Beijing, 23rd June 2026 (BISTU)--- Cool breeze of the summer day witnessed the Commencement Ceremony 2026 of BISTU held on 23rd June 2026 at Shahe Campus. The Ceremony was attended by around 4,000 graduates of bachelor, master, and doctor levels and their parents, friends, and relatives. Chairperson Xie Jiangling of the University Council, President Guo Fu, and all other senior administrators of the University joined the Ceremony hosted by Vice President Li Huatao.

“Departure”, a commencement commemorative video clip, showed highlights of moments in students’ life and learning on campus: their perseverance in training, strong will in facing major competitions, smiling faces in volunteer services, cheering-up in sports meetings, and the ever-glowing lights in laboratories. Faculty and students resonated with these moments and memories of the past.

The Commencement Ceremony started with the solemn flag-raising ceremony and the performance of the national anthem.

Xie Jiangling presented certificates of honor and graduation gifts to representatives of outstanding graduates, representatives of students joining College Student Volunteer Service Western Project, and representatives of recipients of the Employment Red Star Award. He encouraged students to make greater contributions to our nation and bring knowledge and skills to wherever they were most needed.

Guo Fu presented certificates of honor and graduation gifts to recipients of degree with honors and encouraged them to embark on the journey with curiosity and thirst for knowledge.

Themed on “Embracing the ‘Unscripted Answers’ of Your Open Road”, President Guo Fu addressed the Commencement Ceremony. “The track is safe. But the open country is wider.” Guo Fu told students. What tended to arrive earlier than failure in a young person’s life was not setback. It was the quiet hold that “the right answer” had on our imagination. It could lead students to believe that life, like a multiple-choice exam, had a single optimal solution — if only they were rational enough, disciplined enough, relentless enough to find it. However, what he worried about was that students may have learned to be excellent too early. They had learned how to become good at proving themselves, and not yet very good at knowing themselves. They had become very good at meeting the world’s expectations, and less and less sure of their own inner direction. They might become someone who looked finished, when they were really just beginning.

Guo Fu commented that we were living through a moment in which answers were becoming remarkably cheap and questions became precious. He offered five thoughts by way of parting counsel. First, allow yourself to hesitate and allow yourself to change your mind. The “right path” that others described to you was not worth mistaking for destiny. The detours you took, the plans you revised, the things you tried and stepped away from were the years in which you actually become yourself. Second, leave room for passion, responsibility, and conviction. Life was not only competition. There was also passion, friendship, dignity, and many other things. For a quiet and enduring love, and a responsibility you were willing to shoulder, often revealed more about who you were than any passing gain or loss. Third, do not be confined by a single label, or trapped within one small corner of the world. Do not live your life as a perfect resume. Labels may help others recognize you, but they cannot complete the work of becoming yourself. A platform may give you a place to start with, but it should never become the boundary of your imagination. Fourth, direction mattered more than speed; cost mattered more than outcome; and what was worthwhile mattered more than what was merely useful. While the age was urging you to run ever faster, do remember to pause and ask where you were going, what price you were paying for this result, and whether it was worth pursuing. And fifth, preserve your ability to ask questions, and preserve your freedom to judge for yourself. Facing with “confident answers” from the times, industries, and people around you, you should leave yourself room to ask questions and to make sure whether the answer truly belonged to you.

“Four years ago, you came to this university looking for answers. Today, I hope you leave it ready to find the questions that are truly yours. This university does not hope to send you out as ‘a typical BISTU graduate.’ We hope to send you out as a BISTU graduate unlike any other. May you set out with skill — and travel with freedom. May you have the ability to answer. And may you have, more than anything, the quiet confidence not to answer everything too quickly.” Guo Fu concluded the address.

Vice Chairperson Xin Hongguang announced the decisions on commending outstanding graduates and recipients of the Employment Red Star Award.

Vice President Wang Xingfen announced the decisions on awarding degrees and commending recipients of outstanding Ph.D. dissertation and master dissertation, and awarding degrees with honors.

Cheng Yong, President and Co-founder of Rich Land Capital and an alumnus of Business School, shared experiences with students. A positive mindset was always necessary for vicissitudes of life. Courage remained the strongest backup for you to enter the society. And it was also necessary to keep the bottom line, which was an indispensible part for long-term growth. He added that students should find the passion of doing things.

Prof. Qin Lei of College of Applied Science delivered a speech titled “Self confidence, self-enhancement, and self reliance” as the representative of faculty. Based on his own experiences in academic research, he encouraged students to remain confidence in doing research. BISTU looked forward to seeing you back often. He added.

An unexpected rain shower prevented the scheduled speech to be delivered by representatives of graduates. However, all graduates joined the song “I am here for future”, which was a moment of completion for the Ceremony.

Graduates presented flowers to their teachers to express the most sincere gratitude for years of love, care, and education.

Vice President Zhang Jian offered the Alumni Association Flag to the 2026 BISTU Alumni Association. Warmth of alumni services would be ready for each and every BISTU graduate.

Xie Jiangling and Guo Fu awarded degrees to doctoral graduates and graduates joining College Student Volunteer Service Western Project.

Three sub venues were set at Shahe Campus for degree awarding ceremony held by BISTU colleges.

Around 4,000 BISTU graduates would embark on a new journey today, with resolution and courage. They would not follow scripted answers and dare to explore the unknown. They would become BISTUers unlike any other BISTUers.

The Commencement Ceremony was also attended by second-tier professors, members of BISTU Academic Affairs Committee, members of Academic Degree Evaluation Committee, chairpersons and deans of BISTU colleges, directors and deputies of BISTU departments and offices, faculty representatives, alumni representatives, parents of students, and all 2026 graduates.