On November 15, 2020, the School of Political Science & International Relations (SPSIR) of Tongji University, together with the Qinghai Students Recruitment Group of Tongji University, held a talk with Tongji Undergraduates of Class 2020 from Qinghai in Conference Room 113, Yifu Building, Tongji University. More than 20 Qinghai undergraduates of class 2020 were invited to the talk. Tongji Distinguished Professor Men Honghua, Dean of SPSIR and head of the recruitment group, attended the event and participated in the talk from beginning to end. Professor Xu Hong, Secretary of the Party Committee of SPSIR, Li Guoliang from the Admission Office of Tongji University, Associate Professor Li Xiaohong and Assistant Professor Liu Xiaoyang, members of the recruitment group, took part in the discussion. Professor Zhong Zhenming, Associate Dean of SPSIR, moderated the meeting.

At the meeting, Dean Men first affectionately recalled his past experience of taking a temporary post at Qinghai Provincial Party School, his experience of investigation in various regions of Qinghai, and his impression and praise of the beautiful Qinghai, and expressed his wishes to carry out more surveys and gain better understanding of Qinghai by virtue of the undergraduate enrollment as an opportunity to serve Tongji and Qinghai. On this basis, he encouraged the students to pay attention to the external world and the China-world relationship, and expected them to contribute to the research on and development of Qinghai together. In the meantime, Dean Men cared much about the study and life of the students, saying that they would need some time to fit in Shanghai and Tongji. He encouraged the students to put forward their expectations and bewilderment at this symposium, and said that the School and the recruitment group would provide assistance as much as possible, enabling them to adapt to the new environment quickly.

Professor Xu Hong amiably recalled her experience of visiting senior high schools in Qinghai for recruitment consultation, when she felt the pride of the middle school leaders for students' admission to Tongji University. She hoped that the students with the ardent expectation from their mother school could play the role of a seeding machine, and introduce their Tongji life to the younger schoolmates of their mother school, so as to attract more excellent students to Tongji University. Professor Xu encouraged the students to adapt to their new life at Tongji, discover their own characteristics, and always strive for excellence. Then, teacher Li Guoliang talked about his deep impression of Qinghai from his avatar of Qinghai Lake that he had used for three years, and pointed out that as a graduate of Tongji, he had also experienced the same stage and state as those young students. He encouraged them to speak freely at the symposium, saying that he would be like a big brother to offer advice and help to everyone. Associate Professor Li Xiaohong, on behalf of the recruitment group, hoped the students to speak out their views and needs, and unite and live in harmony like brothers and sisters.

During the event, all students from Qinghai spoke enthusiastically, talking about their fate with Tongji, the process of exam preparation, the ecstasy of being admitted to Tongji, the problems after coming to Tongji, the confusion about major selection and the challenges in adapting to the new life, as well as their determination to make unremitting efforts and their confidence in the future. Chen Weiran, a major in Civil Engineering and Environment, was the first to speak. He said that he felt an open and inclusive atmosphere at Tongji, which motivated him to improve himself as much as possible. Zhou Nan from the Medical Experimental Class also talked about her weakness, but added that she “felt that she managed to get out of the predicament” and that she would “be on the road, never stop”. Wang Shengjie majoring in Intelligent Manufacturing said that he still fell behind others, but 'believed that practice makes perfect'. Shi Ziyu from the Social Science Experimental Class believed that the potential of Qinghai students had not been fully tapped and that they would 'smash the past and reshape the future' after entering the university, holding the opinion that “the destination rather than the starting point matters”. Xu Hao majoring in Intelligent Transportation and Vehicles was quite satisfied with his major. He said that his classmates are very friendly to him and help him solve difficult problems. Some students also expressed confusion about whether they could choose their favorite major, how to balance between their parents' choices and their own interests, and how to make up for their weaknesses as soon as possible. The teachers present responded to these questions one by one. In addition, they introduced the overall development and majors of Tongji University, and put forward many suggestions for students on how to overcome the study pressure, plan for their personal life, improve their English capability and so on. The talk was lively and filled with laughter, where both teachers and students enjoyed themselves. Originally scheduled for two hours, the event was extended to three hours, quite rewarding for the participating students.

Finally, Dean Men once again thanked all the students from Qinghai for attending today's event. He felt the simplicity, steadfastness, perseverance, openness and gratitude of the students. Therefore, he was very happy for this and put his mind at ease for the students from Qinghai. He told them that Tongji is a place to cultivate elites, and students feel stressed out because they have higher goals and desire for success and excellence. In addition, he said that undergraduates should place emphasis on laying a foundation for the establishment of knowledge framework in the future, and only by doing so could help them go far. Dean Men encouraged the students to enjoy both study and pressure, stating that success belongs to the persevering ones, as the famous saying goes, “walking until the end of brook, and just sitting down to watch cloud rising”. He looked forward to more in-depth exchanges with the students, and encouraged and required them to help with Tongji’s enrollment in Qinghai in the future.