On June 20, 2025, the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University held its 2025 graduation ceremony at the New Tsinghua Auditorium. The event was attended by Ma Sai, Dean of the Academy; Qin Chuan, Party Committee Secretary; Yang Dongjiang, Vice Dean and Chair of the Art Discipline Subcommittee of the 13th Tsinghua University Academic Degree Evaluation Committee; Vice Deans Fang Xiaofeng and Zhao Chao; Ma Wenjia, Deputy Party Committee Secretary of the Academy; distinguished Tsinghua University professors Liu Jude, Liu Guanzhong, and Wang Hongjian; alumna representative Wang Xiaoli; heads of academic and administrative departments; select graduate advisors, class advisors, and counselors; and over one thousand graduates accompanied by their friends and family. The ceremony was presided over by Ma Wenjia.
The ceremony began with Vice Dean Yang Dongjiang officially announcing the graduation and degree conferral for the undergraduate and postgraduate students of the Class of 2025.
Li Sijie, representing the undergraduate class from the Department of Environmental Art Design, spoke of her class’s development. She noted how they applied their artistic skills to engage with society and empower rural areas, driven by a commitment to “inscribe art upon the land” and serve as creators and disseminators of beauty.
Huang Renyu, representing the master’s degree graduates from the Department of Sculpture, shared how faculty guidance helped him pursue artistic truth through adversity and navigate uncharted academic territory. He affirmed his commitment to honoring tradition while using art to serve public needs, convey warmth, and pioneer new domains.
Assistant Professor Liu Ya of the Department of Textile and Fashion Design spoke on behalf of the faculty. After congratulating the graduates, he drew from his experience as a recipient of the Tsinghua University Young Scholar Award to advocate for “thinking through making.” Quoting the metaphor “art is visible poetry,” he encouraged the graduates to remain true to their calling and express profound ideas through their work.
Alumna representative Wang Xiaoli (Class of 2015), Deputy Director of the Office of National Defense Education and Talent Cultivation at Tsinghua University, recounted her journey from enrolling in the Academy in 2006 to enlisting in the military in 2009 and later dedicating her career to national defense education. She summarized the invaluable lessons from Tsinghua as two “treasures”: the ethos of “patriotism, dedication, and the pursuit of excellence” and the pragmatic spirit of “actions speak louder than words.” She advised the graduates to face adversity bravely, embrace challenges outside their comfort zones, and trust that rainbows follow the storm.
Dean Ma Sai extended his warmest congratulations and delivered an earnest charge to the graduates: to maintain artistic integrity while striving for excellence and fostering an independent, progressive mindset; to embrace innovation by exploring the application of new technologies in art and design, thereby ensuring technology serves humanity; and to align their personal ambitions with the nation’s grand objectives, contributing their artistic achievements to society and the people. He concluded by wishing all graduates a brilliant future, encouraging them to pursue their dreams boldly and reap great rewards.
(Top-left: Ma Sai | Top-right: Yang Dongjiang)
(Middle-left: Liu Ya | Middle-right: Li Sijie | Bottom-left: Huang Renyu | Bottom-right: Wang Xiaoli)
The heads of the Departments of Textile and Fashion Design, Ceramic Art Design, Visual Communication Design, Environmental Art Design, Industrial Design, Craft Art, Information Art & Design, Painting, Sculpture, and Art History each read the names of the graduates from their respective units.
Graduates, families, and faculty then watched a tribute video prepared by the Academy. Each graduate also received a specially prepared gift: a personalized crystal memento engraved with their name and student ID number.
Qin Chuan presented certificates to the recipients of the Outstanding Party Branch Secretary, Outstanding Communist Party Member, and Honorary Counselor awards.
Recognizing the academic and creative achievements of the graduating class, Zhao Chao announced the Academy’s nominations for the Tsinghua University Outstanding and Excellent Graduates awards.
Ma Wenjia read the names of those honored as Outstanding Party Branch Secretaries, Outstanding Communist Party Members, and Honorary Counselors, celebrating their leadership and service to the student community, before Qin Chuan presented their certificates.
The exceptional quality of the Class of 2025’s theses and creative works was also acknowledged. Fang Xiaofeng announced the list of outstanding graduation projects and the works selected for the Academy’s permanent collection.
(Left: Fang Xiaofeng | Center: Zhao Chao | Right: Ma Wenjia)
Dean Ma Sai and Professor Liu Jude presented the collection certificates to the undergraduate recipients, while Professor Liu Guanzhong and Professor Wang Hongjian presented them to the postgraduate recipients. The Academy expressed its hope that this honor would mark a new beginning for the graduates to create even more exceptional works in the future.
(Dean Ma Sai and Liu Jude presenting collection certificates to undergraduates)
(Liu Guanzhong and Wang Hongjian presenting collection certificates to postgraduates)
The graduation ceremony drew to a successful close, sending the graduates forth on their new journeys with boundless hopes, unwavering dreams, and cherished memories of their time at Tsinghua.
Scenes from the Ceremony
Class of 2025 Undergraduate Graduation Group Photo
Class of 2025 Postgraduate Graduation Group Photo
