哈佛校长的北大演讲:真理的追求与大学的使命

哈佛大学的第29任校长白乐瑞 (Lawrence S. Bacow)

2019年3月20日,哈佛大学校长白乐瑞(Lawrence S. Bacow)参访北京大学并发表了题为《真理的追求与大学的使命》的演讲。

哈佛校长莅临北京大学演讲

演讲原文如下:

谢谢您,郝校长。各位同行、同学、朋友,大家好。今天来到北京大学,我非常荣幸,感谢你们对我的热情欢迎。请接受我对贵校一百二十周年校庆的诚挚祝贺。

更令我感到荣幸的是,我这次到访,恰好是在五四运动百周年纪念日即将到来之际。五四运动是中国历史上一个值得骄傲的时刻。它是一代中国青年对世界的宣言:我们要追求真理,我们相信真理改变未来的力量。时至今日,我们还能听到蔡元培校长的声音: “大学者,‘囊括大典,网罗众家’之学府也…此思想自由之通则,而大学之所以为大也。” 北大人勇于探索新知,敢于推动变革,这首先得益于蔡元培校长的远见卓识。

今天我来到这里,就更热切地想要了解这所创立最早的中国大学之一。北大是为大学之道而建的大学,是为思想自由而建的大学。我来过中国很多次,既有私人旅行,也有公务访问。这次我作为哈佛大学校长访问中国,造访中国优秀的高等学府,感受尤为不同。哈佛和北大都有着对高等教育的坚定信念,两校的学生和学者之间有着深厚的联系和紧密的合作。无论是艺术和建筑,医学和公共卫生,还是工程和环境科学,他们在各个领域中共同创造的知识,都将让世界变得更加美好。我们应该记住,蔡元培不仅领导过北大,还协助创建了中央研究院、上海音乐学院以及国立艺术院。他的努力提醒我们,人文和自然科学都能够提升人类的精神境界,改善人类的生存处境。

从上上个世纪开始,哈佛大学就一直向东方探求知识,谋求合作。1879年,戈鲲化先生带着妻子和六个子女,不远万里从上海来到波士顿,成为了哈佛的第一位中文教师。他从中国带来的经典书卷,是哈佛获得的第一批亚洲语言文献,也是哈佛燕京图书馆最早的馆藏。一百四十年之后,哈佛燕京图书馆已经发展成为拥有一百五十万册藏书的大型图书馆,是亚洲以外最大的东亚学术资料库,其体量在哈佛全校八十余座图书馆中位居第三。哈佛燕京图书馆有很多数字化馆藏,比如“明清妇女著作”数据库,向全球的学者在线提供北大和哈佛共同收藏的珍贵文史资料。

在哈佛大学各学院的教授学者中,有超过三百位中国问题专家利用我们的东亚资料从事研究。我们研究中国的学者数量,在全美所有大学中首屈一指。这些学者和老师们从方方面面推动着我们对中国更深入的理解,包括中国的文化、历史、宗教、人类学、社会学、法律、教育、公共卫生、公共政策,以及商学。上个月,为了准备本次访华,我和他们当中的一些学者共进了午餐,了解了他们丰富的学术成果。那真是一次思想的盛宴。他们让我看到了以多重视角研究复杂的中国问题的必要性,更让我深刻领会了与世界分享中国知识的重要意义。当然,任何个人的能力都比不上集体的力量。哈佛成立了一系列的研究中心和研究所来支持、推广研究。费正清中国研究中心、哈佛亚洲中心以及哈佛中国基金等机构,全面地影响着哈佛对中国的思考方式,从教学研究到交流合作。它们当中最老的是哈佛燕京学社。九十年前,哈燕社正是在这里,从燕京大学的故址起步的。今天它仍然在支持各个领域的中国青年学者的学术成长。我们的这些机构当中最新的是哈佛全球研究基金。它从四年前启动时开始,就一直为不同规模的研究项目提供资金支持,大部分是关于中国的。为气候变化、网络安全、国际关系等重大挑战提供有效研究方法的解决方案,这不是一所大学、甚至一个国家所能做到的。要在这样的领域推动变革和进步,需要很多人跨学校、跨行业、跨文化、甚至跨政府的共同合作。

正因为如此,我们现在如何培养人才和智力资本,就至关重要。在哈佛的校园里,我们欢迎来自世界各地的有志者;我们相信他们能为我们的社区以及更广阔的世界作出贡献。今年一年之内,就有一千多名中国学生和超过一千名中国学者来到哈佛求学求知。这比来自其他任何国家的学生学者都多。他们的足迹遍布哈佛的每个学院。我们还有超过两千五百名中国的校友。如果戈鲲化先生今天能回到波士顿,看到很多和他一样生于中国的学者在哈佛任教,一定会感到欣慰。他如果得知中文已经成为哈佛第二热门的外语科目,一定会感到高兴。

我刚才介绍的这些数据和举例显示了我们对中国社会文化的浓厚兴趣,以及我们为之作出的巨大努力。但数字并不能完整地解释,作为一个大学社区的成员意味着什么。哈佛校园里的每一次对话,每一种互动,都透露着谦逊和希望。我们随时都愿意承认“我不知道”,我们随时都愿意和伙伴们相向行,面对挑战和失败,在追求知识的道路上一起憧憬成功的喜悦发现和创新的过程总是复杂而艰辛的。这个过程需要创造力和想像力,但更重要的是勤奋的工作。卓越不是轻而易举可以获取的,且谁都不可能仅凭一己之力取得成功 。

追求和创造知识的人们之间,总是有一种跨越时空的相互关怀。我还记得七十年代后期,我还是麻省理工学院的年轻教员时,一个中国学术代表团对学校进行过一次历史性的访问。漫长的分离一点都没有削弱师生同事之间的美好感情。他们中的很多人已经几十年没有见过面了,但他们就像刚分开不久的朋友一样相互问候,然后又开始讨论共同关心的学术课题。对我来说,这生动地证明,在严峻的经济政治社会条件下,大学仍然可以成为力量的来源。

我还想到第一届帕格沃什 [Pugwash] 科学与世界事务大会。在1957年紧张的冷战局势下,来自世界各地的二十二位著名科学家聚集在加拿大新斯科舍省,讨论热核武器的发展及其对文明的威胁。他们的集体努力为1963年部分禁止核试验条约、1968年不扩散核武器条约和其他若干重要协议奠定了基础。这二十二位与会者中,七位来自美国,三位来自苏联,三位来自日本,两位来自英国,两位来自加拿大,另外各有一位来自澳大利亚、奥地利、中国、法国和波兰。物理学家周培源教授是这二十二人中唯一的中国人。他后来还担任了北京大学的校长,并在1978年率团访美,谈判促成了中美之间的学者交流。我们应该感谢像周培源教授这样富有远见和勇气的领导者,始终把和平和共识放在首位。

当下,我们两国政府之间正在就一系列重要问题进行谈判。这些谈判有时很艰难;它们的结果将对全世界产生深远的影响。我相信,保持学者之间跨越国界的交流,对我们今天在座的所有人来说都至关重要。不仅如此,任何关心高等教育在人类生活中所起作用的人,都应该能够理解其中特殊的意义。

在这样的关键时刻,优秀的学府更应该发挥积极的作用。当然,哈佛在美国,北大在中国,我们都有责任为各自的社会做出贡献,促进各自国家以及全世界的发展。而我们作为大学,要真正承担起这样的责任,唯一的方法就是践行和维护那些能够超越国界的学术价值。我去年十月发表就职演说时,曾经谈到过这些基本价值。当时出席就职典礼的,有哈佛大学成百上千的学生、教授、职员、校友和友人,也有来自全球二百二十所院校的代表。我想现在和大家分享一些我当时发表的想法。

伟大的大学坚持真理,而追求真理需要不懈的努力。真理需要被发现,它只有在争论和试验中才会显露,它必须经过对不同的解释和理论的检验才能成立。这正是一所伟大大学的任务。各学科和领域的学者在大学里一起辩论,各自寻找证据来支持自己的理论,努力理解并解释我们的世界。

追求真理需要勇气。在自然科学中,想要推动范式转移的科学家常常被嘲讽,被放逐,甚至经历更大的厄运。在社会科学和人文学科里,学者们常常需要防备来自各个方面的政治攻击。

正因为这样,开创性的的思想和行动往往是从大学校园里开始生长。改变传统思维模式需要巨大的决心和毅力,也需要欢迎对立观点的意愿,需要直面自己错误的勇气。伟大的大学培养这些品质,鼓励人们倾听,鼓励人们发言。不同想法可以切磋,也可以争论,但不会被压制,更不会被禁止。

要坚持真理,我们就必须接受并欣赏思想的多元 。对挑战我们思想的人,我们应该欢迎他们到我们中间来,听取他们的意见。最重要的是,我们必须能够敏锐地去理解,但不急于作出评判。

我担任哈佛大学校长,还不到一年。但在这短暂的时间里,我们的校园里已经至少六次出现过有争议的问题,引起了热烈的讨论,有时甚至是激烈的争吵和公开的抗议。参加争论的有学生,有教职员工,也有校友和学校的友人。这样的争吵可能会让人感到不快。但它是一个社区健康的标志,是积极的公民参与的象征。事实上,如果有一个学期完全没有发生这样的辩论,那才是不正常的,甚至会让人感到不安。当意见冲突发生时,我们就不得不自问:我们想要一个怎样的社区?而正是这个问题维系并强化着我们的集体,让我们对真理的追求更加深刻。

我作为校长的职责往往并不是决定学校“正确”的立场,而是确保讨论渠道的畅通。从远处看,哈佛大学好像有一个统一的声音。但实际上,哈佛是不同声音交响共存的地方。而我们最为重要也最为困难的任务之一,就是让社区的所有成员都觉得他们可以畅所欲言。

改善我们的社区,改善我们的世界,这是我们大学的职责。目前,哈佛本科学院最热门的课程之一是“中国古典伦理与政治理论”。上个学期有425名本科生选修了这门课。当授课教授被问及对哈佛学生有什么建议时,他说,“我们的世界是由人类活动创造的。如果我们对世界不满意,我们就应该去改变它。千万不要落入危险的思想陷阱,以为世界本来就是这样。世界永远都在改变。”

伟大的大学不仅坚持真理,而且追求卓越。在我的就职演说中,我特别强调了哈佛师生卓越的天赋和惊人广泛的学术与事业追求。才华不仅绽放在课堂和实验室里,也飞扬在餐桌、操场和舞台上。和伙伴们共同学习生活为他们创造了改变和成长的机会,而这些机会,也许只有在这样的环境里才能存在。多样性之所以重要,是因为我们能够从我们的差别中受益。我们很容易想象,如果所有人的背景、兴趣、经验和想法都一样,大学只会变得沉闷无趣。

人们常常问我哈佛成功的秘诀。我们所有的成功,都是在他人的帮助下实现的。如果没有全球其他优秀高等院校的挑战和激励,如果不能向同行学习、与他人合作,我们绝不会像现在这么成功。仅仅在美国,就有四千余所大专院校。它们惊人地多样,有的专注于本科教育,有的兼顾本科生、研究生和职业教育;有的专注于艺术和音乐等单个学术领域,有的同时推动多学科的发展。它们都在为人才和资源竞争;但它们又都以其他学校为榜样,谋求自己的进步。

哈佛也不例外。我们向或远或近的邻居们学习。我们正在和麻省理工学院的合作伙伴们一起探索如何通过技术让更多的人享受我们的教育资源。我们的联合在线教育平台 edX 已经为超过一千八百万名学习者提供了教育机会,而这一数字还在增加。与此同时,这些学习者们也为我们提供了教育科学的新视角。

从2013年开始,北大也加入了我们的平台。在参加 HarvardX 课程的同时,学生同样可以选修 PekingX 课程。从民俗和语法,到音乐和药物发现,再到营养学和机器人,这些课程包罗万象。北大的听课学生,因此增加了几十万人。更广泛地共享知识的宝藏,是我对哈佛和其他所有高等院校的期望。我们能够而且应该用我们的卓越来帮助那些也许永远没有机会踏入我们校园的人们,让他们的世界也变得更好。

最后,伟大的大学意味着机会。我的父母是作为难民来到美国的。我的父亲幼年时为了逃离迫害从东欧移民美国。我的母亲是奥斯维辛集中营的幸存者。他们在饱经丧乱之后远渡重洋,通过自己的努力获得了进学求知的机会。他们认识到教育在他们新的国家的重要性,并支持我升学深造。如果没有他们的支持和教育的帮助,我今天不可能来到这里,和你们畅谈我的感悟。和无数其他人的经历一样,上大学让我能够成功。我希望中国以及世界各地的青年们都能理解这样一个简单的道理:如果你想要有所成就,教育将帮你实现梦想。

我们的大学必须继续坚持这些让我们在历史的长河中与众不同的价值:真理,卓越,和机会。我们必须维护和强化我们之间的学术交流,让我们能够携手共进、引领世界。

最后,我引用中国伟大的现代诗人阿布都热依木·吾提库尔的诗结束这次演讲:

漫漫人生路上,我寻觅真理,

向往正义的途中,我苦思冥想。

我时时刻刻祈望着倾诉的机会,

用哪些充满意义和魅力的词语。

来吧,我的朋友们,

让我们畅所欲言,各抒胸臆。

哈佛大学和北京大学正在共同的道路上前行。我们的师生们维系并拓展着我们的联系,继续探索研究,增进善意。让我们继续相互学习,在知识和智慧中成长!再次感谢你们的热情欢迎。来到北大是我的荣幸。愿我们两校的师生在未来的对话中继续畅所欲言,各抒胸臆。

The Pursuit of Truth and the Mission of the University

Peking University, Beijing, China

As prepared for delivery.

Thank you, President Hao. Thank you, colleagues, students, and friends. It is an honor to be here at Peking University, and I am very grateful for the warm welcome you have given me. Please accept my congratulations on your recent 120th anniversary.

It is a special honor for me to visit you as you approach another anniversary, the centennial of the May Fourth Movement, a proud moment in your history that demonstrated to the world a deep commitment on the part of young Chinese to the pursuit of truth—and a deep understanding of the power of truth to shape the future. Even now, President Cai Yuanpei speaks to us. “Universities are places for grand learning,” he said. “They are grand because they follow the general principle of free thought.” Under his visionary leadership, tremendous intellectual exploration and dramatic social change were unleashed.

I join you today eager to learn more about one of the oldest universities in China—a university devoted to grand learning and free thought. My personal and professional travels have brought me to China many times. But it is truly extraordinary to experience this country and some of its great institutions as the president of Harvard University. Harvard and Beida share a deep and enduring commitment to higher education. We enjoy many strong connections and collaborations among our students and our faculty, who are generating knowledge that will change the world for the better—be it through art and architecture, through medicine and public health, or through engineering and environmental science. We should remember that that Cai Yuanpei not only led this university, but also helped to found the Academia Sinica, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and the China Academy of Art. His example reminds us of the power of both the arts and the sciences to elevate the human spirit and improve the human condition.

Harvard has long looked eastward for expertise and partnership. In 1879, Mr. Ge Kunhua traveled from Shanghai to Cambridge with his wife and six children to become Harvard’s first instructor in Mandarin Chinese. The volumes he carefully transported to our campus were Harvard’s first books in any Asian language, and they became the original holdings of the Harvard-Yenching Library. One hundred and forty years and more than 1.5 million volumes later, it is now the largest academic library for East Asian studies outside of Asia—and the third largest of the University’s dozens of libraries. Among its many digitized collections are Chinese women’s writings of the Ming and Qing periods—an online archive that makes important materials from both Beida and Harvard accessible to scholars worldwide.

These tremendous resources are used by some of the more than three hundred faculty across Harvard who study China—the largest group at any American university. These scholars and teachers deepen and strengthen understanding of Chinese culture, history, religion, anthropology, sociology, law, education, public health, public policy, and business. Last month, in preparation for this trip, I joined some of them for lunch to learn more about their diverse scholarship. It was nothing short of an intellectual feast, and I was reminded of the tremendous value of studying China in all its complexity and of sharing knowledge of China with the wider world.

Of course, no one person can hope to accomplish as much as a team of people can. My university supports and amplifies the important work of our faculty through a variety of centers and institutes. The Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, the Harvard Asia Center, the Harvard China Fund: these initiatives have shaped how Harvard thinks about its engagement with China in every dimension—from teaching and research to exchange and collaboration. The oldest of these is the Harvard-Yenching Institute, which got its start right here on the grounds of the old Yenching University some 90 years ago, and which continues today to support the training of outstanding young Chinese scholars in every field. The Harvard Global Institute, the newest of our efforts, was launched four years ago to provide funding for small- and large-scale research projects, the majority of which are focused on China. Effective approaches and solutions to challenges posed by climate change, cybersecurity threats, and international relations will not be developed by a single university—or a single nation. Change and adaptation in these and other areas will require many people collaborating across schools, sectors, and societies, as well as governments.

For this reason, how we choose to nurture human and intellectual capital at this moment is extraordinarily consequential. At Harvard, we welcome to our campus individuals from around the world who we believe will make meaningful contributions to our community and to the wider world. This year, over 1,000 students and more than 1,000 scholars have joined us from China—the largest cohort from any nation. They are learning and working in every School at the University. We also have more than 2,500 alumni who call China home. If Ge Kunhua were to return to Cambridge today, no doubt he would be gratified to see that there are many Harvard professors who, like him, were born in China and are now teaching at the University; he would also be pleased, I think, to learn that Chinese is the second-most widely studied foreign language at Harvard.

The numbers and examples I have just shared communicate important and meaningful commitments, but they cannot fully capture what it means to be a member of a university community. Each interaction that unfolds, each relationship that blossoms on our campuses depends on both humility and hope—a willingness to say to others “I do not know,” to look in the same direction with them, and to imagine success—and risk failure—in the joint pursuit of knowledge. The work of discovery and innovation is messy and laborious. It requires creativity and imagination, but it mainly requires hard work. Excellence is never achieved easily—and nobody gets anywhere of consequence in this world on his or her own.

People who seek and generate knowledge share a special connection across time and that extends across space. I recall being a young faculty member at MIT in the late 1970s and witnessing a historic visit from a delegation of visiting scholars from China. Long separation had not weakened the bonds of affection among students and their teachers or faculty and their colleagues, some of whom had not seen each other for decades. They greeted one another as if they had been apart for only a short while and soon found themselves engaged again in areas of common interest. It was powerful evidence to me that universities can be sources of strength through tough economic, political, and social times.

I am also reminded of the first Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs. In 1957, as Cold War tensions mounted, twenty-two of the world’s eminent scientists gathered in Nova Scotia to discuss the development of thermonuclear weapons and the threat their use posed to civilization. Their collective work helped to pave the way for the Partial Test Ban Treaty of 1963 and the Non-Proliferation Treaty of 1968, among other consequential agreements. There were twenty-two attendees—seven from the United States, three from the Soviet Union, three from Japan, two from the United Kingdom, two from Canada, and one each from Australia, Austria, China, France, and Poland. Professor Zhou Peiyuan, a physicist and the sole Chinese member of the group, later became president of this great institution and, in 1978, led a delegation that arranged for scholarly exchange between China and the United States. We owe thanks to people like Professor Zhou Peiyuan for their farsighted and courageous leadership and for putting peace and mutual understanding above all other considerations.

As I speak to you now, our governments are engaged in important and at times difficult discussions over a range of issues—and those discussions have implications that reverberate around the world. I believe that sustaining the bonds that join scholars across borders is of the utmost importance for all of us gathered here today—and for anyone who cares about the unique role that higher education plays in the lives of countless people.

It is at crucial times like these that leading universities have a special role to play. To be sure, Harvard is an American university, and Beida is a Chinese university. Our institutions have a responsibility to contribute positively to our own societies and to the national good, as well as to the world at large. But as universities we fulfill this charge precisely by embodying and defending academic values that transcend the boundaries of any one country. I spoke about some of those values when I delivered my inaugural presidential address in October. In the audience were hundreds of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends from Harvard, as well as delegates from 220 colleges and universities from around the world. I thought I would share with you now some of the thoughts I shared then.

Great universities stand for truth, and the pursuit of truth demands perpetual effort. Truth has to be discovered, revealed through argument and experiment, tested on the anvil of opposing explanations and ideas. This is precisely the function of a great university, where scholars in every field and discipline debate and marshal evidence in support of their theories, as they strive to understand and explain our world.

This search for truth has always required courage, both in the sciences, where those who seek to shift paradigms have often initially met with ridicule, banishment, and worse, and in the social sciences, arts, and humanities, where scholars have often had to defend their ideas from political attacks on all sides.

It is no wonder, then, that transformational thought and action often take root on university campuses. Overturning conventional wisdom takes a remarkable amount of grit and determination, as well as a willingness to welcome contrary views and to risk being proved wrong. Great universities nurture these qualities. They are places where individuals are encouraged both to listen and to speak, where the value of an idea is discussed and debated—not suppressed or silenced.

If we stand for truth, we must appreciate diversity in every possible dimension. We must invite into our communities those people who challenge our thinking—and listen to them. Most of all, we must embrace the difficult task of being quick to understand and slow to judge.

I have been president of Harvard for less than a year. In that short span of time, no less than half a dozen controversial issues have arisen on our campus, generating impassioned discussions—and even some spirited arguments and public protests—among students, faculty, and staff, as well as alumni and friends of the University. Such arguments can cause discomfort. But they are signs of a healthy community and of active and engaged citizenship. In fact, it would be unusual and, frankly, unsettling if a semester went by without any episode of disagreement. When conflict does arise, it forces us to ask: What kind of community do we want to be? And that question sustains and strengthens us—and enriches our search for truth.

In many circumstances, my role as president is not to define the “correct” position of the University but to keep the channels of discussion open. From a distance, Harvard can appear to be a place that speaks in one voice. It is, in fact, a place of many voices. And one of the most important—and most difficult—of our tasks is to ensure that all members of the community feel empowered to speak their minds.

Changing our communities—changing the world—is our responsibility. One of the most popular classes at Harvard College is an ethical reasoning course called Classical Chinese Ethical and Political Theory—425 undergraduates took it last semester. When the professor who teaches the course was asked if he had any advice for students at Harvard, he said, and I quote, “The world we’re living in has been created by human activities, and if we’re not happy with the world we’re living in, it’s up to us to change it. Never fall into the danger of thinking this just is the way things are. The world is always changing.”

Great universities stand not just for truth, but for excellence. At my inauguration, I focused on the remarkable array of pursuits to which students and faculty apply their considerable talents. Brilliance is demonstrated not only in classrooms and laboratories, but also around dinner tables, on playing fields, and on the stage. Living and learning with others creates opportunities to change and grow, opportunities that may not exist in other contexts. It is important to embrace diversity because we learn from our differences. Universities would be dull places indeed if everyone shared the same backgrounds, interests, experiences, and ideas.

I am often asked to share the secret of Harvard’s excellence. Whatever we accomplish, we accomplish with the help of others. Without the world’s other excellent institutions of higher education to challenge and inspire us, without others to learn from and work with, we could not be nearly as successful as we are. The United States alone is home to some four thousand colleges and universities, and they are remarkably diverse. Some are devoted entirely to undergraduate education, others to undergraduate, graduate, and professional studies. Some are focused on a single academic area—art or music, for example—while others advance a wide variety of fields and disciplines. Each of them competes for talent and resources; all of them look to one another for examples of where and how they might improve.

Harvard is no exception. We learn from our neighbors near and far. We are exploring with partners at MIT the opportunities to improve access to our educational resources through technology. EdX, our joint online learning platform, is opening up educational opportunities to more than 18 million learners and counting. They, in turn, offered us new insights into the science of learning.

Along with HarvardX courses, such students take PekingX courses that have covered everything from folklore, grammar, and music to drug discovery, nutrition, and robotics since Beida joined our effort in 2013. You have reached hundreds of thousands more people than you would have otherwise. Sharing the riches of learning more broadly is one of my aspirations for Harvard and for all of higher education. Our excellence can—and should—help to make the world better for individuals who may never set foot on our campuses.

Finally, great universities stand for opportunity. My parents came to the United States as refugees. My father arrived as a child after escaping the pogroms of Eastern Europe. My mother survived the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz. As new immigrants in a foreign country, they saw clearly the importance of education and, having worked hard themselves to gain an education, encouraged me in my own studies. Without education, I would not be here today speaking with all of you. Attending college enabled my success, just as it has enabled the success of countless other people. I want to ensure that young people in China and every part of the world understand a simple truth: If you want to get ahead, education is the vehicle that will take you there.

Our institutions must continue to stand for those values which have distinguished us throughout our long histories: truth, excellence, and opportunity. And we must sustain and strengthen the collegial bonds that enable our work together on behalf of the entire world.

I wish to leave you today with the words of one of China’s great modern poets, Abdurehim Ötkür:

Along life’s road I have always sought truth,
In the search for verity, thought was always my guide.
My heart yearned without end for a chance of expression,
And longed to find words of meaning and grace.
Come, my friends, let our dialogue joyfully begin.

Harvard University and Peking University are on the same road together. We will continue to seek meaning and grace through relationships created and nurtured by our faculty and our students. May we continue to learn from one another and grow in knowledge and wisdom. Thank you, again, for welcoming me so warmly today. It has truly been an honor—and my pleasure. May our dialogue joyfully endure.

来源: 哈佛中心上海 2019年3月20日


发表回复