An unveiling ceremony for The Wall\nof Great Wisdom, a gift to the University of Macau (UM) from the Ministry of\nEducation, was held today (16 April). The gift is testament to the central\ngovernment\u2019s concern and support for the development of education in Macao. The\nsculpture bears UM\u2019s university motto and represents its goal to produce\ngraduates with great knowledge and great character. It also symbolises UM\u2019s\neffort to promote fine Chinese traditions, culture, and virtues. Chen Baosheng,\nminister of education of China, said that the Wall of Great Wisdom is more than\na gift from the Ministry of Education; it also conveys the high expectations of\nthe central government for the university.<\/p>
Guests attending the unveiling\nceremony included Chui Sai On, chief executive of the Macao SAR; Chen Baosheng,\nminister of education of China; Sun Da, deputy director general of the Liaison Office of the Central\nPeople’s Government in Macao SAR; Tam Chon Weng, secretary for social affairs\nand culture of Macao SAR; Lam Kam Seng, chair of the UM University Council; Gao\nHong, party secretary of the Central Academy of Fine Arts; Xu Tao, head of the\nMinistry of Education\u2019s Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges;\nLiu Jin, head of the Ministry of Education\u2019s Office of Hong Kong, Macao and\nTaiwan Affairs; Lu Yugang, head of the Ministry of Education\u2019s Department of\nBasic Education; Liu Guiqin, head of the Ministry of Education\u2019s Department of\nSocial Sciences; Yonghua Song, rector of UM; Ouyang Mingcong, director general\nof the Board of Directors, UM Students\u2019 Union; Chen Xiangdong, president of the\nGeneral Assembly of UM\u2019s Postgraduates\u2019 Association; and Kot Man Kam, director\ngeneral of UM\u2019s Alumni Association.<\/p>
In his speech, Chen said that UM\nhas a short history of a little more than 30 years, which is a blink of an eye\nin the world history of education. However, thanks to the joint effort of its\nfaculty members and students, UM has experienced rapid growth within such a\nshort period of time, which is nothing less than a miracle. This is especially\ntrue in the two decades after Macao\u2019s return to the motherland. Chen added that\nin recent years, UM has set the goal of becoming a world-class institution, and\nhas made significant contributions to the socio-economic development of Macao.\nAs he recalls, in 1985, the Ministry of Education gave the Nine Dragon Wall to\nUM as a gift, which conveyed the hope for the university\u2019s fast development\nwith the support of the local community and the central government. He feels\npleased that UM has lived up to the expectations and has become a fast-growing\nuniversity under the leadership of the Macao SAR government and with the\nsupport of current and former chief executives.<\/p>
Chen Baosheng said that with the new campus ushering in a new era\nfor UM, the Wall of Great Wisdom represents new requirements for UM members. It\nis more than a gift from the Ministry of Education; it reflects high\nexpectations from the central government. The first Chinese\ncharacter in the name of the gift, Bo, conveys the hope that UM faculty and\nstudents will strive to be knowledgeable and broad-minded. The second Chinese\ncharacter, Ya, conveys the hope that UM members will cultivate refined\nbehaviour and healthy hobbies. The two provide internal and external impetus\nfor personal growth and are part of the guiding principles for educational\ndevelopment in China. The last Chinese character in the name, Bi, means an\ninstrument used in ancient China for sacrificial purposes. It can be considered\na carrier of the Chinese culture. Today, the Wall of Great Wisdom was gifted to\nUM by the Ministry of Education. It is expected to turn a new page in the\nuniversity\u2019s history. It is hoped that by understanding the profound historical\nmeanings associated with the Chinese name of the gift, UM will be motivated to\nfulfil its historical mission to produce exemplary graduates who can serve the\ncountry, contribute to the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and support the\nlong-term prosperity and stability of Macao. It is also hoped that the\nuniversity will develop into a renowned institution both in China and in the\nworld.<\/p>
In\nhis speech, UM Rector Yonghua Song explained the design of the Wall of Great\nWisdom, saying that it is a sculpture with a novel and elegant design as well\nas a profound meaning. The golden, hill-shaped base signifies the central\ngovernment\u2019s concern and support for the development of education in Macao. The\nrising, auspicious clouds stands for the healthy development and steady growth\nof UM and Macao amid an atmosphere of harmony. The main part of the sculpture,\nin the shape of a jade ring, is engraved with the five virtues of an ideal\nscholar, listed in the university motto, namely humanity, integrity, propriety,\nwisdom, and sincerity. The inscription of the traditional values conveys the\nexpectation that UM will promote fine Chinese traditions and culture. The\ngolden lotus in the sculpture echoes the \u2018lotus spirit\u2019 that is an integral\npart of the Macao culture. The Wall of Great Wisdom is inscribed with the\nuniversity motto, reflects the spirit of Macao, and conveys the good wishes and\nexpectations from the central and Macao SAR governments. UM members will\nremember the good wishes and expectations of the central and SAR governments,\nuphold the spirit of Bo and Ya in university education, and take it upon\nthemselves to promote the fine Chinese traditions and culture.<\/p>
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAfter the ceremony, Chen\nBaosheng; Sun Da; Lam\nKam Seng; Yonghua Song; Ma Jianfei, party secretary and deputy director-general\nof the Confucius Institute headquarters and deputy director of the Office of\nChinese Language Council International; and Hong Gang Jin, dean of the Faculty\nof Arts and Humanities at UM officiated at the unveiling ceremony for the Confucius Institute\nat UM. The Confucius Institute at UM has the unique advantage of being located\nin a multilingual and multicultural society that is a special administrative\nregion to which a special political system applies. The institute will make full\nuse of this advantage to pursue international collaboration, especially with\nPortuguese-speaking countries, in Chinese language teaching, learning, and\nteacher training, as well as to establish a communication platform to promote\nsuch collaboration. The delegation from the Ministry of Education also visited Ma\nMan Kei and Lo Pak Sam College.<\/p>
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An unveiling ceremony for The Wall of Great Wisdom, a gift to the University of Macau (UM) from the Ministry of Education, was held today (16 April). The gift is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45024,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45023","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n