Chapter 4013
Chapter 4013
Chapter 4013
Su Zhixing had been in charge of various welcoming and sending-off affairs when he was at Wansong Academy, so he was very familiar with reception work. Therefore, he took the initiative to personally greet the guests at the unveiling ceremony today, which can be regarded as returning to his old profession overseas.
Li Yuande, who was familiar with all parties involved, was also entrusted with an important task by Qian Tiandun—he was temporarily appointed as the guest master to introduce the guests to Su Zhixing.
Since the plaque-unveiling ceremony would be held at the entrance of the academy, the viewing area for the guests today was also outside the gate. Su and Li stood at the entrance to greet the guests who arrived one after another, exchanged a few simple pleasantries, and then invited them to sit down.
The temporary rest area set up next to the gate only had a few rows of tables and chairs, which were all taken from the academy. After the ceremony, the students would have to carry the tables and chairs back to the classroom to avoid affecting the subsequent classes.
Nearly a thousand people came to watch after hearing the news, including some Arabs in robes who squeezed among a group of Han Chinese to watch the spectacle.
A commotion arose in the distance, and soon Qian Tiandun, leading a group of officers, arrived at the academy on horseback. The guests who were resting rose to greet the arrival of the main figures, showing their respect.
The special forces division had previously rehearsed with Su Zhixing, going through most of the ceremony procedures, except for the part about welcoming Qian Tiandun, which hadn't been specifically rehearsed beforehand. While Su Zhixing was still considering whether he should take the initiative to step forward and help the horse off the stirrup, Li Yuande, who was beside him, had already gotten used to it and stepped forward without hesitation.
Seeing this, Su Zhixing naturally couldn't steal the limelight any longer, so he tidied his appearance and slowly stepped forward to greet Qian Tiandun.
Qian Tiandun smiled and said, "Dean Su, now that you bear such a heavy responsibility, do you have any thoughts?"
Su Zhixing said, "I am deeply grateful for the General's favor. I dare not slack off and will do my utmost for the academy and serve the General with utmost loyalty!"
Qian Tiandun patted Su Zhixing on the shoulder and lowered his voice, saying, "Forget about these polite words, I just want to hear what you really think."
Su Zhixing hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "General, I've been thinking these past few days that I made the right choice in leaving Hangzhou. I've saved myself at least twenty years of detours! If I can make Fubo Academy a success in the future, I might even leave my mark on history!"
Qian Tiandun laughed loudly, "Dean Su is a very honest person, very good! Then I'll wait and see!"
Qian Tiandun had long known that Su Zhixing, with his background, had given up his comfortable life and promising future in Hangzhou to take up a post in this desolate desert. This was certainly not because he couldn't make it in China. Besides responding to the national call to go overseas to support the construction of the western front, there was an even more important reason: his pursuit of his career.
There are always some goals that Su Zhixing could not achieve at Wansong Academy in China, while Fubo Academy is like a blank sheet of paper on which he can paint freely and express himself.
Qian Tiandun only needed to provide Su Zhixing with basic teaching conditions and living support to have this management talent in the field of education run the academy, which had no foundation. The significance of this was no less than bringing Li Yuande under his command a few years ago. As for what kind of academy Su Zhixing wanted to build, Qian Tiandun had no concerns about that. After all, it was much better than having the officers distracted by managing the academy.
Even if Fubo Academy were to develop into a military academy in the future, academic courses would still be an indispensable part, and a senior professional would be needed to control the direction of teaching.
After Qian Tiandun and the others took their seats, it was almost time. Li Yuande, who was acting as the master of ceremonies, walked quickly to the front of the academy gate, raised the tin megaphone and said loudly, "Distinguished guests, fellow villagers, please hear me out."
After the surroundings gradually quieted down, Li Yuande continued, "Everyone here today has gathered for the same purpose: to witness the official opening and commencement of classes at Fubo Academy. I know that many of you here, like me, have contributed your small share to the construction of this academy and are delighted with its official completion!"
"But I want to ask you all, who is the person who has devoted the most effort and energy to establishing this academy? That's right, I think everyone here would have the same answer. Now, let's invite Commander Qian to give a speech!"
Cheers and applause immediately erupted. Qian Tiandun slowly stood up, walked to the gate of the academy, and took the megaphone from Li Yuande.
After the surrounding crowd quieted down, Qian Tiandun said loudly, "If we count from the first time we landed here, this year is our fourth year here. In fact, from the day we decided to establish a port here, I was already considering whether we should build a higher education institution here. In the years that followed, the special forces division and all the immigrants have been working hard towards this goal, and finally we have the Fubo Academy we have today."
"Many people may not quite understand why we are spending so much manpower, resources, and money to establish an academy in Fubo Port, where we have just established ourselves. If we only want to teach children to read and write and acquire some basic knowledge, then ordinary schools are sufficient, and there is no need to go to such lengths to establish an academy. But is that enough?"
“Fubo Port is far from the mainland of Haihan. If the children want to pursue further studies and pass the imperial examinations, they will have to travel thousands of miles back to the mainland to find an academy to study at. This is by no means an easy task for every family that has settled here.”
"What I want to tell you is that I hope that the students who graduate from here in the future will not only complete their elementary education, but will also learn more skills here, become professionals in different fields, or even become pillars of the nation!"
"If our generation suffers some hardship and toil, it can bring a better background and a better future to our descendants. Why not do it?"
"I believe everyone is already familiar with the new Western Development Policy launched by the Executive Committee last year. What we can get is not only support in terms of material supply and industrial policies, but also education and culture, which is a very important aspect. Mr. Su Zhixing, whom we specially invited from Hangzhou, is one of the pioneers who responded to the national call."
Su Zhixing felt countless eyes on him, so he bowed slightly to show his humility.
Then Qian Tiandun continued, "I intend to entrust Mr. Su with the entire responsibility for how Fubo Academy will operate, what courses will be taught, and what exam questions will be asked. Starting today, Mr. Su will officially assume the position of Dean of Fubo Academy. Everyone, please welcome Mr. Su to explain his educational philosophy to everyone."
Su Zhixing walked slowly to Qian Tiandun's side and took the tin megaphone from his hand. Qian Tiandun gently patted Su Zhixing's arm, indicating that he didn't need to be nervous.