Exploring the Unknown Through Journeying, Perfecting the Self in Nature
――Beihang Lingfeng Society2013KAILASMountaineering Team &SANDSTONEScientific Research Team Summer Activities Press Conference
Author: Yu Jinli
At 2:30 pm on June 10th, the Lingfeng Society of Beihang University held a press conference at the Chenxing Theater on the Xueyuan Road Campus. During the press conference, the 2013 KAILAS Mountaineering Team and the SANDSTONE Scientific Research Team of Lingfeng Society officially released information regarding their summer activities.
Members of the Lingfeng Society Council—Lu Binbin, Wang Mengyuan, and Xing Yan—attended the event. Representatives from sibling societies at major Beijing universities, such as the Green Camp of Beijing Normal University, the Tsinghua Mountain and Field Association, and the Mountaineering Team of University of Science and Technology Beijing, also participated. The society also invited media professionals including Ms. Yang from the Chinese National Culture Network, Mr. Li from China Education News Network, and Manager Liu from China College Students Online.
[attach]1750005[/attach]
The first segment of the press conference featured a speech by Liu Xin, the current president of Lingfeng Society. According to her, the Beihang Lingfeng Society was established nearly twelve years ago, originally named“Beihang Rock Climbing Club”, and later developed into separate teams for rock climbing, mountaineering, and scientific research. Over the past twelve years, the society has undertaken several mountain climbing expeditions and scientific studies, gaining recognition in various national university rock climbing competitions. Liu Xin mentioned that both the mountaineering team and the scientific research team have established reserve teams this year, from which all official members are selected. While this new model has brought progress to the society, it also presents certain challenges. Liu Xin concluded by encouraging new members with the phrase “Seek progress through exploration.”
Next, the mountaineering team played a video of their upcoming summer mountain climbing. This year, the Lingfeng Society Mountaineering Team has chosen a climbing plan titled “Consecutive Ascents of Mount Siguniang’s Third Peak and Banji Peak.” The Third Peak stands at an elevation of 5,355 meters, while Banji Peak reaches 5,430 meters. The society successfully summited Banji Peak during a training expedition on May Day in 2007.
Following that, Chen Hongshun, captain of the 2013 Mountaineering Team, gave a speech. He introduced the activity from several aspects, including the team’s climbing history, reasons for selecting the mountains, climbing plans, preparatory work, and current progress. Additionally, this year the Lingfeng Society Mountaineering Team has adopted the uncommon theme of “eco-friendly mountaineering” among university expeditions—that is, all climbing activities will strictly adhere to the principles of eco-friendly mountaineering, and the team will collaborate with relevant environmental protection departments in Sichuan Province. It is believed that the Lingfeng Society Mountaineering Team’s efforts will yield positive promotional outcomes.
The mountaineering team segment concluded with a speech by council member Lu Binbin. In addition to encouraging the 2013 Mountaineering Team members, he set the requirement of “successful summit and safe descent,” emphasizing that safety must be the top priority for the team’s expedition.
The second part of the press conference was dedicated to an introduction by the scientific research team. The team also presented a video briefly introducing its composition and research topic for this year—“A Study on the Tea Culture of the Blang Ethnic Group in Yunnan.” The video also showcased clips of the team’s formation, early preparations, and daily training.
After the video, Zou Sihan, captain of the 2013 Scientific Research Team, delivered a speech covering the following: the rationale behind the chosen topic, encountered difficulties, as well as highlights and challenges of the team’s research. From his speech, it was clear that “cultural” topics are quite rare in scientific research activities among Chinese university students. This represents a bold shift for the society from nature-focused to humanities-oriented exploration, and also implies more unknowns and challenges. Captain Zou Sihan also acknowledged the hard work of the team members over the past six months and expressed full confidence in this year’s research mission.
A speech was also given by Xing Yan, a council member. She shared her reflections from when she was a member of the scientific research team: “Only by entering nature can you realize how small you are; only by engaging with culture can you understand its value.” This sentiment also reflects her expectations for this year’s scientific research team.
Toward the end of the press conference, we held a flag presentation ceremony. Society President Liu Xin and council member Xing Yan presented flags to the 2013 KAILAS Mountaineering Team and the SANDSTONE Scientific Research Team of Beihang Lingfeng Society, respectively. Both key members expressed high hopes for the society’s summer activities.
Afterwards, members of the two teams took group photos with the attending guests and sibling societies. The team members were highly enthusiastic and confident about the summer activities, creating a warm and lively atmosphere as the press conference successfully concluded.
We wish the 2013 Beihang Lingfeng Society Mountaineering Team success in reaching the summit, and the Scientific Research Team fruitful and impressive research outcomes.
This post has been synchronized to Heya's Weibo.