On December 20, 2025, the 40th Anniversary Summit of Kuang Yaming Honors School of Nanjing University on High-Quality Independent Cultivation of Top Innovative Talents was grandly held at the Guosheng Hall of Panqi Building at Nanjing University Xianlin Campus. Alumni from home and abroad, representatives from peer institutions, academic colleagues, and faculty and student representatives gathered to review the School’s four decades of dedication to cultivating top innovative talents and to envision a new chapter of high-quality, independent education. Tan Tieniu, Chair of the University CPC Council and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); Wang Chengbin, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the Jiangsu Provincial Federation of Philosophy and Social Sciences; and Yang Shubing, Deputy Director of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education, attended the summit.
Tan Tieniu, on behalf of the University Party committee, extended warm congratulations and sincere greetings to all faculty, staff, and alumni of Kuang Yaming Honors School, and expressed heartfelt gratitude and high respect to leaders and friends from all sectors who have long cared for and supported the development of NJU, especially that of Kuang Yaming Honors School. He pointed out that from the establishment of the NJU Gifted Youth Program in 1985, to pioneering the “General Science Model” leading national higher education reform, to cultivating top innovative talents, Kuang Yaming Honors School has, over the past four decades, written a remarkable chapter in NJU’s efforts to build a world-class university with Chinese characteristics and to independently cultivate top innovative talents, producing generations of outstanding graduates with strong foundations, broad thinking, and exceptional abilities. Standing at the new starting point of its 40th anniversary, Tan put forward three hopes for the future development of Kuang Yaming Honors School: First, to stay true to the original mission of education and strengthen the foundation for national rejuvenation; Second, to deepen reform and innovation and serve as a pioneer in exploration; Third, to expand openness and cooperation and create new frontiers in education. He emphasized that the University will continue to support the school’s construction and development and wished the school a flourishing future and new achievements.
Tan Zhemin, President of Nanjing University and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), delivered a video address. He noted that in the historical process of building a strong educational nation, Kuang Yaming Honors School has, for four decades, remained committed to fostering virtue through education, focusing on cultivating students’ interests and aspirations, and dedicated to research-based teaching. The School has nurtured a large number of outstanding talents for the nation and made active explorations and accumulated valuable experience for NJU’s goal of “providing the best undergraduate education in China.” Looking ahead, he expressed hope that Kuang Yaming Honors School would closely align with national demands for urgently needed talents and advancements in science and technology, focus on cultivating exceptional top innovative talents, continue to lead the way in reforming the education and teaching system and exploring interdisciplinary talent cultivation models, persistently gather high-quality teaching resources and develop excellent courses, contribute new efforts to consolidating NJU’s traditional strengths in talent cultivation, and provide a new “NJU approach” to the independent cultivation of top innovative talents in China.
Yang Shubing, on behalf of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education, extended warm congratulations on the outstanding achievements of Kuang Yaming Honors School over the past 40 years. He stated that the School has always been guided by national strategies, centered on student growth, and deeply cultivated the “experimental field” of honors education, forging an educational path that embodies the heritage of NJU, the style of Jiangsu Province, and the characteristics of China. He emphasized that Kuang Yaming Honors School has a glorious mission and great responsibility, and put forward three expectations for the School’s development: First, to continue serving as a “navigator” in the independent cultivation of top innovative talents; Second, to continue serving as a “pioneer” in the theoretical research and practical innovation of honors education; Third, to continue serving as a “binder” in the collaborative development of honors education. He stated that the Provincial Department of Education will, as always, fully support the reform and development of NJU and Kuang Yaming Honors School, jointly creating an influential, replicable, and promotable “Jiangsu model” of honors education.
To implement the requirements of NJU’s “Forging Forward Initiative” and continue exploring education and teaching reforms, Kuang Yaming Honors School formally established the “Honors Community for Faculty and Student Growth”, composed of alumni representatives, current faculty, and students. Tan Tieniu, Wang Chengbin, Yang Shubing, Jiang Hua (alumna of the Class of 1985 and Vice Minister of the Organization Department of the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee), Yin Hengbin (alumnus of the Class of 1989 and Mayor of Anshun City, Guizhou Province), Yang Dawei (alumnus of the Class of 1999, Party Committee Member and Deputy Governor of Bank of Jiangsu), Luo Jiaheng (undergraduate of the Class of 2024), and other alumni and student representatives jointly pressed the symbolic activation handprint of “Cultivating the Future Together, Passing on the Torch,” marking the official launch of a new collaborative education framework for the School.
During the honors ceremony, Tan presented the “Outstanding Contribution Award” to Professor Lu Dexin, former Director of the Department for Intensive Instruction of Basic Disciplines Education and former Dean of the College of Basic Disciplines Education at NJU, and current Teaching Director of Kuang Yaming Honors School. Guests and leaders also presented awards to individuals and groups honored with the “Peach and Plum Educator Award,” “Trailblazing Achievement Award,” “Special Contribution Award,” and “Outstanding Achievement Award” of Kuang Yaming Honors School.
Representatives from peer honors schools, including Li Zhe, Chair of Peking University’s Yuanpei College CPC Council; Mei Ciqi, Dean of Xinya College, Tsinghua University; and Pan Mingji, Vice Dean of Wu Yee Sun College and Director of General Education at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, delivered speeches, highly commending the educational achievements and reform experiences of Kuang Yaming Honors School and discussing the mission and future of high-quality independent cultivation of top innovative talents.
Wang Wei, former Dean of Kuang Yaming Honors School and Professor at the School of Physics, NJU; Tang Ruikang, alumnus of the Class of 1991 and Vice President (in charge) of Hangzhou Normal University; and Xiao Ao, undergraduate of the Class of 2022, delivered speeches as representatives of faculty, alumni, and students respectively, reviewing the school’s development journey and the remarkable contributions of mentors and peers, and extending their best wishes to the School.
During the summit, guests also watched the 40th-anniversary promotional video of Kuang Yaming Honors School, Four Decades of Elegance, Grounded in Truth and Innovation, which reviewed the School’s steadfast journey over four decades and its fruitful achievements in nurturing talents.
Zhou Yuan, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Kuang Yaming Honors School, presided over the summit and read congratulatory letters and messages from various sectors of society.
Wang Jun presented the 40th Anniversary Development Report of Kuang Yaming Honors School of Nanjing University.
During the anniversary celebration, the School also organized events such as academician lectures, dean forums, and alumni forums, featuring thematic reports on topics including “Exploration and Practice of Honors Education in the AI Era,” “Interdisciplinary Studies and Technological Revolution,” and “Cross-Boundary Integration and Industrial Collaboration.”
Wang Sheng, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Zhang Yaquan, Vice President of Qinghai Institute of Technology; NJU leaders Lu Xiancai, Sun Leqiang, and Jiang Tian; and Guo Xinyu, Second-Level Assistant Consultant of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education, attended the summit. Other participants included representatives from peer institutions, relevant leaders from university departments and schools of NJU, former leaders and faculty of Kuang Yaming Honors School, alumni representatives, and current student representatives.
Writer: Wang Yihe
