Guizhou University has wasted no time launching into action this semester. With an eye toward advancing high-quality development, the university is doubling down on strengthening Party discipline, teaching standards, and student engagement—leveraging institutional culture to drive academic excellence and propel the university forward.
Come early September, Guizhou University's top leadership—Yang Wei, Secretary of the CPC Guizhou University Committee, President Song Bao'an, and fellow administrators—have been making their rounds early in the morning. Stationed outside Mingjun, Boxue, East, West, and Zhizhi halls, they've been conducting rolling inspections of teaching quality and campus culture. But they haven't just been standing guard. These senior leaders have been slipping quietly into back rows, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with students to soak up the classroom vibe and gauge instruction firsthand. This is merely a snapshot of the university's ongoing commitment to hands-on academic oversight.
The improvements aren't limited to teaching. Campus services are getting a facelift too. Take student ID cards—what used to be a multi-office runaround now gets sorted in a single stop at the university's "One-Stop" Student Community Service Center. "It’s been a huge difference, like night and day," students are saying. "Finally, we have something that actually works for us."
Since 2022, Guizhou University has been building out a comprehensive "online + offline" service ecosystem. The university has rolled out four dedicated platforms: the West Campus Faculty and Student Services Hub, the South Campus Student Services Center, the West Campus Phase I One-Stop Student Community, and a fully digital Online Service Portal. The digital portal has been a game-changer. By breaking down data silos between departments, colleges, and students, it lets faculty and students submit requests from their phones or laptops—cutting red tape and slashing wait times dramatically.
Behind the scenes, the logistics team has been walking the walk. True to their pledge—“Party leads through action”, they spent their summer vacation getting boots on the ground early to prep for the semester rush. Their to-do list was ambitious: deck out dorms with new apartment-style beds, slap on fresh paint, upgrade lighting, and swap out dated building signs. The payoff? Students returned to sharper, more livable spaces—and the university delivered on its promise to put student experience first.
"The phone-free policy has been a real game-changer. Students are policing themselves now—many hand in their devices before class without me saying a word," says Gu Ronghui, a faculty member at the College of Liquor and Food Engineering. "That kind of self-motivation is exactly what keeps them locked in during lectures." Gu notes the university's broader push to tighten academic standards is paying dividends across the board. "Enthusiasm is up schoolwide. Sure, you see variations by year, but the trajectory is unmistakably upward."
On the front lines, counselors are seeing the shift up close. Yu Li, an advisor at Yangming College, has watched the transformation unfold in real time. "Students are putting in more hours this semester—you can feel it in the dorms and classrooms. The university's crackdown on slacking has been a wake-up call, especially for kids who used to need someone breathing down their necks. They're finally building real study habits."
"This isn't just about test scores or keeping phones out of sight," says Yu Li. "A true academic culture weaves itself into the DNA of the campus—shaping values, setting behavioral standards, creating an environment that quietly molds character. It builds the foundation for who these students become, long after they graduate. The impact is foundational, directional, and almost invisible—but it's everywhere."
The proof is in the classroom. With devices tucked away, distraction has given way to engagement. Li Huan, a faculty member at the College of Foreign Languages, has watched the transformation firsthand. "Once phones go in the pouch, you can see the change immediately—eyes up, minds on. Pair that with a zero-tolerance approach to academic dishonesty, and students start policing themselves. And they're actually showing up to learn now."
It’s seven o’clock in the morning of the mid-autumn, Ma Jianlinan, a first-year management master's student, is already pounding the track. Three kilometers in, the rain comes pouring down. He doesn't break stride. Five kilometers, done. "Running isn't just a routine," he says. "It's more about commitment." He and a tight-knit crew of runners formed their own accountability group, logging miles daily, holding each other to it through sweltering summers and freezing mornings alike.
And ten in the evening, across campus, philosophy master's student Zhang Zeyang is wrapping up rehearsal with the GD Street Dance crew. The guy doesn't sit still—boxing, rock climbing, taekwondo, he's everywhere. The bruises and soaked shirts are just part of the deal. The run-up to the 2025 National University Boxing Championships pushed him to the edge, but he kept showing up. "Sports drilled this into me: you train when you feel like garbage, when your head's not in it. That discipline? It bleeds into everything else."
Sheng Xinglong's weekends are booked solid. A mining engineering freshman buried in surveying and mapping coursework, he still blocks out four straight hours for "Ceramic Art: From Appreciation to Creation." In the studio, he's elbows-deep in clay—throwing, shaping, glazing—alongside students from across campus. "It's not work if you love it," he shrugs. "I just show up." Instructor An Tengyan has been running this workshop for a decade, blending technique, hands-on practice, and cultural heritage into something richer than a standard elective. Her students aren't just making pots—they're handling intangible cultural heritage, discovering aesthetics through labor, and walking away with a stronger sense of who they are.
Across Guizhou University, the energy is palpable. Lecture halls, athletic fields, administrative offices, dorm corridors—every corner hums with the same ethos: start strong, work hard, deliver results.
Editor: Pang Aizhong
Chief Editor: Li Xufeng
Senior Editor: Yao Zuozhou
Translator: Li Xiaorong
