Choose Resilience, Believe in the Future
- Speech at the 2024 Graduation Ceremony of the Shanghai Theatre Academy
Huang Changyong
21 June 2024
Dear graduates of the Class of 2024, esteemed faculty, parents, and friends:
Good morning!
Today marks the summer solstice, the day with the longest daylight of the year, symbolizing the vibrant season of growth and renewal. We gather here to celebrate the graduation of another cohort of students from the Shanghai Theatre Academy.
This year, a total of 751 students are graduating, including 477 undergraduates, 252 master's degree recipients (55 MA and 197 MFA), and 22 doctoral candidates. On behalf of the academy, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all graduates for completing your studies and embarking on the next chapter of your lives. I also express my gratitude to the faculty and staff for their dedication and hard work year after year. The honor and joy of being a teacher lie in witnessing students, with whom they have shared countless moments, set off on new journeys each year.
This cohort of graduates has faced significant challenges. Whether it was three, four, or seven years of study, you have navigated through a global pandemic and the era of artificial intelligence. From my observations, I am pleased to see that this cohort has withstood greater pressures, undergone more rigorous trials, engaged in more rational thinking and choices, and developed broader perspectives and idealistic aspirations.
This cohort of graduates makes us proud. They have stood at the forefront, striving and excelling, writing their own life stories and bringing honor to the academy. For instance, the graduation project "Princess Ariel" by College of Film graduates He Xinyuan, Liu Zhiquan and He Yixuan was shortlisted for the main competition of the Golden Goblet Awards at the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival. Department of Acting student Yuan Puxu was admitted to the China National Theatre with outstanding results. Department of Directing student Tang Yunqi was accepted into the Master’s program at Peking University’s School of Arts with the highest overall score. Fifteen students from the Peking Opera major of the College of Chinese Opera have joined professional troupes such as the Shanghai Peking Opera Troupe. Nearly one-third of the graduates from the Department of Dramatic Literature and the College of Creative Studies are pursuing further studies at overseas institutions. College of Dance student Lu Yuhan, who entered the academy with the lowest scores, worked diligently to become a top student, consistently maintaining the highest GPA in her class. She has won numerous awards in domestic and international dance competitions and ranks first in extracurricular credits among all 2020 undergraduates.
At each graduation ceremony, I highlight a group of graduates and share their inspirational stories. It’s not that they are necessarily more outstanding than others, but they often possess foresight, good judgment, and the ability to analyze their environment. While others are struggling with employment pressures, they have already identified their next life station.
I mentioned earlier that a notable trend among graduates from the College of Creative Studies and the College of Dramatic Literature is the high number of students pursuing further studies abroad. Over 20 graduates from the Department of Dramatic Literature are studying overseas, mostly at prestigious institutions. For example, Xia Jingyuan from the Theatre, Film and TV Literature major was accepted by several top international universities and ultimately chose to study computer science at the National University of Singapore. She realized that the integration of art and artificial intelligence requires technological breakthroughs to avoid merely following trends. This insight is profound and aligns with the future development focus of our academy. However, without technical support and collaboration, staying at the application level will hinder significant progress. Broadcasting and Hosting major graduate Feng Jiaqi received offers from renowned institutions such as Columbia University and New York University but chose Babson College in Boston to study entrepreneurship. Four years ago, she represented new students at the opening ceremony, and now she is about to embark on a new academic journey overseas.
Such instances of students transitioning across disciplines, particularly into the field of science engineering, are not uncommon. For example, Wang Jialin from the Film Academy has been admitted to the graduate program in Integrated Circuit Engineering at Xidian University, which is quite remarkable. These students demonstrate planning, critical thinking, decisiveness, and execution.
Shanghai Theatre Academy serves as a platform for interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary integration, which has become a hallmark of our talent cultivation. Sometimes, an elective course or a lecture can change a student's life path. Moving forward, we will intensify our efforts in interdisciplinary collaboration. I hope those who choose to cross disciplines will not forget the nourishment of their artistic education during their youth. It is foreseeable that these cross-disciplinary students will achieve remarkable accomplishments in the arts in the future.
This is my eighth year as the president of the academy, and time flies. Throughout the year, I give many speeches and addresses, but the two most significant and pressure-filled occasions are the opening and graduation ceremonies. I adhere to the principle of writing my own speeches, despite the pressure and the possibility of not writing well. When asked why, I respond that I want to speak to the students with words I have thought about and believe in.
Each speech is a collective effort. To better understand the thoughts and concerns of the students, the Student Affairs Office conducted a survey and held several discussion sessions. I aimed to create a "portrait" of this graduating class and share some potentially useful insights at the ceremony.
The Student Affairs Office distributed a survey to graduates, with 108 students participating. I noticed that many students had specific expectations for my speech. The three most requested keywords were: employment, future, and responsibility.
Today, I will attempt to address these given topics.
First, let's talk about "employment." Due to well-known reasons, this year's job market faces unprecedented pressure. Even some highly qualified and accomplished students have not yet found suitable positions, which is a harsh reality that concerns me. However, the survey results provide some relief. When asked about their perception of the current job market, 74 out of 108 students chose "there is some pressure now, but the future looks promising." This indicates that students are rational about employment, recognizing the challenges and uncertainties but also seeing hope and opportunities ahead.
I firmly believe that graduates from our academy are not lacking in general job opportunities but in finding the best opportunities that align with their ideal life paths. Our Theatre, Film and TV Studies program has ranked first nationwide for three consecutive years in the "Shanghai Ranking". Four of our undergraduate programs are ranked first nationwide, and most are designated as national or provincial first-class programs. Despite the massification of higher education in China, we have maintained a focus on elite education. Some agencies claim that certain majors are unnecessary, but regardless of the major, excellence will always find a stage to shine. We emphasize career planning for our students. In my view, our students should aim for more idealistic and future-oriented career and life plans. As the Chinese saying goes, "Aim high, and you will achieve at least the middle; aim for the middle, and you will achieve the lower; aim low, and you will achieve nothing." We must aim high and strive to achieve the highest.
Good employment is not just about technical skills like crafting resumes, acing interviews, creating effective presentations, or delivering pitches. It starts with focusing on core competencies and long-term goals, coupled with concrete actions to achieve those goals.
Some students may pursue further studies to avoid immediate employment, but it is evident that most have grander life plans and clear goals. I believe they will find better employment opportunities in the future.
For most graduates, employment is a pressing issue, and for some, it is a matter of survival. We are all familiar with Lu Xun's famous words about survival, subsistence, and development. In the process of seeking survival and subsistence, recognizing the importance of development is what we should advocate.
I have an impractical idea: if you cannot find satisfactory employment and are not facing immediate survival issues, the best choice is to start your own business. Instead of struggling to find a job, why not take a bold step and start a business? Employment places you in an existing position with no surprises, while entrepreneurship starts from scratch, with challenges and difficulties but also unlimited possibilities and more exciting prospects. We see increasing support for entrepreneurship from the government, society and our academy, creating a conducive environment for innovation.
The entrepreneurial endeavors of Yang Shangyou, a graduate student from the Department of Acting, serve as an exemplary model for us to learn from.
She said that four years of undergraduate study in the Acting program taught her what drama is, and three years of graduate study taught her what drama can do. When she realized she might not be suited to be an actor, she found a way to apply drama. She believes that to start a business, one must find a balance between passion and societal needs. Her successful experience teaches us that entrepreneurship is a matter of mindset; without action, it remains a paper dream.
Yang Shangyou's drama brand "Yo Theatre" has gained some recognition in society. With support from the academy and relevant entrepreneurial institutions in Huangpu District, she has become a model for student entrepreneurship. I hope she receives even more support.
Rapid societal development and technological advancements make it impossible to overly pursue stability, especially in the arts. As a personalized creative industry, traditional employment concepts no longer suffice. The door to innovation and entrepreneurship is wide open, offering fertile ground for us to thrive.
Whether choosing reality or pursuing ideals, preparation is key. Opportunities and success favor those who are prepared. I hope everyone leans more towards ideals, as this is the essence and color of our academy and the foundation of art.
Regarding the "future," it essentially pertains to ideals.
Employment and the future can be seen as reality and ideals, respectively—one grounded in the present, the other looking towards the distant horizon. Life is a balance between reality and ideals, sometimes leaning more towards one, sometimes the other, occasionally compromising with reality, and at times bravely challenging it.
Art possesses transcendence. Great artists are often beyond utilitarianism and reality. Without some romanticism, idealism, and the courage to transcend reality, excessive compromise may only distance one from art.
On 15 April this year, our academy had a proud moment. Alumnus Cai Guoqiang was invited to deliver the closing speech at the global TED 40th anniversary conference, which featured over 70 of the world's top thinkers, entrepreneurs, scientists and artists. TED curator Chris Anderson introduced Cai Guoqiang as "one of the most creative and independent-thinking artists of our time."
Cai Guoqiang began researching artificial intelligence in 2017 and developed the AI model AI CAI. He said that the unknown and uncontrollable nature of AI can be unsettling, but in today's context of weak and conservative contemporary art, he hopes AI can liberate his creativity and achieve dimensions beyond human cognition. During his TED talk, he used AI to translate his Chinese speech into English in real-time, using his own voice, marking the first time in TED history that AI technology was used for cross-language simultaneous translation.
I noted a remark from Cai Guoqiang's speech: he said he always wanted to be an artist but was cautious and timid like his father, who loved to paint. He said, "You can be like this in life, but not in art," emphasizing the need for courage to face the future and innovate.
Next year marks the 80th anniversary of our academy, and 20 years from now will be the 100th anniversary. By then, you will be the pillars of society. The Student Affairs Office survey included a question about what meaningful thing you would like to do for the academy's 100th anniversary. One student expressed a desire to give a lecture at the academy. I hope that, like alumnus Cai Guoqiang, you will have the opportunity to speak on world-class platforms like TED.
I know some of you are still seeking employment, feeling confused, hesitant, or even distressed. Deep down, this reluctance to compromise aligns with the spirit of art.
Choosing art means choosing a different life path, one that involves not compromising, not conforming, innovating, and creating. It means daring to dream and make those dreams a reality. In short, it means embracing the future and believing in it.
One student responded to the survey question about what they wanted to hear in the graduation speech by saying "Whatever the president says, we will listen." I interpret this as a lack of a specific stance, but also as high expectations.
Now, let's discuss the third keyword: "responsibility." I am pleased that many students chose this keyword. At last night's graduation party, many students wished for wealth and prosperity, which, in more refined terms, means "creating wealth."
What is responsibility, or the responsibility of art and artists? In my view, it means achieving personal success while also contributing to society and others. Your success should be intertwined with your responsibility to the nation and society, filled with compassion and love.
On 21 June 2007, CCTV recorded the "2007 Graduation Song - Shanghai Theatre Academy Special". At every graduation ceremony, we sing three songs written by the same lyricist: the academy song, the graduation song, and the national anthem. This lyricist, who once taught at our academy, is the renowned dramatist Tian Han. The graduation song, created in 1934, was the theme song of the film "Plunder of Peach and Plum." In a moment, we will sing this rousing song, "Classmates, rise up and shoulder the burden of the nation's fate!" The theme of the song echoes the ancient saying, "The rise and fall of the nation is the responsibility of every individual." In the turbulent 1930s, many aspiring young people, despite their own hardships, harbored noble sentiments of concern for the nation. As contemporary youth facing unprecedented changes, we must shoulder our responsibilities without hesitation.
We oppose refined egoism because personal development only gains greater value and meaning when closely linked to contributions to society, the nation, and humanity.
Last year, I reread a series of interviews about President Xi Jinping's formative years, including "Xi Jinping's Seven Years as an Educated Urban Youth Working in Rural Area". President Xi later said that in the late 1960s, at the age of under sixteen, he went from Beijing to a small village called Liangjiahe to work as a farmer. The villagers lived in great hardship, often going months without eating meat. He thought that if he had the opportunity to enter politics in the future, he would change this situation. When asked what he pursued in life, he replied, "I seek fulfillment and to do things that are meaningful to the people." This sense of responsibility, born from ideals and aspirations during difficult times, is both simple and profound.
Responsibility does not necessarily mean becoming famous or achieving great feats. The key lies in one's original aspirations and value orientation.
Life is full of changes and constants. The external world is ever-changing, with societal development, economic fluctuations, geopolitical dynamics, and technological revolutions. However, what remain constant are our original aspirations and missions. Every result is predicated on effort, and every harvest requires preparation. Every surprise in life is built on daily accumulation and long-term persistence.
Some students asked how to overcome emptiness and find meaning. This is a challenge everyone faces. We all experience moments of emptiness, boredom, and even loneliness. The most convenient way to cope is to scroll through social media or watch short videos, but this often leaves us feeling even more helpless. This is a form of valueless consumption and aimless living.
I once said that we should be grateful for the challenges we have faced since 2020. Perhaps coincidentally, that year I began my planned scriptwriting experiment, resulting in my first play "The Outpost," which premiered at the academy's Experimental Theatre in the spring of 2021. Since then, I have committed to writing a play each year during the winter and summer breaks. In 2022, during 80 days of staying on the Huashan Road campus, I developed a regular routine and maintained daily exercise, a habit I continue to this day, rain or shine. Setting small goals, even focusing on effort rather than results, and creating an exercise plan to break out of our comfort zones and face the world can reduce our sense of emptiness and make life fulfilling and meaningful.
At last night's graduation party, my postgraduate advisee Liu Jing received the "Grand Prize" - an autograph from alumnus You Benchang. More meaningful than the autograph was the alumnus's message to everyone: "Face life with optimism and courageously confront any adversity."
Sing and drink freely in the daylight, for youth is the best companion for returning home! The youth should have a period of romanticism in their lives.
Dear students, do not hesitate, do not be confused, and do not complain. We still have plenty of youth ahead. It is never too late to start. From now on, resist anxiety, choose resilience, and seriously examine yourself. Regardless of your current starting point, set a long-term goal and take action every day to achieve it!
Believe in the future: perseverance will yield rewards.
