The Chinese ambassador to the US Qin Gang delivers a video remark at the first graduation ceremony of the Juilliard School of Tianjin Conservatory of Music on May 20, 2022. [Photo/us.china-embassy.gov.cn]

The Chinese ambassador to the US delivered video remarks on Friday at the first graduation ceremony of the Juilliard School of Tianjin Conservatory of Music and at the 2022 graduation ceremony at Duke Kunshan University, which is also the first Class of undergraduates from the university.

He commended that the Sino-US joint colleges and universities are valuable attempts at the educational cooperation and communication between China and the US, encouraging students to promote international people-to-people exchanges and become ambassadors of friendship.

The Juilliard Graduate School, Tianjin Conservatory of Music, is the first and only overseas branch of The Juilliard School in New York and was established in November 2015. It is the first art school in China to grant the US master's degree. Located in the Yujiapu Free Trade Zone in Tianjin, China, the Juilliard School has become a cultural center for performance, practice, research, interactive exhibitions and public service.

In his online speech at the graduation ceremony of Juilliard Graduate School, Tianjin Conservatory of Music, Qin Gang pointed out that the school is a Sino-US cooperative institution containing high quality, which has cultivated high-level international musical and artistic talents and made a fruitful contribution to promoting mutual appreciation of the arts and humanistic exchanges between the two countries.

To the first graduate students of the Juilliard School, Ambassador Qin said that they are not only outstanding talents nurtured by Sino-US educational exchanges but will soon also become artistic ambassadors to promote communication and understanding between China and the world. During these past two years of the COVID pandemic, the students have experienced trials and tribulations, reaped the power of growth and gained a deeper understanding of the interdependence of human destiny.

Qin expressed his hope that, standing at the starting point of graduation, facing a world that is still complex and uncertain, the students would remain independent and determined and strive to become "global artists" with high artistic standards and a sense of social responsibility.

It is the first art school in China to grant a US master's degree. The first recipients are 33 graduates who come from eight countries including China, the United States, South Korea, and Uzbekistan.

"These days, I have seen that the graduate students selected by Tianjin Juilliard all over the world are of a very high standard, which makes me very gratified and proud,"Joseph W. Polisi, honorary president of the Juilliard School in New York, said.

The school has benefited from strong support from Tianjin and Binhai New Area's government, relevant departments and cooperative partners. 

Polisi said: "When we came to China and Tianjin, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Tianjin's urban development concept is very consistent with our original intention. The dream of a music education school has gradually become a reality since then," Polisi said.

"We have finally waited for this moment!" Kim Eun-su, an orchestral performance graduate from South Korea, said. She will stay in China. "The Tianjin Juilliard School is where our dreams began, and here I have experienced the openness and tolerance of Tianjin and China. I have been admitted to the cello section of the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, and I will leave in a few days."

He Wei, dean of The Tianjin Juilliard School, said that despite the impact of the epidemic, the first postgraduate students of the school still have a wide range of career options. Some of their students have been admitted to the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, or have found teaching positions in other universities; some students will go to the United States, Germany and other countries to continue their studies, and some students will choose to start a music business.

Wang Ziyi will soon go to Germany for further studies. She said: "Study and life at the Tianjin Juilliard School is a unique and rewarding journey. The study experience has underpinned my application to the German school.”