For over 120 years, Southwest Jiaotong University has been a magnet for young intellectuals thirsty for knowledge. The university witnessed many of the historical moments of modern China. It was founded in Shanghaiguan on the Great Wall in the Qing Dynasty and has successfully managed to weather the sands of time. It moved to Tangshan, a coastal city close to the capital of China, and experienced the different regimes that ruled. After surviving a natural disaster, it relocated to the foot of Emei Mountain where it flourished in a verdant and lush environment. Finally, the university found a permanent home in Chengdu, embellishing itself with the rich cultural and historical heritage of the city. Generations of faculty and students have conscientiously and continuously worked on elevating the academic level of the university and their persistent efforts have resulted in fruitful harvests. The glory and grandeur of the University remains untarnished through the lapse of time.
The School of Foreign Languages of Southwest Jiaotong University has an effective and cooperative team. As an integral part of the century old University, this team is now making strenuous efforts to rejuvenate the nation.
We understand that the rise and fall of a nation hinges on its education, without which there will be nothing to develop from. We believe that only qualified, competent and professional teachers can shoulder such a big responsibility, and so, it is for this purpose that we persevere in our self improvement.
We understand that great ambition moves us all forward. As teachers at the University, we testify to the growth of our students and we envisage a bright future for them. Whilst staying with us, they feed on the trains of great thoughts and unveil the truths of life. They develop themselves for the future challenges that they are all to face, and prepare for the great tasks the nation will entrust to them. University is at the center of the revival of our nation’s spiritual life. Therefore, all the alumni of Southwest Jiaotong University should be, and will always be, conscientious in scholarship, diligent in pursuing truth and knowledge, decisive and persistent in their views and action, and loyal and generous to others. That is our motto and that is what we are committed to. Keeping these explicitly defined social responsibilities in our minds, we will live up to our positions in the university and accomplish the assigned mission.
We understand that universities are here to serve in the training, molding and enlarging of minds. The growth and development of our students is thus the poetic expression of our lives, unfolding elegant and graceful pictures of the different seasons like a smoky spring, autumn rains in the evening, snowfall by the river, and sunshine on a mountain. The legacy of our university finds its representation in the vitality of our students and their earnest strivings. With great concentration we ride these human tides and pass on our years’ of accumulated knowledge to our students, thereby extending our lives.
The School of Foreign Languages has thus far made substantial progress with its pool of talent, and its faculty and students vow to achieve further leap-frog developments in the foreign language disciplines. We firmly believe that all our devotion and dedication will enlighten and enlarge the precious minds we care about so dearly, and will revitalize our nation’s spirit.