2024.11.****17

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On the date, the 9th Graduate Commencement Ceremony of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen was held at the Liwen Hall of the university. Meng Wanzhou, the rotating chairman of Huawei, delivered a speech as a special guest.

Meng Wanzhou shared with graduates the ways to acquire knowledge and develop professionally, emphasizing the importance of applying theory to practice and the necessity of advancing in the professional field, providing valuable advice for students' future development after graduation.

Meng Wanzhou stated, "Knowledge has no end, but learning can be focused; there are no shortcuts in learning, but effort can be enduring." She emphasized, "We must use our precious time and energy on learning and thinking, using a strong core to face the changing world." In her speech, Meng Wanzhou told the story of Huawei's doctors using "surgical knives" and their theoretical knowledge to solve practical problems, illustrating that "true knowledge must come from practice."

When discussing professionalism, Meng Wanzhou used the example of a contract full inspection position to emphasize that extraordinary value can also be achieved in ordinary roles. She stated, "It is not necessary to stand on the peak to be seen, and not only greatness is worthy of praise. The foundation of a building is constructed by ordinary people's dedication to 'one thing in a lifetime,' professionalism that 'advances tirelessly,' meticulousness that 'demands precision in every detail,' and excellence that is 'forged through countless trials.' Excellence is the steadfastness forged by time and the accumulation during unremitting ascent." Meng Wanzhou encouraged graduates, "Knowledge is not innate, nor is it static; only by cultivating an active quest for understanding and breaking free from the constraints of fixed perceptions can one persistently approach it."

Meng Wanzhou's Full Speech:

Begin with caution and end with respect; perseverance leads to victory.

Dear President Xu Yangsheng, respected teachers, parents, and dear students:

Hello everyone!

I am honored to be invited to The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, to share this significant moment in your lives with you all. Congratulations!

In the era of information explosion, many students hope to grasp as much knowledge as possible and not miss any hot topics, inevitably feeling a bit ( ). I want to say that knowledge has no end, but learning can be focused; there are no shortcuts in learning, but effort can be enduring. The more choices we have, the more we need to stay清醒 and restrained, dedicating our precious time and energy to learning and thinking, using a strong inner core to face the changing world.

Below, I will share the stories of two small teams around me with everyone, hoping that the students can gain some insights.

Firstly, true knowledge must come from practice.

After graduating from university, some continue to gaze at the stars at the forefront of their disciplines, while others step into real-world application scenarios. At Huawei, there is a steady stream of PhDs, armed with "surgical knives," using their theoretical knowledge to solve practical problems one by one.

Among them, there is a group of PhDs armed with their "surgical knives" in telecommunications, optics, and materials, venturing into the scorching frontlines, crouching in the roaring production workshops, braving the heavy rain to follow clients to the site. In practice, they have overcome a long-standing industry problem, which has been hailed as one of the greatest innovations in optical access networks, now commercially deployed on a global scale.

What is this puzzle?

In our city, in the building where we live, a large number of optical fibers are deployed in places our eyes cannot see. On Earth, billions of optical fibers pass through homes, neighborhoods, cities, and span across mountains and oceans, connecting us all together. Whether we are making calls, sending WeChat messages, or watching videos, we cannot do without these thin optical fibers.

Has anyone ever wondered how to repair a broken optical fiber? This question once deeply troubled us. Because optical fibers are passive and cannot carry electrical signals. The traditional approach was to label each optical fiber with a paper tag. When a fault occurred, the only way to identify the problem was through manual inspection of each fiber one by one, which was extremely inefficient and costly.

Huawei's Doctoral Corps creatively proposed printing optical iris patterns within optical fibers, which is equivalent to stamping "optical QR codes" inside the fiber core, giving each optical fiber a unique identity mark. By leveraging the sensing capabilities of light, the "optical QR codes" can be recognized. With just a quick scan, each optical fiber can be easily identified.

But from a concept to a product, and then to large-scale commercial use, there are many "jumps" in between. Labeling each optical fiber with a "QR code" is as difficult as carving a Venus on a hair strand. When they actually started to implement it, they found that problems emerged at every step: theoretically proven, but without considering the constraints of actual devices, experiments failed immediately; and when laboratory verification succeeded, on-site verification faced challenges such as solar exposure and material heating, where a single parameter failure could cause the entire system to fail; the manufacturers' processes also did not meet the requirements, so the doctors had to station themselves in the workshops, guiding workers to improve the processes hand in hand, and without the corresponding production lines, the doctors assisted suppliers in making breakthroughs.

At the moment of success, a doctor remarked, "In the process of turning theory into reality, mere mastery of theoretical knowledge and principles is far from sufficient. There is a vast gap between theory and product. At Huawei, % of the work is about bridging this gap." The problems encountered in real-world scenarios not only rely on the strong theoretical foundation accumulated during school, but also require getting hands dirty and feet muddy, solving one problem after another that textbooks have never encountered through practice.

On New Year's Day, "the father of modern management" Drucker visited his teacher, the famous economist Schumpeter. His teacher told him, "It is not enough to be remembered merely for one's books and theories. Unless they can change people's lives, they have no significant meaning." This statement profoundly influenced Drucker, who believed, "Talent alone is useless. Any knowledge only gains value when it can be applied in practice and changes people's lives."

"Awake in mind, spoken by mouth, written on paper, but not practiced through the body, all are useless." I hope that while students gaze at the stars, they also get their hands dirty and feet muddy, embracing this "basic course" of entering society.

Practice yields "true" knowledge, and focus yields "deep" knowledge. Professionalism is not only the foundation for stabilizing one's core but also the cornerstone for building organizational value.

In Huawei's finance team, there is a group of unsung heroes who, though engaged in seemingly mundane foundational work, excel in every task they undertake. They may not have dazzling academic credentials or resumes, but they demonstrate "excellence" through countless "zero errors" in their respective roles. The definition of "excellence" is never singular. A doctoral student who wields the "scalpel" to solve practical problems in practice is excellent, and so is a craftsman who consistently delivers high-quality daily work. Employees who match the needs of their positions and fulfill their duties diligently are the excellent talents we need.

For instance, there is a position called "Contract Full Inspection." The task of a Contract Full Inspection Accountant is to verify the consistency between the handover information and the contract text after the company's procurement contracts are signed. The daily work mainly involves comparing the information in the procurement orders with that in the contracts to ensure consistency, identifying potential risk clauses in the contracts, and promptly communicating, registering, and following up on various issues.

This position reviews contracts on average annually, consistently maintaining extremely high operational quality. They understand both contracts and business, and also provide improvement suggestions and construction solutions for the front-end business processes.

It sounds like these tasks may not be particularly thrilling, but their precise execution supports our nearly trillion-dollar payments each year.

Not only those standing on the mountaintop can be seen, and not only greatness is worthy of praise. The foundation of a great building is built by ordinary people's dedication to "one thing in a lifetime," their professionalism of "unceasing improvement," their rigor of "pursuing perfection in every detail," and their excellence of "being refined through countless trials."

Excellence is the steadfastness forged by time, and the sedimentation in relentless climbing.

"When the heart is focused on one art, the art will be perfected; when the heart is dedicated to one profession, the profession will be successful." May everyone put in sufficient effort, deliver each task, and fulfill every responsibility, never slacking off due to the smallness of the matter.

Every stroke in the poem of struggle is a harvest, and every moment in the long journey is a marvel. Growth lies in the点滴奋斗, with one's back to the lights and face to the stars, interpreting the extraordinary in the ordinary.

Classmates, you are about to embark on a new journey of life, chasing dreams and realizing values. May you gain wisdom and courage, humility and resilience on this journey. May your dreams always burn brightly and your spirit always remain youthful on this journey.

But also please remember, life is not a race about success, but an endless journey of seeking truth and knowledge.

Knowledge is not innate, nor is it static; only by cultivating an active questing mindset and breaking free from the constraints of established perceptions can one persistently approach them.

Wishing you all the best!

谢谢大家。 WeChat editor | 七三

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