New Tongji members start a new journey.On the morning of September 9, the 2022 Graduate Opening Ceremony of Tongji University was held simultaneously at the January 29th Track and Field Stadium on Siping Road Campus and the Natural Turf Track and Field Stadium on Jiading Campus. University leaders Fang Shouen, Feng Shenhong, Lü Peiming, Wu Guangming, Fang Ping, Lei Xinghui, Peng Zhenwei, Tong Xiaohua, and Lou Yongqi, as well as alumni representatives and faculty representatives, attended the ceremony. The venue at Siping Road Campus was presided over by Executive Vice President Lü Peiming.

He Wanpeng, a 2013 doctoral graduate in Management Science and Engineering from our school and Dean & Chief Researcher of Shanghai Qiantan Institute for Emerging Industries, delivered a wonderful speech to freshmen as an outstanding alumni representative at the opening ceremony.

The following is the content of the live speech:

Dear teachers and dear junior schoolmates,

Good morning! Right now, it feels a bit like being called on by the teacher in the classroom to answer a question at the podium. When I first received the notice, I was still a little nervous. But Tongji people are never afraid of the spotlight. Although I dare not promise an A+, I will definitely strive for the best possible completion of the task. I would like to take this opportunity to share three insights with you. These insights relate to work, study, and even life.

1. Broaden Horizons and Strive for Excellence

The first insight is to broaden one’s vision and pursue excellence. The decision-making research and consulting work I am engaged in requires a high sense of on-site awareness. Problems lie in the field, and solutions often emerge there as well. It is necessary to go to farmlands, streets, alleys, and production fronts to verify or falsify many granular matters. To understand the rural customs, culture, and public sentiment of a certain city, I once repeatedly changed taxis, chatted with drivers, asked them to take me to various interesting places, and told me interesting stories. As a result, one driver became overly alert and almost sent me to the police station.

If this represents adhering to an on-site vision, then fully grasping international cutting-edge dynamics and pragmatically conducting global benchmarking embodies upholding an international perspective. To understand the effects of China’s countermeasures in the China-US trade friction, I combined professional research with personal arrangements and made a trip to the United States. I stayed up at night, as time was precious and I needed to consult as much information as possible. During daytime visits, I was so groggy that I dare not go to slightly high places.

Finally, we must also maintain a historical perspective, grasp the trend of the times, and accurately identify changes, respond scientifically, and proactively seek transformation. If we deduce the future from the present and let tomorrow guide today, we will sense the historical changes in the global productivity landscape and unleash the initiative and creativity to forge ahead without external urging.

2. Break Through the Ceiling of Innovation

The second insight is the importance of breaking through mental barriers and lifting the ceiling of innovation. My major was Management Science and Engineering, and at the time, I was fascinated by the CAS theory—Complex Adaptive Systems theory. Adaptability gives rise to complexity. Megacities, modern industrial systems, and scientific and technological innovation ecosystems are all complex adaptive systems. In my own words, they are “chaordic structures”—chaos with order. I even named my office the “Chaordic Office.” Elements within such systems are rich and diverse, and the relationships between them evolve non-linearly. How do we regulate them? We need dynamically adaptive tools, especially simulation testing.

Together with several alumni, we developed a fascinating economic monitoring and forecasting system through constraint analysis, scenario simulation, evidence-based decision-making, and flexible synthesis. It primarily monitors anomalies and exceptions. Anomalies may bring risks, which manifest as “three negatives”: poor material conditions, improper human behavior, and flawed institutional structures. Exceptions may lead to mutations, triggering tipping points and inflection effects. Using this system, we tried to imagine ourselves as decision-makers. For example, if Pudong New Area aims to double its GDP in the next five years, what should its busy leaders prioritize most? The system gave us a four-character answer: *densify road networks*. This insight would never have emerged from human brains alone. But through human-machine collaboration, once this proposal was generated, it made more sense upon reflection, as it aligns with the “hidden order” of economic and social development.

Sometimes, leaders of functional departments ask why we possess relatively more and earlier information, and why our analyses and judgments are more reliable. The reason is that we keep in mind that “scientific planning yields the greatest benefits, planning errors cause the greatest waste, and planning flip-flops are the gravest taboo.” Therefore, we undertake a vast amount of meticulous and tedious preliminary work to fully gather information. This work is far from glamorous and often time-consuming, but it requires utmost reverence, prudence, professionalism, and focus—no room for laziness or negligence. During my studies at our alma mater, I summarized four “norms”: political rules, economic laws, market regulations, and technical standards. These four “norms” serve as boundary markers, fundamentally ensuring the quality of our research.

3. Embrace the “distinctively Tongji” character

The third insight is to embrace the “distinctively Tongji” character and integrate into the great journey of Chinese-style modernization. Some mistakenly believe that “Tongji scholars” only excel in researching vehicle manufacturing, architecture, and urban planning—what might be called the creation of “containers.” In reality, we are equally adept at studying the “contents” within these “containers,” such as technological innovation, advanced manufacturing, consumption promotion, trade services, integrated operations, and public activities. Moreover, Tongji scholars innovatively explore the relationship between “containers” and “contents”—how to make urban and rural life more beautiful, ensure technological transformations empower better living in a more inclusive, safe, and resilient manner, and foster greater harmony between humanity and nature. The teachings of our alma mater have guided us to walk steadily and far along the path of rational empiricism.

One of my greatest sources of pride is being praised as “distinctively Tongji”—for being meticulous, emphasizing processes, closed-loop systems, and details. Our alma mater cultivates wise engineers and strategic scientists. I have always believed that trend advantages should be translated into practical scenarios, scenarios into actionable projects, and projects into engineered solutions—all three transformations are rooted in strategic decision-making and scientific planning. We can tolerate errors, slowness, and small-scale setbacks, but we cannot afford the slightest carelessness, wishful thinking, or shortcuts, nor can we accept shoddy work or compromises. This is my understanding of the Tongji ethos, which I believe is also indispensable for advancing Chinese-style modernization.

I would like to sincerely thank our alma mater and wish all junior schoolmates can absorb its broad and profound academic nourishment on your upward, forward-looking journey toward the future. Let us jointly contribute to strengthening the soft and hard strengths of our alma mater, and present the unique brilliance of “Tongji people” and make outstanding contributions for the country, humanity, and this great era. The above is my report for today, and I earnestly request teachers and classmates to criticize and correct any shortcomings. Thank you all!