The first crabapple blossom at Tianjin University [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

The 8th Crabapple Blossom Festival held by Tianjin University(TJU) commenced on both the Weijin Road campus and the Peiyangyuan Campus on March 31. With various cultural and science promoting activities, it welcomed nearly 40,000 citizens, alumni, teachers and students.

Under the main theme of Pursuing Dreams in the new Era, four tour routes were designed to meet visitors' different needs, namely TJU Impression Route, Culture Immersing route, Science and Innovation Route and Exploration Route.

On the TJU Impression route, visitors were offered various activities, exhibitions and lectures to learn more about TJU as the first modern university in China.

Lu Yongchang, the chief engineer of the Island tunnel project in building Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge delivers a speech. [Photo provided to exploringtianjin.com]

The lecture Hall in the Science Library was packed with people listening to the inspiring speech titled "The story between me and my motherland—TJU efforts in "Mighty Country Project" delivered by Lu Yongchang, an outstanding TJU alumni and the chief engineer of the Island tunnel project in building Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.

"We are ordinary people doing ordinary things every day. We strive to make the best of every ordinary thing and that consummates great causes." The simple but gripping words of Lu drew thunderous applauds from the audience.

In honor of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, a special exhibition composed of documentary materials, historical pictures and personal collections was deployed in the Peiyang Square, telling stories about how generations of TJU alumni have exerted themselves to meet the national strategic demands and made progress in major areas of national economy and engineering projects.

Students try out traditional folk arts—pyrograph of crabapple flowers. [Photo provided to exploringtianjin.com]

Zhang Xuan, a senior liberal art student spoke excitedly, "I was so proud to know that our predecessors have made such great contributions to the development of the country. We have Wu Ziliang renowned for his work in developing our nation's first atomic and hydrogen bombs, Hou Debang pioneering in Alkali making, Zhang Hanying, the irrigation expert, and so many more…They are the icons we should follow."

The History Museum was open all day long and visitors could get a glimpse into the 124 years' history of TJU. Alumni took photos wearing academic costumes and wrote down their greetings to the Alma Mater in front of the 9th building. For them, the festival is a time for reunion and reminiscence.

"It is also a new beginning, knowing that our next generation is carrying forward what we have fought for in our young days," said Mr Cai, whose grandson is studying at TJU where he and his son used to study.

The Culture Immersing route provided people with opportunities to experience Chinese traditional culture and Tianjin folk arts.

A senior citizen is learning to paint a circular fan. [Photo provided to exploringtianjin.com]

Ten folk culture craftsmen were invited to convey the charm of intangible cultural heritage. Old grannies, little kids and young students were all intrigued with traditional folk arts like Yang Liuqing Woodcut New Year Pictures, circular fan painting and kite making. "It is fascinating to see and to experience traditional arts. It's like talking to the ancient and communicating across time and space," Liu Xiaomei, a sophomore student said. This is the second year for her to attend the crabapple blossom festival.

Surrounded by a crowd, Liu Jun, an artist from Wang Xuezhong Art Institute is intent on drawing crabapple flowers. [Photo provided to exploringtianjin.com]

Within the Wang Xuezhong Art Institute, Sun Guoxi, the Dean of the Institute was introducing the late art master—Wang Xuezhong's drawing works to the audience. He told them to come to see the exhibitions as often as possible, indicating that "a wide range of experience will enhance the understanding of Chinese painting and calligraphy". Wu, a senior citizen said that she had attended this kind of art exhibition for many years and each year left a different impression on her.

Performance by Peiyang Art Troupe in the open air was also very eye-catching. Debuting with the children's choir from the primary school affiliated to TJU, musical instrument performance, cross talk shows, and dances picked up the rhythm and created an animated atmosphere that made flower sightseeing more enjoyable.

The Science and Innovation Route was mainly designed for high school students wanting to consult about college admission and for young children who are interested in science and technology. In the School of Microelectronics, students visited the Laboratory of Smart Chips and Computing System, experimenting practical manipulation and figuring out how fast Artificial Intelligence is developing; in the School of Life and Science, plant and animal samples were put on display; and Xuanhuai School offered a special Lego course to middle school students who were enlightened to the idea of critical thinking.

Going on Exploration Route, visitors toured around the new campus of TJU, exploring the magnificent Zhengdong Library and appreciating the exhibits that showcase the recent achievements made by TJU in Science and technology.

It is reported that there are over 800 crabapple trees on TJU's Weijin Road Campus, most of which have thrived for more than 40 years, the oldest tree being 67 years old. The new campus boasts 1100 crabapple trees that fall into 16 categories.