With the arrival of early autumn comes the start of an exciting journey. On September 13, Zaozhuang University welcomed its 2026 intake to the Xuecheng and Shizhong campuses. More than 10,000 new students from all corners of the country arrived on campus to embark on a brand-new chapter in their lives.

Warm Welcome, First Encounter with Zaozhuang University

Across campus, bright red arches stood tall and colorful balloons fluttered in the breeze. Along the main campus roads and at the entrances to student dormitories, welcome displays, banners, red-envelope-themed photo walls, and photo spots were carefully arranged to convey warm greetings and expectations for the new students. These decorations allowed students and parents arriving from afar to experience the university’s rich cultural atmosphere and warm hospitality from the moment they arrived. Students stopped to take photos in front of the welcome displays, capturing memorable moments from their first encounter with university life.

Words of Encouragement for the Journey Ahead

Gao Feng, Secretary of the CPC Zaozhuang University Committee, led a delegation to the Xuecheng Campus to welcome newly arrived students and thank the faculty, staff and volunteers involved in welcoming the new students. At each reception point, Gao checked the progress of the reception work, learned about student registration and support services, and expressed his sincere greetings and appreciation to the staff and volunteers.

“Congratulations! Welcome to Zaozhuang University!” Gao extended his sincere congratulations to the newly enrolled students and their parents. He briefly introduced the university’s educational facilities and resources, asked about the students’ registration and accommodation, and encouraged them to adapt to university life as soon as possible, plan their university years wisely, develop strong capabilities, and aspire to contribute to the country and serve national development.

Cong Hailin, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Zaozhuang University Committee and President of Zaozhuang University, led a delegation to the Shizhong Campus to review new-student reception arrangements and spoke warmly with students and their parents. He thanked them for placing their trust in and choosing Zaozhuang University, saying that the university would live up to parents’ trust and expectations and do its utmost to support students’ growth and development.

The university leadership delegation visited the student dining hall and dormitories, where they spoke with new students and their parents about their first impressions of university life and their academic plans. They encouraged students to respect, embrace, understand, and support one another, become part of the Zaozhuang University community, and build lasting friendships. University leaders Feng Lei, An Tao, Wu Shangmin, Chu Fumin, Li Cunjie, Lin Yong, Yuan Junxian, and Yan Xin accompanied the delegation.

For new students from financially disadvantaged families, the university opened a “green channel” for registration. Gao Feng and Cong Hailin presented new students with care packages specially prepared by the university, conveying its care and support.

Hello, New Students!

Drawing on their respective disciplinary strengths, the university’s schools integrated academic orientation and cultural experiences into the welcome activities, giving new students a distinctive introduction to campus life. The School of Fine Arts and Art Design combined artistic creation, intangible cultural heritage (ICH) preservation, Party-building activities, and teaching achievements in a series of hands-on ICH activities. Students demonstrated the depth of the calligraphy program through brush-and-ink works, attracting many new students. At the School of Optoelectronic Engineering, an exhibition of award-winning science and technology competition projects was packed with technological highlights. Displays including a smart agricultural harvesting robot gave new students a firsthand impression of the university’s research strength and innovative capacity.

The School of Life Sciences created a “Progressive Growth Game Board” and a seed specimen exhibition titled “New Ears of Grain Set Out: Cultivating Dreams Through Diligence.” The exhibits traced students’ development from enrollment to graduation, highlighted the school’s strengths in germplasm breeding, and symbolized students taking root in the soil and growing toward the sun. The School of Food Science and Pharmaceutical Engineering incorporated its innovation achievements into the welcome activities. Its “Food and Medicine Corner” offered mooncakes in a range of flavors and tastings of specialty alcoholic beverages developed by the school, highlighting the distinctive appeal of the concept that medicine and food share the same origin. The School of Tourism and Resources and Environmental Sciences presented live demonstrations of coffee brewing, latte preparation, and latte art, while the School of Health and Management set up a traditional Chinese herbal sachet activity area and offered tea tasting, enabling new students to experience the distinctive features of their programs at close range.

The School of Music and Dance staged a carefully prepared arts performance featuring bel canto singing, instrumental music, and folk dances, immersing new students in a rich artistic atmosphere. The School of Chinese Language and Literature (School of Media and Communications) featured a vivid live performance of the “Monkey King” by freshmen, along with photo spots featuring a money tree and a red-envelope wall, attracting many new students. The School of Marxism created a VR area dedicated to revolutionary heritage. Wearing VR headsets, new students could take immersive tours of historic revolutionary sites and gain a vivid sense of the struggles of earlier generations of revolutionaries. The School of Urban and Architectural Engineering set up an interactive Luban Craftsmanship Experience Zone. The School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science created a “Twelve Zodiac Signs” check-in wall, while the School of Economics and Management organized a quiz-and-raffle activity. The School of Psychology and Educational Sciences (School of Primary Education) incorporated traditional cultural experiences into activities designed to help new students adjust to university life, showcasing the schools’ distinctive disciplinary strengths and approaches to practice-based education.

Volunteer Support, Sharing Warmth

To ensure a smooth arrival for new students, the university established a full-chain reception service model covering “off-campus pickup—on-campus registration—on-site assistance—dormitory support.” Reception stations were set up at Zaozhuang West Railway Station, Zaozhuang Station on the Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway, and Zaozhuang Long-Distance Bus Terminal. Faculty and student volunteers provided information and guidance, luggage assistance, shuttle services, and other support. On the afternoon of September 13, Feng Lei, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Zaozhuang University Committee, visited the off-campus reception stations to extend his regards to the staff and greet the newly arrived students and their parents. On campus, volunteers at each school’s registration point provided one-stop services including registration guidance, information and assistance, and campus introductions. In the student dormitory areas, volunteers helped new students familiarize themselves with their accommodation and explained practical aspects of campus life.

Working Together to Build a Strong Support Network

Departments across the university fulfilled their respective responsibilities and worked in close coordination on security, traffic management, medical services, campus environment, logistics, and other areas, putting the university’s student-centered approach into practice through comprehensive support. The Safety Management Office assessed expected traffic volumes in advance, planned traffic routes accordingly, and coordinated with more than 100 traffic police officers from Xuecheng and Shizhong to manage traffic on campus, ensuring the smooth and orderly entry and exit of more than 10,000 vehicles. During the summer, the Campus Construction and Management Office carried out student apartment construction and infrastructure upgrading projects, improving both student accommodation and the campus environment. The Logistics Services Office prepared a wide selection of dishes in advance, giving new students a memorable “First Meal at Zaozhuang University” featuring flavors from across the country.

The First Lesson of the New Semester

On the evening of September 13, university leaders Gao Feng, Cong Hailin, Feng Lei, An Tao, Wu Shangmin, Li Cunjie, Chu Fumin, Lin Yong, Yuan Junxian, and Yan Xin visited classrooms to meet the new students. Gao Feng and Cong Hailin offered heartfelt words of encouragement. At a key historical juncture marked by the beginning of the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the university’s 55th anniversary, and its continued push to advance the “Double Excellence” initiative, they encouraged students to focus on three priorities. First, students should embrace their new journey, explore the unknown, plan their university years carefully, adapt quickly to their new environment, build relationships with good teachers and friends, and pursue both personal growth and academic achievement. Second, they should cultivate strong moral character, explore boldly, devote themselves to study and research, develop solid capabilities, and strive for higher academic qualifications. Third, they should foster a strong sense of commitment to their country, shoulder the responsibilities of their generation, and contribute their youthful energy to building China into a leading country in education, strengthening education in Shandong Province, and advancing the university’s “Two Upgrades and One Initiative” goals, writing a brilliant chapter of youth through dedication and hard work.

Zaozhuang University admitted a total of 10,704 students in 2026, including 88 graduate students. Following new-student registration, the university will hold a series of activities, including the opening ceremony, military training, and orientation programs, to help students quickly adapt to their new roles and environment and make a smooth transition into university life, guiding them to get off to the right start in this new stage of life.

Text: Ge Xiaoxia

Editor: Wang Tao

Photos: Publicity Department, schools, and Converged Media Center

Reviewer: Yan Xin