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| Officiating guests preside over the cake-cutting ceremony |
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| Chief Executive of Macao SAR and Chancellor of UM Dr. Chui Sai On attended the Gala Dinner |
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| Senior Researcher at the Jao Tsung-I Petite Ecole, the University of Hong Kong, Dr. Peter Cheng Wai Ming, presents the calligraphic inscription by Jao Tsung-I to UM |
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| More than a thousand people attended the dinner |
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| Rector Wei Zhao delivered a speech |
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| Group photo of UM founders and founding rector |
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| Performance of UM’s 30th Anniversary Theme Song by UM alumni |
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| Group photo |
Today (5 November), the University of Macau (UM) held the 30th Anniversary Gala Dinner. This year marks the 30th anniversary of UM, and throughout the year the university has organized nearly a hundred events to celebrate the milestone. The 30th Anniversary Gala Dinner was one of the highlights and took a long time to prepare.
More than a thousand people attended the Gala Dinner, including Chief Executive of Macao SAR and Chancellor of UM Dr. Chui Sai On; Director of the Department of Education and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Macao SAR Liu Xiaohang; Vice Chairman of Zhuhai Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Secretary of the Hengqin New Area Management Committee Liu Jia; co-founders and several former rectors of UM; the three recipients of this year’s honorary doctorates; members of UM’s University Assembly and University Council; government officials; donors and scholarship sponsors; principals and representatives of local higher education institutions and secondary schools; media and community representative; and alumni, students and staff. Chief Executive and UM Chancellor Dr. Chui Sai On, UM’s University Council Chair Dr. Tse Chi Wai, UM Rector Wei Zhao, President of the General Assembly of UM Alumni Association Dr. Ao Peng Kong, and President of the General Assembly of the UM Students' Union Ms. Huang Xiaoqi officiated at the cake-cutting ceremony.
At the Gala Dinner, UM received an extremely precious birthday gift: a calligraphic inscription that read “University of Macau”, written by the master of traditional Chinese culture Prof. Jao Tsung-I. Another special gift was from Dr. Wong King Keung, one of the co-founders of the University of East Asia (UEA, the predecessor of UM); Prof. Hsueh Shou Sheng, the founding and the third rector of UEA, who returned from Canada just to attend the Gala Dinner; Prof. Li Tianqing, the fourth rector; Prof. Zhou Ligao, the sixth rector; and Prof. Iu Vai Pan, the seventh rector. They shared with the audience how UM developed from a university with some sixty students to an international comprehensive university, and their vivid recollection took the audience time travelling through the thirty years.
Apart from the numerous important VIPs, another highlight of the Gala Dinner was the performances by the students and alumni, including several classic numbers by UM Choir and the Symphonic Band and a performance by three UM alumni and local singers Rico Long, Ken So and Anna Choi, of the 30th anniversary theme song, which was written by the famous Hong Kong songwriter Joe Lei, who is also an UM alumnus. To express thanks, UM gave each attending guest a specially-made music box playing the background music of the theme song as a gift.
In his speech, UM Rector Wei Zhao made a birthday wish for UM: living up to President Hu Jintao’s expectations and strive to achieve the goal of building a first-rate university. He said: “To that end, we are going to launch the 4-component-based pedagogical model to enhance our education. Also, we will build a quality and competitive teaching team. Last but not least, the launching of our new campus and the reform of the management system are all parts of our commitment to fulfilling the mission of UM. Today, at its thirty years of age, the University is firmly grounded in Macao, and from this launching pad, off we blast into a new height!”
