On November 26, Nankai University’s patriotic drama “Zhang Boling” held two report performances at the Tianjin People’s Art Theater Experimental Theater and the Jinnan Campus Datong Student Center. The events were attended by expert judges from the Tianjin People’s Art Theater, Zhang Boling’s descendants and relatives including Zhang Yuanliang and Shen Daili, Zhang Jianyan, the executive vice president of the Zhang Boling Research Association, Chen Xin, the head of the Nankai University History Research Office and chairman of the Yan Xiu Research Association, Li Zhengchun, secretary of the Youth League Committee of the School of Finance, counselors Zhu Zhixin and drama instructor Hao Ren, along with over 600 students and teachers including representatives from partner middle schools, alumni, and various faculties of the university.

The drama focuses on the life of Zhang Boling, a renowned modern Chinese patriotic educator and the founder of the Nankai series of schools. It narrates the historical story of the old principal abandoning his military career for education, founding Nankai, and saving the nation through education. The play re-enacts historical scenes such as adhering to independent schooling and posing the “Three Patriotic Questions”, showcasing Zhang Boling’s dedication to the country and his pioneering spirit amidst hardships. The patriotism and public spirit conveyed by “Zhang Boling” remain timeless, inspiring generations of Nankai students to uphold and transmit the Nankai spirit and its century-old legacy.

 

The drama “Zhang Boling” has been shortlisted for the finals of the first Tianjin University Student Drama Festival, promoting the Nankai spirit and spreading the Nankai voice on a broader stage. This play, self-directed and performed by undergraduates of the School of Finance, debuted during the centennial celebration of Nankai University in 2019 and has since conducted over ten report performances, reaching an audience of more than 3,000 people. In the future, the School of Finance will continue to focus on patriotic education, using drama and other cultural activities favored by teachers and students to guide Nankai students in setting great ambitions, cultivating virtue, achieving success, and shouldering great responsibilities. This effort aims to nurture more young talents capable of shouldering the mission of national rejuvenation.