Peking University, July 2, 2026: Under the orange dome bearing the 2008 Olympics insignia, the Khoo Teck Puat Sports Complex once again saw a sea of caps and gowns as the Class of 2026 undergraduates gathered for their commencement on the morning of July 2.

A total of 4,153 undergraduate degrees were conferred at the ceremony. Additionally, 589 students were recognized as PKU Outstanding Graduates, and 173 as Outstanding Graduates of Beijing Institutions of Higher Education.

The event was attended by He Guangcai, chair of PKU Council, and Gao Song, president of PKU, among other university leadership, along with alumni and distinguished faculty members from PKU and partner universities. It was hosted by Jiang Guohua, vice chair of PKU Council.



The ceremony kicked off with performances from the Peking University Elementary School and the PKU Student Choir. The highlight of the event was a series of speeches from distinguished representatives, who offered messages of hope, nostalgia, and determination.

Xue Yanyun, an undergraduate student representative for the Class of 2026 from the School of Physics, introduced the method of Sample Average Approximation (SAA), which is used to approximate expectations using averages of sampled scenarios, thereby turning uncertainty into a tractable pattern. However, she noted that it was close to impossible to reduce life to an "average", or a beaten path, because "growth is not a straight line measured by an average, but a tortuous path with a unique view at every turn."

She listed examples of how she tried to "break the average" during her time at PKU, including tutoring children on optics, trying out volleyball with friends, and making breakthroughs in photonic integrated circuit (PIC) technology. She learned through every experience that preconceived notions, or "averages", are just the starting point of the road in life, which can only be paved forward with endless inquiry and curiosity.



Alexander Wirch Lucero, another student representative from Guanghua School of Management Future Leaders Program, told a similar story about forging one's path in life through vicissitudes. He recounted how his grandparents started an uncertain life in Canada after escaping from a war-torn Europe and how his parents met by chance in Ecuador and then came to China for job opportunities, a childhood memory that motivated him to come to PKU.

Likewise, a chain of chance encounters led him to his start-up partners. Though the efforts didn't pan out, the experience brought him to an entrepreneurial symposium in which he offered suggestions that were incorporated into government policies, to his great surprise.

"I've learned that life is not a straight line from point A to point B, but a curved path, on which every step counts, whether it's an encounter, an attempt, or a failure."



Qu Lijia, the faculty representative and a professor from the School of Life Sciences, drew parallels between botany and life as lessons for the graduating students. 

The pollen tube overcomes numerous obstacles to reach the embryo sac of a flower and fertilize it. Likewise, Qu exhorted the students to be just as determined and shut out the noise of a world full of temptations. "PKUers need to have their independent thinking and refuse to jump on the bandwagon," stated Qu.

Secondly, Qu encouraged students to be patient in their progress and resist the temptation of a "fast track," citing as an example the spectacle of a towering and luxuriant tree, which can easily take decades, if not centuries, to form.



Lastly, he made the case for upholding moral values and dignity in the face of trade-offs by comparing it to the phenomenon of reproductive isolation, which prevents the free flow of genes and ensures that two incipient species maintain their genetic differences. "If plants have boundaries, so should people."

A real PKUer, he concluded, is not necessarily always under the spotlight, but will always stay fresh and hungry, and always harbor his aspirations.

This message was vividly echoed by the experience of Li Bin '96, sociology, founder and CEO of NIO, who, as the alumni representative, shared three of his major failures in life.

These included his failed start-up right after graduation in 1996, his reforms at Yiche, a car shopping website, which wiped out past gains, and when NIO took a major hit in sales in the three years from 2022. 

"These experiences have taught me that to overcome difficulty, you need to stay true to yourself, find the right cause, and look within yourself for answers."



Finally, PKU President Gao Song delivered a speech imploring students to meet the challenges of their time and contribute to national and global development. 

He pointed out that the world is currently undergoing major changes unseen in a century, characterized by breakneck technological development and increasing uncertainty. As a response, he encouraged students to maintain agency while embracing intelligent tools, claiming that human creativity can never be replaced by artificial intelligence. 

"Creativity equals learning times thinking times implementation," an equation which, combined with curiosity and a lofty aspiration, according to Gao, can exponentially amplify one's unique aptitudes.

Gao Song

Reported by: Chen Shizhuo
Edited by: Zhang Jiang
Photo by: Li Xianghua, Liu Yan, Liu Luyi, Hu Xiaodong, Wang Ziqian, Huang Zhe, Guo Mengjiao, Zhu Chengxuan, Zheng Tao, Chen Wang Yan Nuo