The Spanish Department of Jilin University held a grand celebration for its 25th founding anniversary on October 26 at the Foreign Languages Building on the university's Central Campus. University leaders, heads of relevant administrative departments, leaders of the School of Foreign Languages and Cultures, representatives from peer institutions, alumni from home and abroad, faculty members and students of the Spanish Department, and guests from various sectors gathered to mark the occasion.
At 9:00 a.m., the commemorative ceremony opened in Lecture Hall 500 of the Foreign Languages Building. The ceremony was presided over by Zhang Rui, Vice Dean of the School of Foreign Languages and Cultures. Participants first watched a video reviewing the Spanish Department's 25-year journey of dedication, development, and achievement.
Zhang Guoxing, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Jilin University Committee and Vice President of Jilin University, delivered a speech. He recognized the department's remarkable achievements over the past 25 years and expressed the hope that the department would take the anniversary as a new starting point, continue to build on its disciplinary strengths, and make greater contributions to promoting cultural exchange and cooperation between China and the world.
Chang Fuliang, Dean of the School of Spanish and Portuguese at Beijing Foreign Studies University and Chair of the Spanish Subcommittee of the National Advisory Committee on Teaching Foreign Languages to Majors in Higher Education under the Ministry of Education, extended warm congratulations on behalf of peer institutions. Speeches were then delivered by Wang Zhijia, Chair of the Spanish Department and faculty representative; Zhao Qian, a graduate of the Class of 2012 and alumni representative; and Cao Shiyu, a student of the Class of 2024 and student representative.
In recognition of the outstanding contributions made by Professor Zhang Yongtai, the department’s first chair, and Professor Tang Minquan to the establishment and development of the Spanish Department, Vice President Zhang Guoxing presented them with commemorative plaques bearing the titles of “Meritorious Professor for the Founding of the Spanish Program” and “Distinguished Professor for Laying the Foundation of the Spanish Program,” respectively. Pan Haiying, Dean of the School of Foreign Languages and Cultures, presented flowers to the two professors. Both professors delivered remarks, expressing their gratitude to the School of Foreign Languages and Cultures for the recognition.
After the ceremony, participants visited the Exhibition of Monographs and Translated Works by Spanish Department Alumni and the Exhibition of Books Donated by Experts and Scholars from Peer Institutions and Publishing Houses, and posed for a group photo.
At 11:00 a.m., a cultural performance written, directed, and presented by faculty members and students of the Spanish Department was held in Lecture Hall 500. Before the performance, the audience watched congratulatory videos sent by 21 alumni representatives of the department, as well as representatives from overseas universities including the University of Buenos Aires, the Complutense University of Madrid, and the University of Málaga. Undergraduate and graduate students, together with international faculty members, presented a variety of performances, including choral singing, dance, skits, and poetry recitation. The performance concluded with all performers and audience members singing the Spanish version of My Motherland and Me.
