In the vast journey of China's shipbuilding and marine engineering field, there is such a shining "lighthouse guardian". Starting from the banks of the Yangtze River, he sailed to the world maritime stage, took technological innovation as an oar, reshaped China's international discourse power in ship standards, and with a deep love for his hometown, built a golden bridge for school-enterprise collaborative education. In the process of building a strong transportation country, a strong marine country, and a strong education country, he spent 40 years outlining the voyage of China's shipbuilding industry towards the deep blue. He is Mo Jianhui, an alumnus of the 1978 cohort majoring in Ship Design and Manufacturing of our university and former President of China Classification Society, a craftsman of the era who has spent his life practicing "building a strong shipbuilding country".
Anchoring in the Deep Blue: From Surveyor to "Contributor" to International Rules
As one of the first students after the resumption of the college entrance examination, Mo Jianhui went through the selection of one in a hundred and entered Wuhan Institute of Water Transport Engineering (the predecessor of the university) to study ship design and manufacturing in 1978. At that time, China's ocean-going fleet was small in scale. Looking at the port, large and small foreign ships were very impressive. These were deeply imprinted in his memory and ignited his original aspiration to engage in the shipbuilding industry and revitalize the national industry.
After graduation, Mo Jianhui was assigned to the Guangzhou Branch of China Classification Society. Starting as a grassroots surveyor, he took solid steps and rushed around various ports and shipyards. "Going down to the cabin under the scorching sun, going up to the deck in the cold wind and rain..." The working environment was extremely harsh, but it failed to stop him from moving forward, but instead forged his unyielding character.
At that time, China's shipbuilding industry had just started. The design and construction of large ships relied heavily on foreign countries, and technical materials were extremely scarce. In order to overcome technical difficulties, Mo Jianhui once took turns with his colleagues to borrow a precious foreign classification standard manual. Without copying equipment, he bent over the desk in a corner of the stuffy office and copied the entire complex illustrations by hand with drawing paper. He made a vow in his heart: one day, China's own standards will go to the world!
With solid professional knowledge and unremitting efforts, Mo Jianhui gradually moved from a grassroots surveyor to a leading position. He has been trained in multiple positions in domestic and foreign institutions of China Classification Society, and has successively held positions such as President, Party Secretary, and Chief Engineer of China Classification Society. He has always insisted on leading the team to deepen the research and application of ship specification standards and technical management, and is committed to promoting the development of the shipbuilding industry towards high-end, intelligent, and green directions. Under his leadership, China Classification Society (CCS) has actively participated in the standard-setting work of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS). At present, China has the most proposals in IMO, and China's participation, contribution, and influence in global maritime and ship standard-setting have significantly increased. More Chinese solutions have been recognized by international shipowners, and more Chinese standards have become international standards.
"As the first batch of graduates majoring in shipbuilding in the university, my alma mater and teachers gave us enough confidence to move towards the future." When talking about his alma mater, Mo Jianhui was full of gratitude and affection. "Once a WUTer, always a WUTer. Wuhan University of Technology is the starting point of my work and life, my lifelong concern, and my pride."
Cultivating Talents and Building Dreams: Forging the "Keel Beam" of Maritime Talents with Ingenuity
"The future of the shipbuilding industry lies in young people, and talents are the cornerstone of the industry's development." Mo Jianhui not only has outstanding achievements in his professional field, but also devotes himself to the training of outstanding talents in the industry, actively connecting the education chain, innovation chain, talent chain, and industrial chain, and supporting and encouraging the development of relevant universities and scientific research institutions.
He promoted the establishment of "China Classification Society Scholarships" in maritime colleges and universities across the country to reward outstanding students, encourage them to hone their skills, and devote themselves to the development of the national shipbuilding and marine engineering cause. Since 2019, he has vigorously promoted the "China Classification Society Day" activities in Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Wuhan University of Technology and other institutions to strengthen school-enterprise cooperation and deepen talent development. These activities have become a "panoramic window" for teachers and students to understand China's shipbuilding, marine engineering, shipping and other industries, and have made outstanding contributions to the training of outstanding talents in the industry.
Never forgetting the source of one's blessings, Mo Jianhui keeps in mind that one should not forget those who dug the well when drinking water, and knows that the development of the university is inseparable from the support and attention of alumni. For many years, he has insisted on using his influence and taking practical actions to repay the deep kindness of his alma mater, and strived to win more resources and support for his alma mater. As an outstanding alumnus, he has returned to school many times to be a guest at the "WUT Lecture Hall", giving special lectures on industry development, participating in various activities such as the Transportation Culture Festival and the "Building Dreams in the Deep Blue" alumni-student forum, caring about the growth and development of young teachers and students of the university, vigorously promoting school-enterprise visits and exchanges, promoting school-enterprise joint project cooperation, donating to support the "China Classification Society" innovation and entrepreneurship competitions, basketball games and other "five education integration" brand activities, organizing special recruitment lectures, and helping the university's discipline construction, scientific research innovation, talent training and other aspects of development.
Teaching benefits teachers and students alike. With his rich work experience, Mo Jianhui offers undergraduate courses such as Ship Engineering Economics, Cross-Cultural Communication, Ship Management, and Ship Structure Safety and Specifications for undergraduates. Combining the latest industry development data and vivid cases, he carefully answers specific questions of teachers and students in scientific research, transforms more than 100 practical cases in his 40-year career into "walking textbooks", and solves the connection problem between "textbook knowledge" and "industry practice". His professional understanding of the industry and clear teaching methods are deeply loved by students. "The content is rigorous and detailed, easy to understand, and the atmosphere is relaxed and pleasant," said the students who have attended his classes.
It's Never Too Late: Willingly Acting as a Deep Blue "Pilot" for the Course of the Later Waves
Mo Jianhui took the lead in establishing the Alumni Education Volunteer Lecturer Group. Using his influence, he invited academicians and chief engineer-level alumni to give back to the alma mater in the form of "monthly lectures", injecting the latest developments in cutting-edge fields into the school's education and teaching frontline without time difference, so that the "soul" of ideological and political education and the "root" of majors are deeply integrated. Since the end of 2022, more than 20 industry leaders and enterprise leaders have participated, including Liu Pengfei, academician of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, Chen Gang, chief designer of China's first large cruise ship and general manager of Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, and Wu Qiang, former general manager of China State Shipbuilding Corporation and executive vice president of China Association of the National Shipbuilding Industry. This has built an emotional bridge between alumni and the university, and constructed a "three-dimensional education network" of industry, education, research and application. When asked about his original intention, Mo Jianhui said: "I hope that students will not only have a one-sided understanding of the industry in theoretical classes or a certain class, but also feel the pulse of the industry from a macro perspective and truly understand the wonderfulness of the outside world!"
The selfless dedication of Mo Jianhui and the Alumni Education Volunteer Lecturer Group has injected vigorous new momentum into the high-quality development of the university's education, teaching and talent training. This power of inheritance is being embodied in young students. "Through in-depth dialogue with seniors, we not only solved professional confusion, but also deeply understood the true meaning of integrating 'the small self' into 'the big self', found the resonance point between personal growth and national strategy, and strengthened our determination to integrate youth struggle into the cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation." Nowadays, more and more students can have a deep understanding of their majors, and more and more graduates choose to devote themselves to key areas of the industry and grass-roots frontlines.
He also served as the director of the Popular Science Working Committee of the Chinese Society of Navigation, organizing popular science lectures to promote ship culture and navigation culture. "Success starts with every challenge, and it will not be achieved without effort!" After each report, he always encourages the younger generation like this.
The implementation of national strategies depends on science and technology, and fundamentally on talents. Education, science and technology, and talents are like three pillars, jointly supporting the construction of a strong country. When talking about his expectations for the younger generation, Mo Jianhui said: "The great cause of building a strong country cannot be achieved overnight. It depends on the efforts of generations. The growth of the younger generation is our greatest happiness!"
From the banks of the Yangtze River to the world's deep blue, from a technical expert to a famous educator, Mo Jianhui not only shines with the craftsmanship spirit of "dedication, excellence, focus, and innovation", but also shows the educator's feelings of "willing to be a ladder to support others to reach high places". His story will surely inspire more WUT students in the new era to pursue excellence on their future paths. This guide who always stands at the bow of the ship is inspiring more students to "go to the ocean and sail to the deep blue", injecting an endless stream of striving power into the construction of a strong education country, a strong transportation country, and a strong marine country.
