Connection and Conversation with AXHU Alumni:
Alter-ego’s reasoning behind an ever-changing landscape
Those figures of excellence weathered through years of creating knowledge;
Zooming in their footprints just in time for AXHU 2023 commencement,
AXHU is credited the “starter” of younger academics in its collaborative community,
Marking their new breakthroughs on the track.
Editor’s pick:
AXHUer’s Engagement in Belt and Road Initiative
Today, let’s share his story.
Bio
YAO Lu 姚璐, a native of Feidong county, Hefei, Anhui province, Communist Party of China (CPC) member, a Construction Engineering Technology major, graduated from AXHU School of Urban Construction, C’07. AT AXHU, he earned many AXHU-wide awards, such as “College Student Leadership Award,” “Outstanding Member at Chinese Communist Youth League (CCYL) AXHU Committee.”
After graduating from AXHU, Yao took office as civil engineering technician at National Resource Coordination Center (NRCC) of Saudi Arabia, and co-manager for China Compulsory Certification (CCC) construction projects at Yemen.
In 2015, Yao was about to be a self-entrepreneur engaged with business start-ups, and today, he has been named Chair for three companies staffing more than 50 senior executives: Hefei Fengteng Engineering Consulting Co., Ltd.—its annual output value is up to RMB 5.o million yuan, providing specialized services for more than 300 local building enterprises across Anhui province; Anhui Zhenjie Construction Engineering Co., Ltd. (AZCE); and Hefei Fengteng Educational Services Co., Ltd. Especially with the heightening of AZCE engagement, which is enlisted in the leading enterprises and large-sized businesses registered at Hefei New & Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone, and is awarded several times its “Taxpayer Enterprise Award” and “2021 Output Value Contribution Award.”
Day One at AXHU
Yao finalizes a vision of his AXHU’ study and life, “Hardship, Fulfillment and Luck.”
Coming from an underdeveloped, mountainous, rural area in Feidong county, not only did he manage to keep his economic stability chained to life throughout the next four years at university, comprised of tuition fees, miscellaneous spending, and essential expenses such as housing, clothing, food, books, stationery, transportation, and much more, but more importantly he should take care of his aged parents being out of health after classes or during vacation.
Steadfastly, ‘Reality Is Reality,’ the strong-willed student stands up against the behind-the-scenes difficulties and is resolved to squash any minimally-obstrusive disturbance or hindrance emerging in his academic trek.
“Hurrying for classroom, for canteen, and for dormitory; To minimize life expenses and save each penny—‘what the college students need is a taste of the Monk’s life.’” Yao joked to himself. “To have something in the foreground, as if the Granny Liu in Grand View Garden[1] is on view.”
[1] literary allusion of A Dream of Red Mansions, Hongloumeng (simplified Chinese: 红楼梦；traditional Chinese: 紅樓夢), also called Dream of the Red Chamber, The Story of the Stone—, composed by Chinese writer Cao Xueqin (1715-1763).
Just few days ago, the incoming freshman lapsed into the hustle and bustle of metropolitan life... at the Arrival of Hefei Railway Station.
Stepping onto AXHU campus, Yao was ever trapped into the confusion and puzzlement throughout the first-year’s early months at school, “Except the academic involvement featuring ‘monastic tradition’, I was confined in probing questions on ‘what to do?’, ‘how to do?’, and ‘where to go?’”
Fortunately, his AXHU award-winning mentor, Ms. GU Guang-juan 顾广娟, stretches out a helping hand, and help the young boy of 17 gain a re-imagination, bringing a different future to embrace the Alter-ego.
# YaoLu_Cuisine 2003 [2]
‘‘‘
Breakfast:
a baozi [steamed bun with meat/vegetable stuffing] (0.3 yuan) + a bowl of gruel (0.2 yuan)
Luncheon:
A serving of stir-fried vegetables (1.0 yuan) + a portion of steamed rice (0.3 yuan)
Supper:
a mantou [steamed bread] (0.2 yuan) + a bowl of porridge (0.2 yuan)
...
’’’
[2] In 2003, the per-capita consumption level in the city of Hefei is at around RMB 700 yuan per month; the Consumer Price Index (CPI) is approximately 100. 0.
At the time, Gu reports Yao’s family economic status and the current realities in advance (knowing from the Admitted Students’ Registration Information) to the School’s administration for policy solution, providing grants for the current student who needs to acquire relevant subsidies & aids, as well as, sometime later, helps him opt for AXHU Student Oversight Commission to register in. Surprisingly, he became its administrator-in-chief for two consecutive years (promoted form the beginner member), where Yao can behave better of interacting with people and with ideas across boundaries and preside his own sentiment of “inferiority complex” or “self-blame” over the years.
Indeed, Gu herself joined AXHU faculty as a recent grad from other university just few months ago, and Yao’s classmates became her “inaugural students” at AXHU. Combining the Class Oversight & Aid System (regarding academic study, attending classes, daily living, and individual emotions, charitable funding, etc.), Gu, junior staff member, also generous benefactor, focused on the self-optimization in a broad scope of student management affairs and consulting services tailored for building ideal networks to convene strong students. Nowadays, the much-loved mentor is amiably called “Sister Gu” by them. “After graduation, Sister Gu also becomes the match-maker and witness of my happy marriage,” Yao says. “Our class is still in unity as a big family! They look to Sister Gu, excellent educator, as inspirations, and spontaneously turn to her help and advise at the crossroads in life.”
With the kindness and consideration of faculty, students and staff, Yao started aptly with a new life on campus. From his second year at AXHU, Yao enrolled in the work-and-study program, by which to cover his tuition fees and living expenses. Those hardships and barriers make the boy become more confident and stronger, who has overcome the fear and frustration absolutely and takes a large amount of time to serve for the construction and development of the student organizations too.
Q:
My dear senior fellow! How to stay an ideal interpersonal relationship in university?
A:
Comparatively, the student-to-student, student-to-faculty and alumni-to-faculty relationships established on campus is most valuable and transparent, instead of the ‘relationship reality’ scrambling in some areas. There is a eight-character aphorism in Chinese 广结善缘，团结孤闭 presenting for the current students, i.e., ‘To broaden reciprocal networks; To help the vulnerable.’
In the real world, there are lots of stellar people holding alternate opinions, who have grown sage’s understanding and minds of universal civilization and common welfare, while some ‘living in dull darkness’ kind of behave pessimistic, cynical, and world-weary. But the former with their eyes on making a historic difference should revitalize the strength of character and pass the Torch, while the latter must reach out to a broader good people, who may reduce the barriers to opportunities, and get themselves involved in AXHU community’s affairs to promote public awareness and take delight in the simple joys of small talk and long walk with other fellows, who are pleased with wrestling with cruxes.
Priorities are given to good-hearted people! Attention! Never to apply ‘contouring makeup’ in the creative industries and to follow paths more akin to narcissism, astuteness and lordliness. Of course, when entering into society and being put in both fierce competition and emotional labor, the graduating students should cherish any chance to become stronger in your specialty-related field.
Q:
Eh? let’s pick the foremost point in our eyes: Combining your success, how to develop individual abilities at the institution?
A:
Technically, there is a well-received pet-phase ‘Professional things are subjected to the Masters.’ We all have a say in this, which is a simple but inclusive standpoint in today’s society. Initially, to become a distinguished major is the paramount thing, or ballast, in the palm of the current students. ‘Time is fleeting!’ Every one should benefit from faculty to master the exclusively specialized knowledge as required, patiently, meticulously and creatively.
Transition to the real world
In Mar 2007, Yao seized the opportunity in AXHU point-to-point employment programs, and, through the internship program, pre-job training and physical examination, was successfully recruited by a large state-owned enterprise. Two months later, Yao, a boy of 22, boarded on a flight bound for Saudi Arabia, (prior to the completion of his AXHU diploma project in Jul).
At the building site of Saudi Arabia, Yao, along with his Chinese fellows, should be adapted to an alien environment (incl. language, culture, climate, cuisine), undergoing extensive change with fresh perspectives, where they act as technicians, heads of construction crew, and “Commandos” of some critical projects. In Jun 2008, Yao returned China and was named the foreign project manager for procurement of building materials and its international shipping. From 2009-2011, Yao engaged in the development and construction of CCC projects at Yemen. Later, he resigned from the international enterprise, making way for taking care of his families at Hefei residence. Meanwhile, Yao took office as project manager for a steel structure company in city of Hefei.
Self-entrepreneur in progress
Yao re-conceived his business start-ups in Apr 2015. In the first place, he co-founded—with his partners—an interior decoration firm, and was appointed its deputy manager. In Nov 2015, the Fengteng Educational Services Co., Ltd. was launched at Hefei, which was committed to continued education and in-job training for the personnel in construction industry and high-skilled professionals in the field of construction engineering. In Mar 2016, Hefei Fengteng Engineering Consulting Co., Ltd. opened with challenge, which was in the area of the vocational accreditation for constructors and technical workers; safety officer, material officer, contract officer, supervisor, construction officer, cost officer, quality inspector, information officer; as well as enterprise legal person, project manager and director of safety management, and served as an agency applying for the relevant civil engineering projects.
In Jul 2016, Yao founded the AZCE, which spanned housing construction, steel structure, interior decoration, heat preservation, waterproof and anti-corrosion treatment, smart-home system, as well as outsourcing services of construction projects at home and abroad. Currently, AZCE holds the Grade-A Qualification for General Contracting of Construction and Engineering, China Accreditation for Decoration Engineering (Level-B), China Accreditation for Waterproof, Anti-corrosion & Heat Preservation Engineering (Level-A), China Accreditation for Smart-Home Engineering (Level-B), which has three subsidiaries under the management of AZCE: Anhui Zhenan Construction Engineering Co., Ltd.; Anhui Sikada Construction Engineering Co., Ltd.; and Anhui Jianzhen Construction Services Co., Ltd.
‘Entrepreneurship is like beating on a boat against currents,’ which needs a great capacity in patience, tolerance and persistence. In the initial stage, Yao’s team is facing a number of difficulties, such as capital shortage, advertisement and marketing.
“We stay up till dawn! What we must do everyday is to make each thing on agenda possible. But some people are leaving us.” one of Yao’s inaugural fellows, truth-teller, sobbed in tears. “Sequentially, the rest members’ edge-cutting efforts achieve a lot of the time, who are possessed with the company’s development strategy and publicity and attendant matters (incl. corporate registration and decoration, office management, printing and delivering pamphlets/leaflets, contacting prospective clients, social networking, market survey, and much more).”
“And now also, looking back the events over the past years, boasting more than 300 enterprises built in our long-term collaborative framework in the domain of Anhui building industry, we all are enchanted and charmed by the Entrepreneurship-Scape alongside the twisted path we scaled, which has become the solid stepping stones leading to a breathtaking view at the summit,” Yao tells. “So the current students might make a full preparation to embrace your fresh landscape at dawn.”
Q:
Magnificent! My fellow! Pls., share some know-how to graduating class at the “active window” of career development.
A:
Above all, there exists a divide between people in the aspect of the individual favor, disposition and tendency—someone behaves outgoing and easygoing, while someone introverted and indifferent; someone is fond of merry-making and festivity, while someone being in tranquility and seclusion. Existentially, which is a meta-concept on the nature of the world. Based on work architecture, we are going everywhere together, and thus you should reasonably wedge your edge into a niche of it.
Today’s society is inclined to accept the talents of all-rounded development and with ‘cross-border’ competence, as well as hidden potentials in some areas, holding high moral standard, legal awareness, selfless spirit of service and devotion. In the real life, it should be clearly delineated that we all are the ordinary people in the general public, compared to the essential component of the social powerhouse, who are different but same, common but great. ‘Living in the presence.’ To do what we are good at and can do for a bright future of the Chinese nation and its posterity is our glorious mission!
In a narrow sense, ‘FORWARD,’ the indispensable elements to elevate your attitude and level, comprising close reading, lifelong practise, learning about expertise from notables, and effective outputs in field work, will bring a track record of your action and thinking, as well as can simultaneously bring self both in considerable fortune and in widespread reputation, out of your contribution to work team, organization, and society. On the other side, according to the ‘Cask Effect,’ these people being in inferior conditions should mitigate the psychological burden by patching up their own weakness or shortcomings right away, and adopt a new ‘algorithm’ to amplify individual’s strength through concentrated efforts.
Q:
Wonderful! Say something to our university. My idol alumnus!
A:
As the first private undergraduate university in Anhui province, AXHUers spearhead difficulties for decades, who hack a path through the jungle toward a beautiful landscape. And AXHU today has become one of the key local applied high-level universities in Anhui province, as well as a pilot construction unit of master’s programs ratified by the MOE. Also, we are thrilled to the achievements and contributions of its nearly one hundred thousand alumni struggling in all walks of life. Generations of AXHUers are benefiting from and communicating the philosophy of schooling ‘Being Virtues; Pursuing Truth; Erudition; Innovation’. So we do believe that AXHU community can increase its contribution to the 21st-Century China’s higher education talent strategic layout and to public services, as well as eventually win a wide-ranging recognition of peered institutions across the world.
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