super market where credit hours are up for sale. Instead it should be an institution that provides first-rate education. That is why we have developed a new educational model that consists of four components. Our hope is that through such a multi-faceted approach, we can develop outstanding graduates with high competitiveness who can contribute to the future development of Macao and China. ”
