Tsinghua holds opening ceremony for the 61st Ma Yuehan Cup

The Opening Ceremony for Tsinghua University’s 61st Ma Yuehan Cup began at 8:00 in the morning on April 29th. Alumni, current Tsinghua students, faculty, classes from Tsinghua’s primary and high schools and other observers all crowded into the seating area at the East Stadium to watch the ceremony. The atmosphere was cheerful, and many alumni brought their children along to enjoy the festivities.

Qiu Yong, President of Tsinghua University, Chen Xu, Chairperson of the University Council, and other leaders as well as former leaders of Tsinghua, together attended the Opening Ceremony.

The ceremony began with the entrance of the Chinese national flag and the Tsinghua flag, followed by cohorts of students representing each of the academic departments. The students waved to the audience and demonstrated their pride in their department with group chants. The international students also had their own cohort. Tsinghua’s alumni entered last and were enthusiastically cheered on by the students and other alumni in the audience.

The ceremony also included dance performances, synchronized jump rope and martial arts demonstrations. They were all very well received by the audience. After the performances, the Chinese national anthem played and Qiu Yong formally announced the opening of the event.

After the ceremony, many alumni mingled on the track while waiting for the games to start. Several older alumni commented that Tsinghua has changed a lot since they were in school more than thirty years ago, and also expressed their wish that today’s students will go on to become even better than those who came before them.

Writer: Galia Popov
Editor: Zhu Lvhe