Peking University, June 30, 2022: On June 28, 2022, Peking University held the 2022 Commencement Ceremony for Undergraduates at PKU Khoo Teck Puat Gymnasium. Thomas Alexander Lindesay of the School of International Studies, who comes from the UK, spoke at the ceremony as a student representative, and shared his "Chinese dream" of "running along the Great Wall" and his growth on PKU campus. There's a long way for me to go to better understand China and the world, and it's the "Long March" facing the new generation of youth in China, said Thomas.



Honorable leaders and teachers, Schoolmates and guests:

Warm greetings to everyone!

I'm Thomas Lindesay from the School of International Studies. I'm Chinese-British mixed blood. My father is from Liverpool, England, and my mother is from Shaanxi, China. I grew up in Beijing, and although I was not "originally born" here, I can be regarded as "a true" Beijinger.

In senior year when I was approaching graduation, my classmates frequently asked me: "What are you going to do after graduation?"

I replied: "I'm going to run along the Great Wall".

"Ho! I was just being social. You caught me off guard! What do you mean by running along the Great Wall?"

This answer may sound a little strange, but in fact it is the "Chinese dream" of two generations of my family.

My father, William Lindesay, travelled to Jiayuguan in Gansu Province in 1980s with a childhood dream of measuring the Great Wall of China by his feet. After failing twice and with many other challenges, he went through countless struggles. Finally, in 1987, he was able to accomplish the run of 2,500 kilometers in 78 days and reached the Bohai Sea coast and realized his dream. During this journey, my father met my mother and settled in China.

When I was less than half a year old, I was carried to the Great Wall. When I was 7 years old, our family drove through the main route of the Ming Great Wall by ourselves for the first time. And this was exactly when I had the idea of wanting to walk the Great Wall by my feet for the first time. When I was 16 years old, my brother James, who graduated from Peking University's History Department, and I made the first documentary filming the entire Great Wall of China from an aerial perspective, to appreciate the magnificence of the Great Wall from a bird's-eye view. Now I am 21 years old and have also graduated. In the near future, together with my brother, I will follow my father's route, starting from Jiayuguan, crossing the desert, entering the Loess Plateau, crossing the Yellow River, climbing mountains and mountains in the Taihang Mountains and Yanshan Mountains, and running all the way to the Hushan Great Wall in Dandong. I want to be the youngest person to finish the entire route of the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty, which is also my "Long March Route" that I will pursue after graduation.

In order to complete my "Long March", I often run more than 500 kilometers per month. During the pandemic, I used skipping rope and body weight squat simulation training in the dormitory. When doing long-distance zippers outside, sometimes I felt so tired that I didn't want to run, but I had a way out of the slump. Don't want to run right? It's okay, just take a few steps. When your heart rate has dropped and your heart has calmed down, close your eyes, imagine yourself running the Great Wall right now, grit your teeth and stick to the next beacon tower. You may think that I really love the Great Wall, and I only see the Great Wall when I open and close my eyes. This is true, but in fact, only I know it, and I must have "ran out of my mind".

Sometimes, I also ask myself, what will happen if I can't run, I'm not a professional athlete, so I shouldn't run, isn't it good to let go of myself? Every time at this moment, I will think of what my parents told me when I was a child: "Every moment in life is a turning point, and every moment will require you to make a choice, and every choice is a challenge to step out of your comfort zone , forcing you to grow." When it comes to running along the Great Wall, I have no way out, I can only run hard, to choose hard over easy.

After coming to Peking University, I learned a lot of fascinating traditional Chinese culture, among which a quote from "Mencius" coincides with my parents' educational philosophy. "Whenever Heaven is about to confer a person with great responsibility, it first tries his resolve, exhausts his muscles and bones, starves his body, leaves him destitute, and confounds his every endeavour. In this way, his patience and endurance are developed, and his weaknesses are overcomed." Only when we dare to face difficulties and overcome adversity can we grow and realize our dreams in life. This has gradually become my life creed.

I have lived in Beijing for 21 years, and I have been honored to experience the two Olympic Games held in Beijing "with zero distance". 14 years ago, when I was a little kid in elementary school, I had the honor to participate in the closing ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. When the Olympic flag was lowered, my elementary school classmates and I sang the Greek "Olympic Song". At the beginning of this year, my classmates and I from Peking University watched the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics live. The snowflake torch focused everyone's eyes on the center of the Bird's Nest, the candle-like holy flame was embraced by snowflakes symbolizing different countries, forming a large snowflake symbolizing the whole world. At that moment, I deeply felt that from the Olympic bid to the Olympic Games, from the Summer Olympics to the Winter Olympics, China and the Chinese people have really come a long way. Of course, I am telling myself that I also have a long way to go to understand China and the world. I think this is not only me, but also the "Long March" shared by the students here in the future.

This year marks Peking University's 70th anniversary of international student education. I have seen even more international students come to China, to Peking University to learn about China. In fact, as international students, we all embark on this journey with our curiosity about China and the dream of understanding China. I also eagerly want to travel across China to have a more in-depth understanding of the real China, so as to travel thousands of miles and read thousands of books. In this long journey, in every moment, we will have to make choices and decide properly. In this "Long March" with uphills and downhills, we need to move forward bravely.

I would like to wish everyone here, and wish Peking University the very best! Hope to see you soon!

Thank you!



Source: International Students Division
Translated by: Masha
Proofreading: Aneka
Edited by: Hu Shaocong
Designed by: Lean Zhi Xuan