The patriotic spirit of "Public loyalty and perseverance, and the responsibility of the world". Shortly after Zhu Kezhen took office as the president of Zhejiang University, the Japanese invasion of China broke out, and the country reached its most critical moment. Therefore, his understanding of the training goals of the university, especially Pay attention to the harsh social reality and be full of a sense of urgency and responsibility. In the autumn of 1936, he asked two simple but meaningful questions to the freshmen at the opening ceremony: "Everyone at school, you should ask yourself two questions. First, what are you going to do at Zhejiang University? Second, what will you do after graduation? What kind of person do you want to be?” He warned the students, “Don’t think that just knowing a little bit of expertise will be enough to make a living.” Instead, they must become “a leader who is loyal and resolute, capable of taking on big responsibilities, presiding over trends, and changing the destiny of the country.” Talent". Obviously, what Zhu Kezhen wants to cultivate is not ordinary practical talents, but pillar talents. Although such talents must have extensive knowledge, they must also possess the quality of "seeking truth." They must not only study hard and seek the "yes" of knowledge, but also have great ambitions and pursue the great "yes" of revitalizing China. In Zhu Kezhen’s mind, the scientific spirit of “asking only about right and wrong, regardless of profit or loss” means that in addition to being patriotic, talents with the quality of “seeking truth” must also possess the following three qualities: First, they must have a “clear and rational mind.” , develop the habit of "careful and profound" thinking. He pointed out that what a country needs most for its prosperity is not science and technology itself, but whether its people have scientific minds. "If the average Chinese has no scientific mind, even though the streets are full of engines and the land is full of electricity, science will still not be developed." Second, we must have the spirit of "clearly distinguishing right from wrong without pursuing interests" and the spirit of "overcoming all difficulties and risking hundreds of lives in pursuit of true knowledge", and do not blindly follow or agree with others. Zhu Kezhen believed that the purpose of science is to pursue truth, and those who pursue truth must break through what ordinary people see, know, and think, not be confused by customs, not follow the general trend, rely on reason in everything, and dare to question traditional authority and challenges, just like Bruno, Galileo, Darwin, and Huxley, the pioneers of modern Western science, they were willing to go through fire and water. Third, we must have the awareness and ability to innovate. In Zhu Kezhen’s view, “The education provided by universities is not to impart ready-made knowledge, but to open up basic channels, provide methods to obtain knowledge, and cultivate students’ spirit of research, criticism and reflection, so that scholars can actively seek knowledge and The ability to continue research. "The open spirit of "If you are too big, you will be embraced by rivers." The first two lines of the school song of Zhejiang University read, "If you are big, you will be embraced by rivers; A portrayal of the open spirit of a generation of Zhejiang University people. Zhu Kezhen is an educator with very open-minded ideas about running schools. He not only had the experience of receiving traditional Confucian cultural education in his early years, but also studied in the United States and was influenced by modern science and democratic ideas, forming a school-running philosophy of "inclusiveness, openness, and democracy." He insisted on running schools democratically. Although he was the head of a school, he never acted arbitrarily. Instead, he pooled the strengths of many families to jointly manage the school. He established the school board and various special committees as the highest authority of the school. All important rules and regulations and major school affairs issues are reviewed and decided by the school board and special committees. Under the leadership of Zhu Kezhen, experts and scholars implement the idea of ??teaching democracy and uphold the concept of academic freedom, which makes the academic atmosphere of the whole school very strong. When it came to introducing talents, Zhu Kezhen was very open-minded and "had absolutely no sectarian views." He "visited the thatched cottage three times" to recruit Mr. Ma Yifu, the former principal Mr. Shao Peizi, and invited scholars who had previously taught in different schools and had different academic experiences to come to the school, which further reflected his open mind. The fighting spirit of self-improvement and never being discouraged. Zhu Kezhen not only advocated the "spirit of seeking truth", but also set an example of "seeking truth" for teachers and students by setting an example and practicing it. Under his propaganda, drive and influence, "seeking truth" has become the spiritual core of Zhejiang University and has been internalized into the thoughts, will and quality of Zhejiang University people.

During the movement of the Anti-Japanese War to the west, Zhejiang University gathered a large number of young and middle-aged professors who were only in their 30s and 40s but had superb knowledge, such as Su Buqing, Wang Ganchang, Shu Xingbei, Bei Shizhang, Tan Jiazhen, Cai Banghua, Mei Guangdi, Zhang Qiyun, etc. , they "were not afraid of the hardships of life", worked hard and explored hard, not only achieved remarkable academic research results, but also influenced and cultivated a large number of young students with their creative thinking. For example, Professor Bei Shizhang, a famous biologist, "lives in a family of four in a mud-walled thatched house, with an oil lamp and a few light bulbs at night." Life is extremely difficult, but teaching and research continue. Mr. Li Zhengdao, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics and admitted to Zhejiang University in 1944, later recalled: "One year of being influenced by the school motto of 'Seeking Truth' started my joy of studying physics for decades." In the "Spirit of Seeking Truth" Inspired by "Zhu Kezhen's thirteen years as a principal, Zhejiang University has trained more than 3,000 students. After graduation, these students have pioneered and innovated in different fields and become the pillars of society and "shifting the fate of the country." The "spirit of seeking truth" advocated by Zhu Kezhen has been regarded as a model and passed down by generations of Zhejiang University people. Teachers and students of Zhejiang University are guided by the Scientific Outlook on Development and based on cultivating high-quality creative talents, and are working tirelessly to accelerate the construction of a world-class university. The "spirit of seeking truth" will always inspire Zhejiang University people to move forward bravely and constantly create new brilliance. (Author's unit: Zhejiang University)