Beijing Normal-Hong Kong Baptist University (BNBU) welcomed over 2,400 new students from home and abroad in late August 2025. They are the 20th cohort since the university’s founding, and the first to be admitted under its new name.
"Your decision to join us marks not only the beginning of a new chapter in your lives but also your important role in the ongoing development of this young university," President Prof Chen Zhi told the new students during the Inauguration Ceremonies.
He also introduced the audience to the latest progress of the university and its future plan, including the construction status of the Phase II campus, the recent establishment of the School of AI and Liberal Arts, and the forthcoming world tour of BNBU's Yayue Orchestra. "These new platforms, resources, and opportunities are all aimed at better serving your growth," Prof Chen said. "Your development is BNBU's deepest expectation."
This year marks the 20th anniversary of BNBU. Over the past two decades, more than 20,000 students have walked through its gates to explore the world with expertise, solid skills, and confidence. Now, new faces gather here once again, ready to grow and shine over the next four years.
To help them navigate their journey, Provost Prof Patrick Chau posed three guiding questions: What’s here? What do I need? How to make it work for me? "University education is, at its core, a journey of self-discovery. Unlike high school, where answers are often given, here you will learn to seek them out on your own," he said, and encouraged the students to be open-minded and learn from everything around them.
Party Secretary of the University Party Committee and Vice President (Administration) Prof Mao Yaqing also shared his thoughts. "The true meaning of university education does not lie in shaping you all the same, but in empowering you to discover your unique shape through learning and experience," he said. He encouraged students to develop social awareness through community life and grow into warm yet resilient individuals capable of critical thinking in the age of AI.
As the first modern university to uphold Liberal Arts Education, BNBU's students will be well-cultivated as holistic, interdisciplinary, and critical-minded graduates.
Student representative Monika Angel Wisan said: "I believe the next few years will shape us in ways we can’t yet imagine, and I can’t wait to see where it leads."
Student representative Liu Yanan added: "Let’s explore wildly, learn voraciously, and lift one another relentlessly. Let us not simply attend this university; let us co-author its next extraordinary chapter," she said.
BNBU President Prof Chen Zhi presents Full Entrance Scholarships to 25 first-year students
The first-year students attend the Inauguration Ceremonies
From MPRO
Reporter: Cecilia Yu, Camelia Deng
Photographer: Hanna He
