Professor ZHANG Ruilin, a retired faculty member of OUC and a participant in the Ministry of Education’s “Silver Age Plan” teaching support initiative was invited by the Retirement Office and the Department of Student Affairs and Teacher Development at the Open University of China (OUC) to share his experience during a themed lecture. took the stage as the keynote speaker. XU Mingjun, Vice President of OUC, attended the event and delivered an address. QI Wenxin, Deputy Director of the Retirement Office moderated the lecture.
Professor ZHANG started his story by recounting his decision to leave behind a comfortable retirement and dedicate himself to teaching in China’s frontier regions. With heartfelt emotion, he shared vivid memories of his time at the West Yunnan University of Applied Sciences and the Karamay Campus of China University of Petroleum - Beijing.
At moments, his voice trembled with tears as he described the challenges he faced — extreme weather, jet lag, and unfamiliar diets —after arriving in Tengchong (elevation 2,600 metres) and the desert city of Karamay.
Witnessing his students’ eager eyes in the classroom, the professor resolved to “treat every lecture as a precious gift to the frontier youth”. In those days, he often worked from 6 p.m. until midnight, with a simple bowl of instant noodles as his “midnight refreshment”.
“These achievements are not mine alone,” ZHANG said. “They are the resonance of the ‘Silver Age Plan’ educators and frontier education working in harmony”.
During the interactive session that followed, representatives from both the retired and current faculty sharing their insights and reflections.
In his closing remarks, Vice President XU extended high praise to Professor ZHANG for his outstanding contributions to the teaching support initiative. He highlighted, “Professor ZHANG, after his retirement, actively engaged in the “Silver Age Plan”, and leveraged his extensive professional knowledge and teaching experience to guide and inspire students in the frontier areas. His dedication has not only illuminated the path to success for these students but also set a touching example for others to follow”.
XU encouraged retired staff to fully utilise their strengths and continue to play an active role in the broader mission of building a leading country in education. He also encouraged younger teachers to draw inspiration from their silver-age colleagues, to inherit and carry forward the spirit of selfless dedication and perseverance that has long characterised the older generations of educators.
By seizing the unique historical opportunities presented to OUC, he called on them to contribute their youthful energy to the university’s high-quality development and to the overarching goal of establishing China as a leading country in education.
Contributed by Retirement Office
Photo by ZHUGE Huanyu