Vision & Mission
I. School Motto
Self-Improvement through Unremitting Efforts
This phrase originates from the Book of Changes · Qian: “As heaven maintains vigor through movement, a gentleman should constantly strive for self-improvement.” It conveys the idea that just as heaven (i.e., nature) operates with relentless strength and vitality, a gentleman should embody resilience, determination, and unwavering effort to strengthen oneself. “Self-Improvement through Unremitting Efforts” embodies the spirit of hard struggle and steadfast determination of generations of individuals at Jiangxi University of Water Resources and Electric Power, who persevered through the institution’s journey from nothing to existence, from small to large, and from a specialized college to an undergraduate university.
Investigating Things to Acquire Knowledge
This term comes from the Book of Rites · Great Learning: “Those who wish to sincerity their intentions must first extend their knowledge; extending knowledge lies in investigating things.” Zheng Xuan annotated: “ ‘Ge’ means to approach; ‘Wu’ refers to things. When one deeply understands goodness, good things will come; when one deeply understands evil, evil things will follow. This means events arise according to one’s inclinations—here, ‘zhi’ may also be interpreted as ‘reach’.”
The Modern Chinese Dictionary explains “Investigating Things to Acquire Knowledge” as: investigating the principles and laws of things to summarize them into rational knowledge. It is a very important philosophical concept of Confucianism. Zhu Xi of the Northern Song Dynasty believed: “Extending knowledge through the investigation of things means that to fully realize our innate knowledge, we must approach things and thoroughly explore their principles.” This is Zhu Xi’s most concise and precise expression of “investigating things to acquire knowledge”. It emphasizes pushing the boundaries of knowledge to understand everything thoroughly and exploring the principles of things to their utmost depths. Based on Zhu Xi’s explanation, we understand “Gewu” as the exhaustive exploration of principles, striving to understand everything clearly and probe into its essence. “Zhizhi” means becoming truly enlightened, ensuring that one’s actions and conduct are never muddled.
“Investigating Things to Acquire Knowledge” reflects the goals and requirements of our university’s talent cultivation, expecting students of Jiangxi University of Water Resources and Electric Power to diligently pursue truth, acquire genuine knowledge, be down-to-earth, and apply their learning in practice.
Ⅱ. School Emblem
The school emblem of Jiangxi University of Water Resources and Electric Power adopts a classic circular format, with “water and electricity” as its core design elements. The main body of the emblem consists of three upper and three lower curves: the upper three curves symbolize cables (representing electric power), and the lower three curves symbolize flowing water (representing water conservancy), highlighting the university’s educational history and disciplinary advantages in water resources and electric power. The circular element at the top resembles a rising sun, shining brightly, symbolizing the new missions shouldered by the water conservancy and electric power industry in the historic journey of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The main lines of the emblem form the shape of the Chinese character “工” (Gong, meaning “engineering”), reflecting the university’s educational pattern focused on engineering alongside coordinated multidisciplinary development. The overall image looks like a person running with great effort, vividly interpreting the spiritual core of self-improvement through unremitting effort and investigating things to attain knowledge upheld by the university community. It signifies the university’s vigorous development trend of keeping pace with the times, and its glorious mission of cultivating innovative, application-oriented talents for society.
