Guiyang, a key wartime campus of Xiangya School of Medicine during the War of Resistance against Japan, is where the school motto and anthem were born. The struggles of Xiangya’s predecessors here are a testament to the Xiangya spirit. On the occasion of the 110th anniversary of Xiangya Medical Education, Xiangya School of Medicine organized the “Retracing the Xiangya Westward Journey” Party-building activity to revisit the history of Xiangya’s relocation between 1938 and 1944, drawing strength from the past to enrich the cultural foundation for the new era.

On July 21, the unveiling ceremony of the Xiangya School of Medicine Motto Monument was held in Xiangya Village Square, Nanming District, Guiyang. Attendees included Guiyang Municipal Party Secretary Hu Zhongxiong, Municipal Party Secretary Liu Benli, Vice Mayor Liu Lan; Central South University President Li Jiancheng, Chinese Academy of Engineering academician Zhao Zhongwei, Vice President Guo Xueyi, Deputy Party Secretaries Li Jingsheng and Fu Ganghua, and Vice President Li Zhihong. The ceremony was hosted by Vice Mayor Liu Lan.

Li Zhihong first introduced the details of the “Retracing the Xiangya Westward Journey” activity. Eighty-six years ago, during the War of Resistance against Japan, Xiangya School of Medicine, led by President Zhang Xiaoqian, relocated from Changsha, Hunan to Guiyang to preserve and continue modern medical education in China. The 25th academic year opening ceremony was held in Guiyang on October 24, 1938, marking the beginning of Xiangya’s education history in Guiyang. The newly unveiled motto monument commemorates the friendship between CSU Xiangya and Guiyang, and stands as a testament to the deepening cooperation between Guizhou Province, Guiyang City, and Central South University.

Li Jiancheng emphasized that Guizhou Province and Guiyang City made significant contributions to the continuation of medical education during Xiangya’s westward journey. The unveiling of the motto monument aims to inherit this spirit, strengthen ties and cooperation, and contribute to the medical field in Guizhou Province and Guiyang City.

Following this, Central South University President Li Jiancheng and Guiyang Municipal Party Secretary Hu Zhongxiong jointly unveiled the “Xiangya School of Medicine Motto Monument”.

This visit to Guizhou will further strengthen the collaboration between the province and the university, consolidating and deepening the cooperation in medical education and healthcare between Central South University and Guiyang. It will also promote the friendship between Guiyang and Central South University, making greater contributions to high-quality medical development and the “Healthy China” initiative.

Participants in the unveiling ceremony included leaders from GuiYang Healthcare Vocational University, Nanming District Party Committee and Government, Guiyang Health Commission, Nanming District Health Commission, as well as key leaders from Central South University's Office, Personnel Department, Research Department, and Hospital Administration Office. Some members of Xiangya School of Medicine’s leadership and Xiangya alumni in Guizhou also attended the ceremony.

(First Review: Li Ruijun; Second Review: Zhou Zhijun; Third Review: Chang Shi)