On June 29th, the 2024 Graduation Ceremony of the School of Economics and Management (SEM) at Tongji University was successfully held at the 129 Auditorium.

Liu Chunsong, alumnus (Bachelor of Business Administration 2001, MBA 2013), Standing Director of the Tongji University Alumni Association, President of the Alumni Association’s Investment and Financing Chapter, and Managing Partner of Jieli Fund Management, delivered a speech as an alumni representative.

In his address, Liu Chunsong fondly recalled his own academic journey at Tongji SEM. He encouraged the graduating students, upon entering society, to master the principle of “teaching a man to fish” beyond the foundational “giving a man a fish” provided by the school. This, he urged, would enable them to “inspire a man to desire” when facing the future and change, aspiring to light and ultimately becoming light on their life’s path.

Alumnus Liu also shared his reflections on future development trends and wished all graduates that their own efforts and choices would pave the way for a splendid and poetic life journey.

Full Text of the Speech:

Respected President Lü, esteemed faculty members, dear fellow students and juniors：

It is a tremendous honor to participate in the graduation ceremony of my alma mater and home school as an alumni representative today.

Professor Shi mentioned reuniting in twenty years. Nineteen summers ago, in this very hall, I received my bachelor’s degree from the faculty seated here. Nine years ago, I also received my master’s degree in this same place. Sitting here today feels like an instant flashback, transporting me back to my own undergraduate graduation year, sitting below, listening to the professors’ earnest teachings on stage—a moment filled with profound emotion.

Today’s ceremony is particularly memorable and unique. As Professor Shi suggested, imbuing the graduation with the spirit of a celebration, the combination of performances and speeches truly creates a festive atmosphere. I was genuinely moved and delighted when a student proposed marriage earlier. I offer you my sincerest blessings and hope your journey together lasts forever.

First and foremost, congratulations to all my fellow juniors present. You have completed your studies and graduated successfully amidst the early summer cicadas’ song. Starting today, your identity, like mine, will be that of an alumnus/alumna. Once you step outside the Siping Road gate, you are no longer students; you are alumni. As a Standing Director of the Alumni Association, I also welcome you all on behalf of the Tongji University Alumni Association.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to share a few insights:

All of you, fellow students, entered this harbor named “Tongji” four years ago as perhaps bewildered youths, or two or three years ago as confused professionals. Over these years, guided by the faculty of SEM, we first acquired knowledge—the fundamental gift this institution provides: “giving a man a fish”.

Particularly in our SEM, we emphasize liberal education, enabling us to better enrich ourselves and adapt to professional changes. I believe most of you have gained diverse professional knowledge. At the very least, no one will forget the challenging problems in Statistics or the classic cases in Project Management—experiences perhaps unique among business schools. Most undergraduate students and many postgraduates here hadn’t studied economics or management before enrollment. Over these years, you have witnessed the excellence of SEM’s professors.

While Tongji SEM might not be the traditionally top-ranked business school, its recent achievements—securing all four major international accreditations, rising university rankings, the Double First-Class discipline development, and especially the sustained leadership of Management Science domestically—undoubtedly make it a top business school with remarkable highlights. SEM’s vision is “to become a globally renowned business school cultivating outstanding management talents and promoting sustainable development.” As the cultivated talents, the “fishermen” who entered this harbor four years ago, what have you loaded onto your small fishing boats upon departure? I believe this is reflected in your final transcripts—the most basic harvest from the school as you graduate.

We live in an era of unprecedented transformation in a century. International politics is fraught with uncertainty, and economic development paradigms are constantly shifting. Once you sail out of this Siping Road harbor, you enter a sea full of unknowns and changes. As Professor Shi noted, you face life’s impermanence—a state where you may constantly encounter problems and setbacks.

The social environment, technological innovation, enterprise development, and industry changes we encounter are breaking so-called Moore’s Law, constantly updating, iterating, being updated, and being iterated. The knowledge you accumulated over four, two, or three years faces the same fate. This demands that we move beyond simply “giving a man a fish” to understand and master the skill and essence of “teaching a man to fish”. Mastery of methods, not just existing knowledge, is crucial, especially for fields you will encounter in future work and life.

Starting today as alumni, you will step into society tomorrow, facing a paradigm of abilities and an environment entirely different from the classroom. No one will constantly remind you; you will rarely encounter the meticulous guidance of patient teachers. Instead, you will face concise directives from leaders and work situations requiring independent handling. Here, mastering rapid learning and adapting to environments becomes paramount.

The school environment is relatively calm; teachers tell you where the fish are, even cast the net for you—your task is simply to haul it in. But entering society means sailing your fishing boat into stormy seas. Whether you have learned and mastered the skill of casting nets will directly determine your harvest, its size, and even whether your boat capsizes.

A popular TV drama in recent years, “The Knockout,” featured a classic line: “The rougher the storm, the more valuable the fish.” Whether you can catch big fish in the tempest depends on whether you merely received “a fish” or truly mastered “how to fish” during your time here.

Facing the future and change, is this enough? I believe not. “Teaching a man to fish” equips us with learning methods and problem-solving skills. Then comes the age-old question: What kind of person do we want to become? In recent years, you’ve likely often heard the term “lying flat”. Can lying flat help you face future storms? Can you endure it? Can you accept it? Especially after years of hard study in Tongji’s gardens, nurtured by Sanhaowu. At yesterday’s Tongji University graduation ceremony, President Zheng stated that “lying flat” has never been part of Tongji’s vocabulary. Therefore, building on moving from “giving a man a fish” to “teaching a man to fish,” I share four more words: “inspire a man to desire”.

What is “desire”? It is humanity’s most fundamental yearning. As Professor Shi suggested, it is our drive—the fisherman’s desire for a bigger catch, the proposing student’s desire for future happiness, the student’s desire for good grades, the scientist’s desire for innovation, the entrepreneur’s desire for business success, and the desire of all faculty here for your smooth sailing and overcoming future difficulties.We often speak of having light in our eyes. Today, at graduation, I believe many of you have that light—not just the tears of farewell mentioned by Dean Zhong, but also gazes filled with anticipation, confusion, or even resignation for the future.

I want to tell you: let your eyes hold not just light, but desire, aspiration. Aspire to light, become light. If you pursue further studies, have desire for academics and research. If you enter the workplace, have desire for work and career. If you start a family, have desire for life and happiness. This desire will sustain you when work is tough, support you when research yields no results, and remind you during difficult times and moments of future uncertainty that “this little pain in the storm is nothing—I still have dreams and hope.” Tiny streams converge into the ocean; our individual droplets of desire, pooled together, can propel society forward. I believe all my fellow juniors here, like me, will return to campus in twenty years and feel the progress and harvest brought by this desire.

My work is in venture capital. Over nearly 20 years, accompanying China’s market economy and enterprise development, I have witnessed and supported thousands of companies. Behind every success and failure lies the growth and journey of an entrepreneur. I’d like to briefly share three thoughts:

First. Accept changes in the macro environment. Many lament the challenging macro and economic environment of recent years, wishing for “better times.” Yesterday, someone told me something quite impactful: “The macro is macro, and you are you.” None of us can change the macro environment. Facing it, all we can do is accept it. Black swans and gray rhinos have become the norm. Mere lamentation is futile. The only certainty about the future is uncertainty. What tests us is how we accept this and make our own choices and efforts.

Second. Make wise meso-level industry choices. While the macro is something we must accept, the direction we choose—whether pursuing further studies, studying abroad, choosing an industry, accepting a job offer, or choosing a life partner—requires careful consideration. Plan before acting; seek shared aspirations and aligned paths. Identify sunrise industries, sectors with long-term potential (“long slopes and thick snow”), and partners worthy of lifelong commitment. Just as I recently initiated the Tongji Alumni Angel Fund to invest in future industry startups, how we choose and position ourselves matters greatly—for funds and for individuals.

Third. Exert micro-level personal effort. This is what each of us can control most. I often tell the entrepreneurs I invest in: “For us as individuals in these times, the most important thing is to become anti-fragile.” This concept, from Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of “Antifragile,” is something I share with you. What is anti-fragile? Imagine lighting a candle at the entrance of the 129 Auditorium. Winds can blow from any direction, at any time, with unknown force. The candle faces three outcomes: blown out; flickering precariously; or burning brighter, fueled by the wind. I hope all my fellow juniors here, when facing future uncertainty, can harness the wind to burn brighter. Remember: Be the fire that craves the wind’s touch, not the flame extinguished by the first gust.

Graduation is a grain of sand, Tongji is a chapter of youth, and life is a scroll of poetry and painting. After today, that grain of sand slips through your fingers, but this chapter will forever reside in your hearts. Your life’s scroll is just beginning to unfurl. Whether you paint it with bold strokes or pencil sketches, it will be your most cherished masterpiece. How you paint it depends entirely on your current desire, choices, and efforts. I congratulate and wish you all to find your own answers on this canvas and paint the most beautiful picture you envision.

Finally, I leave you with a quote from Taylor Swift: “I have some bad news for you: life is now entirely up to you. But I also have some good news: life is now entirely up to you.”

Thank you.