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About ZISU
About ZISU
Mission
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“The way of great learning consists in manifesting one's bright virtue, consists in loving the people, consists in stopping in perfect goodness.” —The Great Learning
—The Great Learning
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“A scholar can not but be broad-minded and strong-willed because his burden is heavy and his course is long. He regards the practice of benevolence as his own burden. Isn’t the burden heavy? Only when his life comes to an end can he stop the practice. Isn’t the course long?”
—The Analects
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“His being erudite and fond of classics had attracted to his court many men of preeminent learning.”
—The Preface of Summons for a Recluse, The Songs of Chu
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“The ability of understanding and practicality can be described as the culmination of learning.”
—Book of Rites, Record on the Subject of Education
Vision
The ethos of a university, formed through its long-term educational practice, is a cultural form that embodies the unique soul of the school. It carries on its tradition, reflects its distinctive characteristics, and creates shared values among the teachers and students. “Learning Chinese Dao, Beautifying the World with Languages” serves as the ethos of Zhejiang International Studies University. It represents the school’s pursuit of values in founding, operating, education and scholarship, echoes the spirit of the school motto and anthem, and constitutes the value system for the institution.
Dao (道，dào) is the core concept of traditional Chinese culture, which represents truth and the highest wisdom. The Daodejing: Classic of the Way and Virtue says, “Scholars of the highest class, when they learn the Dao, earnestly carry it into practice.” To “learn the Dao” means to rise and act diligently and unremittingly to achieve the unity of knowledge and action. The Analects by Confucius states, “If a person learns the Dao in the morning, he may die without regret in the evening,” which implies an urgent pursuit of truth or faith. This spirit embodies our school’s ethos of hard work, self-improvement, bold innovation, and determined progress. Since its establishment in 1955, our university has not only aspired to pursue truth and scholarship, but also dedicated itself to the cultivation of excellent students, a teaching tradition passed down through generations.
Learning Chinese Dao, Beautifying the World with Languages
“Beautifying the World with Languages” represents the university’s new mission after its transformation in 2010. It shows that the school sets itself the task of carrying out its education and scholarly research based on the disciplines of foreign languages and literatures in order to showcase the harmonious beauty of diverse languages and cultures converging and blending. The phrase not only implies that the teachers and students of the school have the grand ambition of “connecting with the world”, but also reflects their aspirations to implement the provincial government’s requirements for building a “renowned foreign language institution” of international prestige characterized by serving new types of international relations. It signifies that the school aims to cultivate high-end application-oriented talents with patriotism and global vision, proficient in foreign languages with strong digital intelligence capabilities, and capable of fulfilling the mission of cultural exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, and communicating Chinese and Zhejiang culture worldwide. It also demonstrates the school’s conscious undertaking of strengthening international communication capabilities, dedicating itself to telling China’s stories well, spreading China’s voice, deepening mutual learning among civilizations, and promoting the communication of Chinese culture to the world.