Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 432 Xinzhou University
On June 24, 1640, the early summer sun shone on the green tiles and flying eaves of Xinzhou University. This university, which blends Chinese tradition with pragmatism, stood out on the hillside in the eastern suburbs of Shixing City.

The school gate is a three-bay archway with the four powerful characters "Xinzhou University" on the plaque. The school motto is engraved on the pillars on both sides: "Investigate things to acquire knowledge, apply knowledge to the world."

Passing through the archway, there is a straight bluestone avenue, with fir and pine trees planted on both sides, lush and green.

At the end of the avenue is one of the school's core buildings—Mingli Hall, a three-story pavilion with a double-eaved hip roof. The ground floor is the auditorium, while the upper floor houses the library and observatory.

In the square in front of Mingli Hall, a group of graduates, dressed in matching dark blue robes and wearing square headscarves, were chatting in twos and threes, their faces beaming with excitement and anticipation.

On the east side of the campus is the Institute of Physics, a group of buildings with a U-shaped layout, housing physics and mechanical laboratories. The windows are inlaid with transparent glass produced by Dongping Liulichang to ensure that the interior is well lit.

The agricultural and industrial college on the west side is more unpretentious. Inside the brick and wood structured factory buildings are steam engine models, textile machinery and improved agricultural tools. Several senior engineers from Xinhua Heavy Industry are instructing students on how to debug the equipment.

To the north is the medical school, where the white-walled, gray-tiled courtyard is filled with the faint scent of herbs. The doors to the anatomy room and treatment room are adorned with a couplet that reads, "Diligently seek ancient teachings and widely collect prescriptions."

"I heard that Commander Luo (that's the only way to address him) and Commander Li will both be attending today's graduation ceremony," a tall, thin student whispered.

“That’s not all!” a round-faced student exclaimed excitedly. “It’s said that half of the professors and master craftsmen from the Institute of Natural Sciences will be coming. And…”

As he spoke, he looked around mysteriously, then whispered, "At the conference, the principal will also announce the establishment of two new departments: 'Chemical Industry' and 'Metallurgical Engineering'!"

"Really?" A student with a thick hair and a sturdy appearance immediately showed great interest. "Is the chemical industry similar to the alchemy and elixir-making practices of Taoist priests?"

"Ha! Brother Zhang, don't compare our 'Academy of Physics' with those martial arts tricks!" The round-faced student sneered. "I've vaguely heard some theories that say chemistry is based on atomic theory and quantitative experiments, not some kind of elixir of immortality from an alchemy furnace."

"Oh, I see. So, with two new departments at our university, will the number of students admitted next academic year increase significantly?"

“That’s for sure.” The tall, thin student said with a smile, “I remember when the university was first established, it only enrolled thirty-two students, and the second class only had a little over eighty. By our year, the enrollment had expanded to one hundred and fifty. Last year, the number exceeded two hundred, reaching two hundred and forty. This year, I estimate it will reach at least three hundred.”

"Hey, then our university's student population will probably exceed one thousand in less than two years!"

"Of course! But unfortunately, we've already graduated, and I'm afraid we'll never be able to experience university life again."

"No problem! This graduation is just the beginning of our great ambitions."

"Well said! As graduation and leaving school are just around the corner, I wish you all a bright future and soaring success!"

"Haha, let's all strive together! Let's all strive together!"

The University of New South Wales was founded in 1636, the same year as Harvard College in the British Gulf Colony of Massachusetts on the east coast, making it one of only two institutions of higher learning on the entire New South Wales continent.

However, unlike Harvard College, which primarily trains clergy, New South Wales University focuses on modern science as its curriculum and research direction, and many of its courses are designed to be more scientifically practical and forward-looking.

The basic disciplines of universities include mathematics (algebra, geometry, calculus, linear algebra, mathematical statistics, etc.), physics (mechanics, optics, thermodynamics), biology (anatomy and plant classification), mineralogy (classification and mining), and chemistry (basic experiments).

In terms of applied technologies, the focus is on several areas, including mechanical engineering, metallurgical processes, agricultural improvement, astronomy, and marine surveying.

Of course, there are also some humanities and social sciences, mainly including Xinhua Law, Economics, Simplified Accounting, Chinese History and World History.

In contrast, European countries during this period had universities with extremely long histories, some dating back to the 11th century.

However, these universities, which have survived to this day, are all classical universities, mainly focusing on humanities disciplines such as theology, law, and philosophy.

Compared to universities hundreds of years ago, although the level of university governance has improved to some extent, it still cannot keep up with the pace of development of the times.

At this time, groundbreaking sciences—mathematics and natural sciences—were still excluded from university curricula.

The achievements of many scientists, including Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Descartes, and later Newton and Leibniz, were mostly obtained outside of university.

After the devastation of the Thirty Years' War, universities were no longer considered progressive institutions, but rather outdated and declining educational institutions.

At this time, most European universities were also described as venues for mechanical debates, mainly occupied by people who dabble in knowledge.

Moreover, these universities are not easily accessible to children from ordinary families.

Naturally, women were not eligible to enroll.

However, in Xinhua, two institutions of higher learning, including Xinzhou University (the other being Xinzhou Management Training Institute), do not restrict students based on their identity or gender, nor do they have any religious restrictions. As long as they can pass the entrance examination for higher education institutions, they will be allowed to enroll and enjoy government living subsidies, learning the most advanced and systematic cutting-edge science in the world.

Over the past fifteen years, the Xinhua government has spared no expense in emigrating people from the Ming Dynasty, Korea, Japan, and other countries and regions. It has also made every effort to encourage immigrants to have more children and has worked hard to improve domestic medical and health conditions and maternal and child care conditions. As a result, the population has rapidly increased to more than 200,000 in a short period of time.

If the local indigenous residents who submitted to and were incorporated are included, the population controlled by Xinhua exceeds 300,000.

With its large population and rapidly growing industrial development, Xinhua had essentially established itself on the west coast of New Zealand and possessed the strength to challenge the colonial authorities of Spanish America.

However, how to integrate these gathered people into a stable and cohesive nation-state will greatly test the wisdom and patience of Xinhua's leaders.

In terms of national education and public propaganda, the Xinhua government has always emphasized three principles: one country, one nation, and one language, attempting to mold millions of immigrants from different countries and regions into Chinese people of Xinhua.

However, after countless immigrants crossed the vast Pacific Ocean to reach the New World, they still emotionally and spiritually yearn for their motherland or the hometown that gave them birth.

Many Ming Dynasty immigrants even harbored the hope that once the mainland was stable and peaceful, they could return to their homeland with the wealth they had earned, seeking a return to their roots.

For first-generation immigrants, the central government will strive to create a good living environment and development space for them, and maximize their sense of belonging and loyalty to the New Zealand people.

The large number of teenagers and young children whose values ​​are not yet fully formed among the immigrant population, as well as the second generation born in New Zealand, are the fundamental forces that the transmigrators value most. They are the core of the future national composition of *** and the most stable foundation for the future of New Zealand.

The establishment and formation of any national identity is achieved through various means, such as continuously enhancing the people's sense of identity and gradually establishing a common national identity, a common civilization, a common history, and a common language, thereby reducing ethnic differences and barriers.

To achieve the above goals, implementing large-scale compulsory education within New South Wales is the most effective and quickest means. From its inception, New South Wales has vigorously promoted compulsory education, requiring all residents aged six and above to receive four years of free compulsory education.

The popularization of compulsory education can not only improve the overall quality of Xinhua citizens and provide a workforce with basic cultural knowledge for the booming industry and commerce, but also forcefully instill the concepts of nation and country into the minds of the next generation of Xinhua people, so that all new generations of Xinhua people can establish common values ​​and shape a common culture and history from an early age.

As a pioneer of the Xinhua Higher Education System, the establishment of Xinzhou University was far more than just the founding of an ordinary school; it was a systematic project of reshaping civilization and disseminating science and technology.

This academic institution, standing on the west coast of the New World, carries many important historical missions.

First of all, it is a breeding ground for the seeds of science.

In an era when European universities were still dominated by theology and philosophy, and against the backdrop of the traditional education system in which many academies and the Imperial College in the Ming Dynasty still focused on Confucianism and classical studies, Xinzhou University took the lead in incorporating modern sciences such as mathematics, physics, mechanics, chemistry, and even agriculture into its core curriculum.

Scientific theories that were suppressed by the Church in Europe and dismissed as strange and frivolous tricks by some pedantic scholars in the Ming Dynasty became the subject of daily study for students here.

The observatory's telescopes not only observe celestial phenomena, but also symbolize the courage of the new Chinese people to explore the unknown.

The anatomy lab at the medical school breaks with traditional taboos, demonstrating a spirit of seeking truth and being pragmatic.

In addition, it is also the final catalyst for ethnic integration after primary and secondary education.

On campus, students from the Ming Dynasty, Korea, Japan, and even Western countries studied together.

Living on the same campus eliminated differences in their backgrounds, shared studies, and created space for them to interact with each other.

Under the school motto of "Investigating Things to Gain Knowledge," young people from different backgrounds are gradually forming a shared knowledge system and social values, laying the foundation for further building a new national identity as "New Zhou Chinese."

Most importantly, it is also the intellectual engine of national development.

The university's curriculum is closely aligned with the needs of Xinhua's industries. The research in the Department of Agriculture directly serves the continuous improvement of crops and the increase of grain production, while the achievements of the Department of Mechanical Engineering are rapidly transformed into productivity.

This educational philosophy of "practical application" transformed Xinhua's higher education from the empty talk of Ming Dynasty scholars to the devout religion of European theologians, into a tangible force driving the progress of Xinhua's industrial and agricultural production.

The soon-to-be-established Chemical Industry and Metallurgical Engineering program is designed to address the urgent need for specialized talent in the country's industrialization process.

Of course, there is also a hidden point: the time travelers hope to pass on as much of the advanced science and technology they have brought to the next generation as possible during their lifetime, so as to push this country and nation to the top of the world in this magnificent colonial era.

"...On this new continent, New Continent University is like a dazzling lighthouse, illuminating not only the coastline of knowledge but also guiding the spiritual course of a newly emerging nation-state."

The voice of Yu Qiming, Vice Minister of Science, Education and Health, Executive Vice President of Xinhua Institute of Natural Sciences, and President of Xinzhou University, echoed at the graduation ceremony.

He reviewed the school's development over the past four years, from the initial two departments and thirty-two students to the current eight departments and more than six hundred students. The school's facilities have also expanded from the initial two rows of brick houses and a few laboratories to the current campus covering more than 130 acres and four teaching buildings.

The young teachers in the audience nodded repeatedly. They still remembered the difficult days when the school was first established and there were no decent dormitories. They could only have classes in the classroom during the day and sleep on the floor at night by moving their chairs and spreading out their bedding.

"While the Ming Dynasty continued to cultivate traditional Confucian scholars and numerous top scholars in the imperial examinations, and while European universities continued to produce one theologian after another, our graduates from Xinzhou University became renowned teachers, engineers, agronomists, and physicians, contributing all their strength to this country and this nation."

"You will be the creators of a brand new civilization!"

The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause, especially the graduating students who cheered excitedly.

Luo Zhenhui then delivered a speech.

This fifty-year-old New Zealand University president, dressed in a simple blue stand-up collar gown, spoke with great strength: "...The significance of New Zealand University lies not only in imparting more profound knowledge, but also in further shaping the soul."

"What we want to cultivate is a new generation of Xinzhou people who not only understand the scientific spirit of 'investigating things to acquire knowledge' but also possess the practical ability of 'applying knowledge to the world'!"

He looked around at the young graduates below the stage, his gaze earnest: "You are fortunate because you have grown up in an era of great change. You also bear heavy responsibilities because the future of the nation and the people will be created and built by your own hands."

"...Remember, no matter if you become teachers, engineers, agronomists, or scientists in the future, always keep one thing in mind: knowledge is not for personal fame and fortune, but for the strength of the nation and the rise of the people!"

"..."
-
As the sun set, the noise of the graduation ceremony gradually subsided.

On campus, small groups of people began to leave, but the discussions about ideals and the future still echoed gently in the early summer breeze.

At the other end of the campus, Yu Qiming was accompanying Luo Zhenhui and Li Xianqing on a tour of the newly built chemistry laboratory.

"Were these glasswares specially made from Liulichang in Dongping?" Li Xianqing asked softly as he carefully examined a distillation apparatus.

“Yes.” Yu Qiming nodded. “In order to guide students in conducting chemical experiments, we have also hired several experts and engineers from Xinhua Heavy Industry and Dongping United Chemical Company. They will come to teach when they have time after the start of the next academic year. Although some engineers are slightly weaker in theory, they are quite proficient in experimental operation. They are all valuable talents that we trained back then.”

Luo Zhenhui gently stroked the smooth lab bench and nodded slightly: "Education is a long-term endeavor. Every penny we invest today will be repaid to society a hundredfold in the future."

He turned to Yu Qiming and said, “Xiao Yu, you have a heavy responsibility on your shoulders! Not only do you have to oversee a lot of affairs in the ministry and the academy, but you also have to run this university, into which we have poured all our efforts, well. In addition to imparting the knowledge we have brought, this university is more importantly about shaping the spiritual core of a generation of young people.”

“I understand!” Yu Qiming nodded solemnly. “I will devote all my energy to building this university into a world-class institution of higher learning and continuously inject new strength into the development of all aspects of Xinhua’s undertakings.”

"We will also conduct research and discussions on how to cultivate a national core with New Zealand characteristics among students. Currently, we plan to revise some humanities courses and add more content on the integration of Chinese civilization and modern science."

"We hope that through this approach, students will understand that they are both inheritors of tradition and pioneers of the future, thereby fostering a strong sense of mission."

“Yes, your idea is very good,” Li Xianqing said. “We need to combine modern political concepts with traditional political consciousness. In addition to using current means of communication and organizational forms, the most important means is political education.”

"We hope that the New Continent can complete the identity transformation from 'immigrant community' to '**common** within two generations. All of this requires the efforts of all of us and a great deal of hard work."

(End of this chapter)