On April 20, the 16th Graduate Academic & Cultural Festival sponsored by the Youth League Committee, the Graduate School and the Graduate Student Affairs Office and organized by the Graduate Student Council, kicked off in the academic hall of Boxue Building. Qian Longhai, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors and Party Secretary of First Capital Securities Co., Ltd and President of China Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Institute of CUEB; Liu Yongchen, General Manager Assistant of Retail Finance Division of China Merchants Bank (Beijing Branch); Li Xiaoou, Secretary of the Youth League Committee of CUEB, and Ruan Jing, Deputy Dean of the Graduate School, attended the opening ceremony. This activity was hosted by Zhou Congzhou, Deputy Secretary of the Youth League Committee.

The opening ceremony began with a themed video “Glance at CUEB Graduate Academic & Cultural Festival”. This video presented a series of colorful online and offline activities organized by CUEB Graduate Union and its secondary schools in recent festivals, showing positive academic attitude of graduate students.

Then, Ruan Jing delivered a speech on behalf of the Graduate School and extended congratulations to the opening ceremony. Ruan mentioned that the Festival is a traditional characteristic activity of CUEB and also a platform to display graduates’ literary grace and develop their comprehensive competences. He called on graduates, as young people of a new era, to forge ahead together with China for a shared future. Through extensive academic exchanges, CUEB students should create more brilliant academic achievements and commit themselves to building CUEB into a modern, international, multi-disciplinary and distinctively first-rate and world-renowned university of finance and economics.

In the third part of ceremony agenda, Zhang Ziyun, Chairman of the Graduate Union, introduced major activities. Festival of this year was themed “Tenacious in knowledge and diligent in thinking, with companions in the way of research”, which consists of three sections: “Be Diligent in Knowledge”, “Be Brave in Practice” and “Be Strict in Morality”. Furthermore, various activities were designed in scientific research, practice, culture and other aspects. These activities will be open to all master and doctoral students of CUEB, aiming to further activate academic atmosphere, broaden students’ horizons and improve the innovative and practical ability.

Finally, Liu Yongchen, General Manager Assistant of Retail Finance Division of China Merchants Bank (Beijing Branch) and student of the Class of 2003, delivered a speech. On behalf of the China Merchants Bank, Pengyang Asset Management Co.,Ltd, Cigna & CMB, and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s Ele.Me, Liu expressed congratulations to the opening ceremony of this festival and expressed the willingness to participate in the Industry-University Cooperation Education, build a platform for graduate students to serve the society with their expertise and further cultivate their practical and innovative abilities. Subsequently, Li Xiaoou revealed the subjects of the Research Practice Competition for “China Merchants Bank Cup”. The subjects were proposed by four cooperative enterprises with CUEB, namely, “Research on the Construction of College Campus Ordering Scene”, “Study on the Development Trend of Domestic Commercial Insurance from the View of Commercial Insurance’s Role in Developed Countries’ Pension System”, “Build Pension Product System to Promote Consumption Upgrading and Endowment Wealth Reserve under the Dual Circulation” and “Future Development of Digital Economy”. Besides, these enterprises shall assign tutors to guide students to complete projects in team and shall offer financial reward to the winning team.

After the opening ceremony, the first academic lecture of the 16th Graduate Academic & Cultural Festival was held in the Academic Hall of Boxue Building. Qian Longhai, student of the Class of 2003, gave an academic report titled “ESG and China's Economic Development” to teachers and students. He explained the relationship between ESG investment and high-quality economic development from the following 5 parts: basic concepts and development of ESG and ESG investment, the establishment of complete ESG ecosystems in advanced economies, the primary stage of developing ESG ecosystem in China, and the prospects for ESG to become the mainstream investment concept in China. Therefore, Qian believed that ESG can help solve urgent problems facing China. After the report, Qian also communicated with the students about more questions and expressed his expectations of them. He hoped that everyone can aim high, and meanwhile take practical steps to work hard, seize opportunities to polish oneself and then contribute to China’s economy.