1. Facts and Stories about Tianjin University
Zheng Dong Library
Located in Peiyangyuan Campus, Zheng Dong Library was designed by Tianjin University alumni, Zhou Kai and his team. He was also the chief Chinese architect of Beijing Olympic Park. On the occasion of the 120 year anniversary of Tianjin University, Zheng Dong, who was admitted to TJU in 1988, donated RMB 50,000,000 to the education fund as a gift. In order to express their thanks to him, TJU decided to name the landmark library, “Zheng Dong Library”.
Seeking Truth Road
Seeking Truth Road is located along the central axis of Peiyang New Campus between the Three Questions Bridge and Zheng Dong Library. As the axis of the campus, the main building, teaching buildings, library, The Student Center and a series of buildings are spread out along this road. The name “Seeking Truth Road”comes from the Tianjin University motto “seeking truth from facts”.
The Main Building
The Main Building in TJU Peiyang Campus is designed by Cui Kai and his team, a member of the China Engineering Academy, who was admitted to TJU in 1981 and once served as the Chinese chief planner of Olympic venues. The design concept of the main building is open. The building and square library together form a layout of “round sky and square land", thus “echoing each other at a distance”in space.
The East Gate
The main gate of Peiyang Campus was designed by Professor Peng Yigang, a member of the China Academy of Science and honorary dean of the School of Architecture. In front of the gate stand 12 stone plinths, each of them engraved with a particular time period, symbolizing the 120-year history of Tianjin University.
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2. Crabapple Blossom Festival at Tianjin University
Spring comes and flowers are in bloom. During this time, the messages about typical flowers in each university, such as sakura in Wuhan University and orychophragmus violaceus in Nanjing University of Science & Technology, spread across the internet. As the temperature rises in spring, Crabapple Blossom Festival becomes a unique cultural event in Tianjin University. The flowers are ubiquitous around the campus, showing their incredibly charming beauty.
Tianjin University attaches great importance to the heritage and development of campus culture. At TJU, we regard cultural events as an important way to inform and educate students. “Crabapple Blossom Festival” has been held as an event since 2012. With its rapid development, “Crabapple Blossom Festival”, a new calling-card of Tianjin University, has become a grand festival and now occupies a special position among domestic universities. Enjoying crabapple blooms and reminiscing about special memories have become a yearly ritual among students and teachers, as well as school alumni. “Come to Tianjin University, enjoy the beauty of Crabapple Blossom Festival in spring” has been an appointment to put in your diary among local social circles and former students. Some undergraduates even say that you need to have collected four Crabapple Blossom Festival postcards to be allowed to graduate.....
The beauty of the crabapple is natural and bright. There are around 700 crabapple trees on our campus, which are mainly planted on both sides of main roads or near the teaching buildings. These crabapple trees were selected about forty years ago in according with the characteristics of Tianjin soil. With good care, they all grew well. Visitors can appreciate the beauty of crabapple blooms near the teaching buildings or on both sides of the main roads, especially on Mingde road behind the library. When the crabapples bloom, students prefer to roam under the flower trees, rather than on the road. Because of the concentration of flowers, everyone pulls out their phones to take photos as they pass by.
During the Crabapple Blossom Festival, Tianjin University opens the campus to visitors, and organizes a variety of activities for tourists to enjoy the scenery and pray for good fortune. Postcards displaying “Crabapple Blossom Festival at Tianjin University” are distributed at the same time. Lucky visitors can obtain souvenirs and small gifts. The objective of these activities is to lead teachers, students as well as visitors to discover the beauty around us, to pursue the beauty in our lives, and to exhibit the beauty of ourselves. Every year when the flowers bloom, the traditional crabapple cultural carnivals are held at both Peiyangyuan Campus and Weijin Road Campus. Visitors can take part in all kinds of activities including blowing sugar figurines, drawing kites and making Chinese knots. All of these activities evoke the childhood memories hidden deeply at the bottom of our hearts. An activity named “Beautiful Spring Dream” is directed by Tianjin University Han Chinese Clothing Community. People can wear Han Chinese Clothing offered by the sponsors to take photos. During such a season of full bloom, putting on clothes with a traditional Chinese cultural flavor will leave an indelible impression on tourists. There are also other activities like reciting poems. Accompanied by the bloom of the crabapples under the mild atmosphere of spring, listening to poems about who TJU compliments nature has become a fresh and unique experience.
“In full bloom is your beauty, and flourishing is my youth” is the subtitle of the Crabapple Blossom Festival activities. The open day paves the way to integrate historical culture and campus spirit into daily school life. During the open day, approximately twenty thousand people approach the Weijin Road Campus and the Peiyangyuan Campus to enjoy flowers. Around Seventy activities are held during that day. The visitors explore the campus, join these activities, and enjoy the beautiful scenes. The flowers are like drawings and the drawings are around the flowers. The artistic spirit along with the fragrance of flowers exhibits perfecly the profound historical content of the pioneer of modern higher education in China.
