Editor’s Note:

To deeply learn and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions on youth work, and to showcase the vibrant spirit of Nankai finance students who remember their mission, work hard, love our country, and strive for excellence, the School of Finance is launching the “Golden Glory” series. This series invites students and teams who have achieved remarkable success in various fields to share their growth journeys and stories of struggle, aiming to serve the needs of finance youth and support their growth.

Zhou Xu, a 2023 master’s student in finance at Nankai University, is a member of the Communist Party of China and a veteran student soldier. He served in the military from 2018 to 2020 and was awarded the title of Outstanding Soldier. He has held positions such as mentor in the Nankai University Public Ability Peer Mentor Program and currently serves as the Secretary of the Second Party Branch of the 2023 Finance Master’s Program, Head of the Enlistment and Patriotism Group of the Finance Youth Promotion Team, and a student of the 16th Youth Marxism Class at Nankai University. He has received honors such as the 2022 “Chinese College Students Self-improvement Star” Scholarship, Tianjin City’s Self-confidence and Self-improvement Person of the Year Nomination and Haihe Self-improvement Scholarship, Nankai University Student of the Year, and Nankai University Youth May Fourth Medal.

1. Born in the Countryside, he Practices His Vow to Serve the Country with His Youth.

Zhou Xu hails from a remote mountainous area in Chongqing. From a small village, he was admitted to Nankai University, a journey that, besides his efforts, would not have been possible without the support of the Communist Party of China and the People’s Republic of China. At a young age, he planted a seed in his heart to repay the country and society.

In 2017, inspired by General Secretary Xi Jinping’s letter to eight newly enlisted students from Nankai University, Zhou Xu found his path to serve the country and was determined to join the military. He enlisted in 2018, becoming a soldier in the People’s Liberation Army of China.

“To be a soldier, one must strive to be an excellent one. Only through hard training can we live up to the expectations of our leaders and the trust of the people,” Zhou Xu set this goal for himself from the beginning and has consistently adhered to it. During his training, he was consecutively named an outstanding new soldier and excellent student soldier. After joining his unit, Zhou Xu’s military training results were among the best in his company. In 2019, during the regiment’s military competition, the orienteering team led by him won first place, and his squad’s overall performance ranked third. He also served as the company’s publicity and ideological officer, contributing to the unit’s cultural and propaganda efforts and enhancing the team’s cohesion. During his two years of service, Zhou Xu participated in three major tasks at the regiment and brigade level and was awarded the title of Outstanding Soldier.

2. Keeping His Military Spirit After Discharge, he Exemplifies the Nankai Spirit.

Returning to Nankai University after his military service, Zhou Xu faced challenges head-on. He completed 150 credits, equivalent to three years’ worth of coursework for the average students, within two years, ranking in the top 15% of his undergraduate class and securing a spot in the master’s program. He is now assisting his mentor in writing the “China Carbon Neutrality Index Report.”

Zhou Xu is also a leader in promoting sports. He has participated in nearly 20 provincial-level or higher dragon boat competitions, winning top rankings. His research paper on dragon boat training selection was included in the 13th National Sports Science Congress, contributing to the development of the sport. He has shared the spirit of perseverance with his peers, reaching over 1,000 students through the Enlistment and Patriotism Promotion Team. He has also served as a training instructor for student military training, created the first Physical Fitness Camp, and incorporated sports into branch activities, training over 300 students and promoting the Nankai sports spirit.

3. Studying Diligently and Serving the Public, he Uses His Actions to Serve Social Development.

“To be hard-working and enhance our capability is to contribute to social development,” Zhou Xu applies what he has learned in practice, interning for nearly a year at top brokerage firms such as CICC and CITIC Securities, showcasing his talents in the financial market.

However, Zhou Xu is more passionate about rural revitalization. He has participated in social practices in six provinces and interned in Yuxian, Hunan, and Zhuanglang, Gansu. During his internship in Yuxian, he conducted over 1,000 household visits, wrote reports, and explored financial development paths for local industries. In Zhuanglang, he helped establish a village e-commerce platform, drafted a village-enterprise-cooperative agreement, and explored feasible models for village e-commerce, contributing to rural revitalization with Nankai strength.

“Standing on a broader platform, I want to do more, as Party Branch Secretary, Zhou Xu actively implements the National Youth Reading Action Implementation Plan, initiating a reading campaign across the university and organizing the Scholarly Nankai” series. Through the “Party Building+” model, he promotes the integration of party, youth league, and class activities, organizes “Branch Leading, Sports Strengthening the Nation” series, and continues to conduct national defense and patriotism education as the leader of the Enlistment and Patriotism Promotion Team.

These are the tasks Zhou Xu is currently engaged in and will continue to pursue, helping more students from Nankai University to fully realize their potential.