Dear Chancellor Tong Shijun, Vice Chancellor Jeffrey Lehman, Provost Waley-Cohen, Provost Dopico, faculty and staff members of NYU Shanghai;
Dear Class of 2025 and your families, and all friends of NYU Shanghai joining us:
Good morning, everyone!
Today, standing on this campus—a symbol of diversity and convergence—I am filled with both excitement and deep emotions. As a native Shanghainese, I have played the piano at Lincoln Center in New York and in Vienna’s Golden Hall. But with this wonderful opportunity to share such a once-a-lifetime moment with more than 400 graduates from 44 countries and regions is certainly the greatest honor of my life.
As a child, my mother drew me a cardboard "piano keyboard" and she said, "Music isn’t in the piano—Music is in your heart." Those humble keys taught me that true creation begins with breaking through reality. At 16, I made my debut in Shanghai; at 17, I wrestled with Rachmaninoff’s "elephantine" compositions on the world musical stages; and during my battle with depression, I clung to music as my "last lifeline." So my life has always been a dialogue with the "impossible."
Class of 2025, the world you are about to enter may be more complex than the 88 keys of a piano. But remember: "The world ultimately belongs to those who dare to reimagine it." Just like NYU Shanghai—born from Sino-US collaboration and global vision—it proves that "difference" is the very starting point of innovation. You are "Made in NYU Shanghai," and "different" is your most powerful label.
35 years ago, my mentor, Professor Fan Dalei, spent his final moments "playing" his beloved Rachmaninoff in the air. He once taught me: "To live toward death is the best way to embrace life itself." He once said, "To become a master, you must first stand firmly on your own feet." Today, I pass these words to every graduate—true success lies not in externally defined glory, but in whether you dare to redefine yourself in the darkest valleys.
My eight-year struggle with depression taught me: Life’s "black keys" (hardship) are as vital as its "white keys" (hope). When I nearly stepped off a balcony in a storm, a melody pulled my soul back. And music whispered: "Darkness is not the end—it’s the prelude to light." No matter what challenges come, trust that "when heaven closes a window, it opens a door."
To me, music is a "bandage for the soul" and a language beyond borders. I’ve used it to bridge China and South Korea at diplomatic concerts, improvise healing melodies for children with autism, and compose musical portraits for frontline medical workers. These experiences convinced me: "Music is love. Learning music is learning to love—and the essence of love is listening and resonance."
Today, you may not all be musicians, but each of you is a "composer" of life. Whether through code, equations, business plans, or social initiatives, let your "masterpiece" carry three notes:
1st: Truth—Like a piano’s steel frame, enduring time’s test.
2nd: Goodness—Like a child tiptoeing to donate, small acts but change the world.
3rd: Beauty—Like Rachmaninoff’s melodies, forging order from chaos.
Finally, I’d like to offer an improvisation on the piano for you all today!
This music never existed until now, born because of you. So, too, is your future—unbound by prewritten scores. Break boundaries, make mistakes, and compose a concerto uniquely yours in the "imperfect."
Remember: "Rhythm defines life’s beauty." Whether racing or pausing, move to your inner tempo. If you ever feel lost, think of this campus in Pudong’s Qian Tan—where a group of bold reimaginers let the world hear the extraordinary echo of "Made in NYU Shanghai," painted with love, courage, and diversity.
May your futures shine bright and your dreams flourish!
Thank you and love you all!