On the evening of 10 June, the Youth Reflection Forum commemorating the centenary of the Communist Party of China and the Oath-taking Ceremony for New Party Members were solemnly held at the Theatre of the Student Activity Centre on Fengxian Campus. Nearly 400 faculty members and students attended the event, including Chen Qi, Deputy Secretary of the University Party Committee; Ni Wei, Director of the party Committee's Student Affairs Department; and Huang Guangtuan and Yuan Shuanglong, Vice-Deans of the International Elite Engineering school.

A century ago, as France underwent accelerated industrial, artistic and cultural revival, a group of patriotic youths with fervent aspirations keenly turned their gaze towards the burgeoning French Republic. Over 1,800 Chinese students across 20 successive cohorts embarked on work-study programmes in France. Embracing the dream of ‘working while studying to serve the nation’, they explored pathways for China's future and sought directions for national salvation. This chapter constitutes both a personal chronicle of Chinese youth dedicating their vibrant youth to national service and a testament to China's transformative progress over half a century.

As a Sino-French educational institution, the International Elite Engineering School steadfastly upholds ideological principles within Sino-foreign cooperative education. It guides and educates students to cultivate correct worldviews, outlooks on life, and values, bearing the mission of continuously nurturing outstanding engineers imbued with profound patriotic sentiment. Following the path of revolutionary predecessors who pursued knowledge and endeavour, Chimie Shanghai students recreated, through a bilingual Sino-French theatrical production, the debate scenes from a century ago. These depicted the forebears who travelled to France to study for the sake of their nation, exploring paths to national salvation and rejuvenation. They portrayed the intense debate between the ‘Work-Study Faction’ led by Zhao Shiyan and the ‘Montagnard Faction’ led by Cai Hesen concerning survival versus academic pursuit. Though differing in perspective, both factions shared an unwavering conviction to rescue the nation from peril. Their performance illuminated the youthful choices made by Marxists during the ‘Age of Awakening,’ transporting the entire audience back to that era when the ‘spark of revolution first flickered.’

During the debate session titled ‘Is it more beneficial for the nation's development today for graduates to venture into the wider world or to cultivate deep roots in their homeland?’, students from Chimie Shanghai engaged in a spirited exchange with opposing debaters across multiple dimensions, including technological breakthroughs and the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind. Their discourse profoundly stirred reflection and insight among the entire audience. As Chinese citizens, we must forever embrace a broader vision and perspective, caring not only for our nation's destiny but also for the development of humanity's shared future. We must be both grounded in reality and capable of aspiring to the stars, possessing both patriotic devotion and global compassion. We must intertwine our personal destinies with our nation's progress, merging the individual into the collective whole. With courage to shoulder responsibility and skill to take action, we shall dedicate our efforts to national prosperity, the rejuvenation of our people, and the happiness of our citizens.

The Youth Reflection Forum drew to a close amidst melodious singing. The spirit embodied in the phrase ‘A century of spark, an unwavering original aspiration’ shall forever inspire Chimie Shanghai students. In this era of peace, forged through the blood-stained struggles of our predecessors, they shall draw nourishment from the finest cultural traditions and technological innovations of both East and West. Heeding the call of the times, they shall press forward with unwavering resolve.