In 1978, with the advent of the “Spring of Science”, as one of the first college students after the resumption of the college entrance examination, I was admitted to the Department of Chemistry of Shaanxi Normal University.

Before that, I had been a primary and secondary school teacher for more than three years after graduating from high school, and I really liked the job of a teacher. Therefore, when I filed my intention for my dream college, all my three options were Shaanxi Normal University, thus beginning my relationship with this school for nearly half a century.

A Special “teaching benefits teachers as well as students”

When we first entered the university, we didn't have any lofty ideals at that time. My initial plan was to go back and teach at the best middle school in my county after graduation. However, this does not affect our enthusiasm for learning. On the contrary, with the end of the Cultural Revolution, people's long-suppressed enthusiasm for learning was completely ignited on university campuses.

At that time, the courses we studied were far less numerous or onerous than they are now. In our six study days each week, the maximum number of class days would not exceed three, and the class time each day would not exceed 4 hours. This left us with a lot of discretionary time, and we spent almost all of this time studying in libraries.

No matter at what time, learning is a matter of one’s own. External pressures can have an effect on a person's growth, but in the end, what matters is still self-discipline. I remember in those years, no matter how late it was, I would go through the “mind map” of what I had learned during the day in my mind before going to bed. Every weekend, I would sort out the learning content of this week in my mind. Because we all cherished this hard-won learning opportunity too much, and we could not afford to waste a single bit.

With this hard work, my grades were always at the forefront of the class, so much so that in some courses, if my homework was not collected, the teachers would not begin correcting other students’ homework.

This is because at that time, university education in China was still in the “recovery period”. Many teachers returned to teaching in a hurry, so that they were not thoroughly acquainted with the knowledge in some textbooks, and in some aspects their understanding was even not as good as some students. At this time, the homework of those students with excellent academic performance played the role of “reference answer” to a certain extent.

Nevertheless, these teachers did not slack off in teaching in the slightest, but put all their enthusiasm into it. At that time, teachers did not undertake a lot of research tasks like today, and their main task was to teach students well and make progress together with students. This also formed a somewhat special, but very strong atmosphere of “teaching benefits teachers as well as students” on the campus at that time.

Learn mathematics well and learn English well

As there were young teachers, of course there were senior teachers with a lofty virtue worthy of respect.

In an article, I recalled Mr. Gao Peng, then head of our department. I remember that one day at noon, a few of our young students met Mr. Gao on the way and we walked together for a while. Meeting such a respected old gentleman, we were very nervous and did not know what to say. But Mr. Gao was very kind and asked us if we were chemistry majors.

Getting a positive answer, he said a few words that have benefited me a lot to this day.

He told us that if we ever wanted to make a difference in the field of chemistry in the future, we must first learn mathematics well. Otherwise, when we go deeper in learning and research, we would face great difficulties in the field of theoretical chemistry. Secondly, we must learn English well, otherwise we would not be able to go too far in the academic field in the future.

At that time, these words did not have much immediate impact on me, but as time went on, and my understanding of chemistry gradually deepened, the more I discovered the significance of Mr. Lao's words, and I also realized his deep expectations for young students.

The respected man is gone, but his wise words are still in our ears.

In today’s university campuses, we should encourage young students to have more contact with senior teachers and create conditions for this. Maybe a few words of the senior teachers may have an important impact on students, especially students with ideas for career development.

Sometimes, this kind of impact is not even limited to the content itself. When I first graduated from college, I rode my bike to Northwestern University, almost ten kilometers away, to attend a lecture. The speaker of the lecture was Prof. Fred Basolo of Northwestern University in the U.S., who is known as the “Father of American Inorganic Chemistry”. Despite with the translation by Mr. Shi Qizhen, who was working at Lanzhou University at that time, I hardly understood Prof. Basolo’s lecture, but the love and passion for his discipline conveyed through his emotional lecture have infected and influenced me for decades.

Study earnestly and master the method

Now, forty years have passed since my university life, and looking back on those years, I can’t help but feel how time has gone by. For young students who have just stepped into the university, I hope that some of my insights will enlighten them.

College time may seem like a long time, but in fact, it will pass in the blink of an eye. During this time, what you do is always more important than how you do it. Since you have chosen to enter the university for further study, no matter what major or field, you must uphold a serious and down-to-earth attitude to study. In college, learning is always the number one priority.

Of course, in the process of learning, we still need to pay attention to approaches and methods. For example, communicate more with teachers and classmates. Especially compared to the past, today’s university graduate education has become quite popular, and if conditions permit, it is necessary to take some time to observe their group meetings. As mentioned earlier, even if you can’t understand what is discussed at the group meeting, the discussion and communication between group members will play a subtle role in your growth.

In addition, for students of basic subjects such as mathematics, physics, and chemistry, I suggest that when you are freshmen and sophomores, you should learn these basic courses well and learn English well. For these core courses in particular, you must strive to achieve mastery. In the third and fourth years, you must find a way to enter the teacher’s laboratory, communicate with as many graduate students as possible, and get the experience of learning in research.

There are only four years of college, so please cherish the time.

Chinese Science News (University Observation, Page 3, August 8, 2022)