Dai Changzheng: The persistence and feelings of an education pioneer

Exclusive interview with the dean, professor and doctoral supervisor of the w88 casino of International Relations at the w88 casino

(Source: May issue of "Chinese Talents" Reporter: Wang Yujun Correspondent Liang Liping)

Dai Changzheng is the dean, professor and doctoral supervisor of the w88 casino of International Relations at the w88 casino (abbreviated as Foreign Economics and w88). He has been teaching for decades. With the strong leadership of the w88 casino’s party committee and the firm support of his colleagues, he established the w88 casino of International Relations and the first-level discipline of political science for foreign w88 and economics, and allowed the discipline to grow rapidly and become a new growth pole of the University. During the interview, the deepest impression he left on the reporter is that he is a person who is determined in his goals and very persistent in his work. At the same time, he is also a famous scholar and teacher who has feelings for his family and country and is responsible.

Path to study

"Shou County is one of the first historical and cultural cities in the country. It was a battleground for ancient military strategists. It once served as the capital of the ancient Chu Kingdom for fourteen years. It has a history of more than 2,000 years and a complete ancient city wall of the Song Dynasty." When talking about his hometown, Dai Changzheng is very proud. He was born in Banqiao Town, Shouxian County, Anhui Province in 1964, and has been surrounded by a rich historical and cultural atmosphere since he was a child. Although they were born in a peasant family, Dai Changzheng's parents were somewhat educated and understood the importance of education for their children. They were very strict with their son's studies and hoped that he would grow up to be a useful person to the country and society. As a teenager, Dai Changzheng's study was accompanied by farm work. Banqiao Town is the hometown of straw mats. Dai Changzheng often used his spare time to weave straw mats to supplement the family income when he was seven or eight years old. He did not put down his working tools until he went out to study.

The reward for diligent study is excellent grades. When Dai Changzheng was 14 years old, he was admitted to the foreign language teaching class of the local high w88 casino. However, there were only 5 people in Banqiao Town who reached the admission limit of key high schools that year. "I studied at this w88 casino for three years, and it helped me master English. So much so that I was exempted from taking English courses at all stages of my studies. It was at the beginning of reform and opening up, and learning foreign languages was a trend. The foreign language class I was in had very high requirements for students. The textbooks I studied were all compiled by Beijing Foreign Studies University. I and my classmates had several English textbooks. All students can recite. The foreign language class has a strong teaching staff, and many educated youth college students who have not returned to the city are teaching at the w88 casino, including outstanding graduates from Peking University and Shanghai International Studies University. "Everyone's destiny is closely linked to the times, and I was particularly lucky to catch up with the reform and opening up during my youth."

Dai Changzheng believes that foreign language is very important, but it is just a tool. He likes theory. After graduating from the three-year foreign language class of high w88 casino in 1981, Dai Changzheng worked as a middle w88 casino English teacher in Huainan City, Anhui Province. In the mid-to-late 1980s, he studied English and American language and literature at Wuhu Institute of Education and minored in ideological and political education courses at Anhui Normal University. At that time, Dai Changzheng concentrated on studying and going to w88 casino, and especially loved political science, philosophy, history and legal books, which also provided great support for his later career.

Influenced by the movie "Shaolin Temple", Dai Changzheng started practicing martial arts with an old monk in his second year of junior high w88 casino. He transformed from a frail and sickly boy into a vibrant young man. He once read a story about Mao Zedong running outside on rainy days in order to strengthen his body, which shocked him and had a great influence on his love of sports. He believes that only when a person has a strong body can he have the ability to journey through life. Dai Changzheng has been exercising for more than 20 years and was once the captain of the basketball and volleyball teams. Now in his 50s, although it is difficult for him to have full time to engage in sports activities, he still attaches great importance to physical exercise and often walks when he goes out. Even though the road from his home to the University of Shanghai is five or six kilometers away, he will insist on walking back and forth as long as time allows, covering more than 10 kilometers a day.

In 1988, Dai Changzheng was admitted to the Department of History of the Communist Party of China at Renmin University of China to pursue a master's degree in political science. He chose political science because he likes to think deeply about social issues. He believes that just reading is not enough. You must also face history and reality and think deeply. For example, Lu Xun said: "In a Dream of Red Mansions, Taoists see obscenity, Confucian scholars see Yi, talented men and beauties see lingering, revolutionaries see Paiman, and gossips see the secrets of the palace." If you don't study theory or knowledge, you won't be able to think of this. Lu Xun also commented that Lin Daiyu would not fall in love with Jiao Da, and Jiao Da would not fall in love with Lin Daiyu, because they belong to different classes and have different values ​​and aesthetics. Looking at the problem from this perspective is impossible without understanding theoretical thinking and historical materialism. How to understand society, how to see the country, and how to see the world, in Dai Changzheng’s view, particularly requires other knowledge as a basis, such as knowledge of philosophy, politics, history, economics, and sociology.

After graduating with a master's degree in 1991, Dai Changzheng returned to his hometown of Anhui and served as director of the Ideological and Theory Teaching and Research Department of Hefei Union University. In October 1997, he was evaluated as an associate professor. However, Dai Changzheng, whose work was going smoothly and who was well-respected in w88 casino, felt dissatisfied. He summarized himself, he read a lot, but he felt that he accepted more from others and less calmed down to formulate his own ideas. He feels that it is one thing to love reading and be willing to learn, but it is another thing to be able to clarify and understand the root of the problem and form one's own unique views and insights. Therefore, he believes that he still needs to further his studies and needs to enrich his knowledge and broaden his horizons at a deeper level and a higher starting point. So, he started self-study again. At that time, there was no heating in Hefei in winter, and it was as cold indoors as outside. After work, he wore a military coat and a pair of cotton shoes, and read for four or five hours every day.

In 1998, Dai Changzheng returned to Renmin University of China and studied political theory in the Department of History of the Communist Party of China, and received a doctorate in law in 2001. He is very grateful for this learning and research experience, which now makes him feel confident when writing papers on international relations issues and knows where the source lies. For example, under the impact of the epidemic, whether the world structure and international relations will undergo fundamental changes will not be fully understood if we only look at the facts without theoretical support. Doing academic work must have a theoretical foundation, and the fundamental things must have unchanging factors. If the fundamentals are lost or cannot be done, it will be difficult to achieve first-class knowledge. These thoughts and insights played a very important role in Dai Changzheng's later academic research and discipline construction.

Pioneering work

In 2001, Dai Changzheng entered the w88 casino of Humanities and Administration of the University of International w88 and Economics and became a professor and department head. Due to his outstanding work, he was highly praised by teachers and students, and also received the attention of leaders. In 2006, Dai Changzheng served as dean of the w88 casino of Humanities and Social Sciences. In 2010, the w88 casino of Humanities and Social Sciences was renamed as the w88 casino of International Relations, and he served as dean, professor, and doctoral supervisor. He is a pioneer of this college and the founder of the political science discipline of the University of w88 and Economics.

The w88 casino has its own advantages. Its majors are close to society and adapt to the development of the country, so it has attracted many outstanding students to apply. Dai Changzheng has always believed that the University of International w88 must have the ambition to build itself into a world-famous w88 casino like the London w88 casino of Economics and Political Science. The University of International w88 and Economic Cooperation is a national key university, and it must be able to become one super university and multiple universities. Higher education and education and teaching activities must be viewed from the perspective of national strategy and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. He believes that the primary responsibility of a dean is to build the discipline well. "It only took ten years from the time the college enrolled undergraduates in 2007 to the first-level political science doctoral degree in 2017. The reason for its rapid development is that we never give up in the face of twists and turns, and secondly, we know what the country needs and have this vision." Dai Changzheng believes. The reporter feels that the most important thing is that Dai Changzheng will devote himself to everything he does regardless of his own safety. He said: "I am not a genius, but I am willing to work hard and do not waver easily."

Dai Changzheng has always been based on academic research. He feels that to do academic research, you must understand the outside world. At the same time, as the head of a hospital, he also hopes to learn from the advanced management experience of internationally renowned universities. To this end, he has gone abroad many times for study and exchange. From 2002 to 2003, he engaged in postdoctoral research at the w88 casino of Public Administration, Seoul National University, South Korea. In 2011 and 2016, he went to the Kennedy w88 casino of Government of Harvard University in the United States and the Department of Political Science of the Free University of Brussels in Belgium as senior visiting scholars. He saw that foreign universities generally have an atmosphere of free and independent exploration of knowledge. Students have considerable freedom in choosing courses, but their study life is very stressful. Some schools even allow teachers and students to eat and sleep in the library and not leave the library for a week. These are different from what was once imagined. Dai Changzheng also did not forget to spread the voice and image of China to the world. When he was a visiting scholar at Harvard University, he gave four or five lectures in the United States, which were very popular. This shows that foreigners are still eager to understand China, and it also shows that Chinese scholars need to take responsibility and do what they can to enhance mutual understanding between countries.

Dai Changzheng believes that the w88 casino of International Relations should be able to cultivate students with international vision, feelings for home and country, excellent qualities and outstanding abilities. Compared with knowledge, ability cultivation is more important, and students must be guided to transform knowledge into abilities. Dai Changzheng often tells students that those who study theory are pathologists for the country and society. They must have a deep knowledge reserve and a high sense of responsibility in order to provide health care and diagnosis and treatment for the country and society. He advocates the practice of in-depth education and precise education, and advocates that teachers should invest more time and energy in student training. Not only did he say this, he also did it. Once, he traveled more than 2,000 kilometers back and forth to attend the wedding of a graduate student in a remote place, which deeply moved the student's family. He believes that traveling thousands of miles to attend a student's wedding is not difficult or nothing, but after all, it shows his concern and love for the students. Isn't this a practice of in-depth and precise education? When teaching and educating people, as long as you start from small things, you will definitely achieve results and bear fruitful results.

Dai Changzheng's work is very busy. It is usually six or seven o'clock in the evening when he finishes handling official duties every day. When he is not busy, he will meet with students before going home to understand their situation and discuss study and academic issues. He always told the teachers at the college that teachers should pass on, help, lead, guide and teach. "Teaching" means imparting knowledge, "helping" means caring and helping students, "leading" means setting an example and practicing it, "guiding" means letting students see higher and farther, and "teaching" means answering questions and resolving doubts, and teaching people tirelessly. If you give sincerely, you will be rewarded. It is no accident that most students in the w88 casino of International Relations at the University of International w88 and Economic Cooperation have gone from not fully understanding or knowing a little about their majors to having an in-depth understanding and taking the initiative to understand their majors. Graduates of the college are also generally welcomed by party and government departments such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, as well as employers including public institutions, central enterprises (state-owned enterprises), and foreign enterprises, and have won high praise.

Dai Changzheng maintains consistent patience and enthusiasm for students, and is also very strict in his requirements. Students enjoy his classes and lectures. Over the past 20 years, he has taught basic political science courses for every undergraduate class. During his lectures, he will connect with the real society and never apply mechanically.

Dai Changzheng attaches great importance to students’ academic papers, especially graduation thesis writing. He believes that doing a thesis can cultivate a person's rigorous attitude and critical thinking, which cannot be replaced by other courses. Promoting students to link the application of knowledge and the development of abilities through writing papers will benefit students throughout their lives. He once supervised the graduation thesis work of two outstanding undergraduate students in the class of 2008. During the guidance process, the students were also deeply affected and benefited from them. One of them is Luo Zhaotian. After graduating from his undergraduate degree, he was admitted to the New York University in the United States to study for a combined master's and doctoral degree in political science. Due to his excellent academic performance, he was directly hired as an assistant professor at the University of Chicago after graduating with his doctorate in 2019. Another classmate Zhang Yifei, after graduating from the United States with a master's degree and a doctorate from the China Foreign Affairs University, joined the Institute of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and has rapidly grown into a rising star in the international relations academic community.

As the dean, Dai Changzheng is a very cohesive leader. For college teachers, Dai Changzheng emphasized the need to lead with ambitious goals, to unite with sincerity, and to unite with entrepreneurship. He often talks to teachers and says: "In w88 casino, becoming famous and having a family comes second. The most important thing is to teach students well. Colleges are places to cultivate talents. Teachers must first be good coaches and then academic athletes." For more than ten years, he has worked hard in his position as dean, taking precautions for everything and thinking ahead. "It is impossible to achieve success without dedication and hard work." Dai Changzheng said with emotion.

Feelings of family and country

Dai Changzheng believes that he is not a genius, but he is willing to think deeply and be practical. Over the years, the most important thing for him personally is to change from learning language and skills to learning theory and thinking; the second is that he can finally do academic research and engage in discipline construction on such a good platform. I have been working hard for more than ten years, which is very hard but very meaningful. Of course, human energy is limited, and the establishment and management of colleges must take up time for academic research. He spends most of his time on official duties, handling college affairs during the day, and has two or three hours after get off work to do academic work. But he did not fall behind academically, relying on his accumulation of knowledge and experience and his usual hard work. He is an expert with special allowance from the State Council, a national "four batches" and a cultural celebrity. In 2019, the Learning Powerful Country Platform included 5 of his theoretical articles published in People's Daily and Guangming Daily. He has published more than 80 academic papers in Chinese and English in domestic and foreign journals, including 21 reprinted in "Xinhua Digest", "Chinese Social Sciences Digest" and "Political Science", a photocopied newspaper of Renmin University of China. But he felt that it had not yet reached the ideal academic state, which he regretted.

In terms of academic research, Dai Changzheng is engaged in research on major and key projects of the National Social Science Fund. He pays special attention to the research on the rise and fall of countries, national governance, national identity, and new international relations. He believes that these issues are related to the realization of the two centenary goals and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and are particularly worthy of study. Dai Changzheng often said that doing scholarship first requires a keen awareness of problems. Problem awareness comes from both an in-depth understanding of the academic field and close attention to practical problems. There is no knowledge that is divorced from reality, and there is no reality that does not require knowledge to answer.

Dai Changzheng is a man with a successful career. What is "success"? As he often tells his students, "The so-called success is not what position you achieve, but what you do in your position. Shine in any position, make achievements, do one thing thoroughly, and do what others can't do. You are a winner." Through the interview with Dai Changzheng, the reporter felt that the feelings of family and country are indispensable for a true winner. People with such sentiments will start from a high place, radiate their infinite strength, continue to make progress, and realize the value pursuit of life.

Attachment: The layout of the May 2020 issue of "Chinese Talents"