The anniversary of Southwest Jiaotong University (SWJTU) is on May 15.

University Motto

“Diligentia, Ambitio, Tenacitas et Fides” (“Diligence, Ambition, Tenacity, and Loyalty”)

Founded in 1896 as the “Imperial Chinese Railway College”, Southwest Jiaotong University (SWJTU) is one of the earliest institutions of higher engineering education in China. It has become known as “the cradle of railway engineers in China”.In 1928, the Ministry of Transport of the National Government of the Republic of China, reorganized National Chiao Tung University, headquartered in Shanghai, and what later became our university was called Tangshan Civil Engineering Institute of Chiao Tung University. On May 2, 1930, National Chiao Tung University published its motto: Diligence, Ambition, Tenacity, and Loyalty. On May 15, 1947, on the 51st anniversary of the founding of Tangshan Engineering Institute (later Southwest Jiaotong University) and the 42nd anniversary of its operation in Tangshan, our university decided to carry on the motto of National Chiao Tung University, “Diligence, Ambition, Tenacity, and Loyalty,” and it is still in use today.

University Spirit

Persevering in Self-improvement for the Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation; Fortifying Oneself to Ceaseless Activity.

In the spring of 1916 in Beijing, the Ministry of Education held a National Student Performance Exhibition and Competition for Specialized High Schools and Colleges, in which our University ranked first with the high score of 94. In December of the same year, the University was honored with a certificate and a plaque inscribed with the four characters “Si Shi Yang Hua” by Fan Yuanlian, the Minister of Education. Individually, the Chinese character “Si” means to wait; “Shi” means fruit, firmness, honesty and seeking truth from facts; “Yang” means rising and spreading; and “Hua” stands for China, and also means beautiful, brilliant, and bright. The four characters together refer to waiting for fruit to ripen, which is analogous to the meaning of educating people who will become productive, pragmatic, truth-seekers so as to enlighten and revitalize the Chinese nation. As one word, “Yang Hua” also means to discard pomp and pursue pragmatism and simplicity.

A summary of our University’s long and difficult history as an educational institution, “Zi Qiang Bu Xi,”, “Fortifying Oneself to Ceaseless Activity,” can be found in the Book of Changes, “As heaven maintains vigor through movement, a man of virtue fortifies himself to ceaseless activity.” This sentence means that “heaven” is “vigorous” because the sun, the moon, and the stars in the sky are in perpetual motion day and night; therefore, one should follow the example of heaven and be positive and keep making progress. The latter part of the University Spirit statement embodies four principles: to keep making progress, to overcome difficulties, to continue improving oneself, and to work hard. 

The connotation is to put down roots in China, to stand on solid ground, to gaze at the starry night, and to communicate among mankind with a shared future.

University Anthem

On May 15, 1947, our university held a grand ceremony to celebrate its restored operation in Tangshan and its 51st anniversary. It published a revised version of the Song of the School (University Anthem):

In Tangshan, intellectuals gather.

In great esteem our school is held,

Disseminating our cultural heritage through communion.

Mining, metallurgy, and civil engineering,

We pursue wisdom at home and abroad,

And perseverance enables us to reach the peak.

As gold is refined, and jade is carved,

We join our teachers in singing praises to the newness of spring.

Conscientious and assiduous,

We lay a solid foundation for a brilliant future.

Unity leads to universal prosperity.

The lyrics depict the history of our university, delineate the expectations for its development and the fulfillment of its mission, and spell out the requirements for education. In consideration of its far-reaching influence and thought-provoking insights, when SWJTU celebrated its 115th anniversary in 2011, the University modified the Song of the “Tangshan Engineering Institute of National Chiao Tung University” and nominated it as the Anthem of Southwest Jiaotong University. The modified version was applauded by the faculty and students.

According to Clause 10 of the Articles of Association of Southwest Jiaotong University, the University Anthem is the Song of Tangshan Engineering Institute of National Chiao Tung University, “Uniformity Leads to Universality,” composed in the 1930s.

The lyricist is Mr. Wu Zhihui, a lecturer in Chinese Language in our Institute at that time, while the composer remains unknown.