A Teacher Shines Like Light, Illuminating Students’ Path to Dreams — A Tribute to Professor Zhou Wenguang of Nanchang University
发布时间：2026-01-16
On the campus of Nanchang University, there is a teacher who has devoted himself to the frontline of education and scientific research. With the benevolence of an educator and outstanding academic knowledge, he has paved the way for countless students to grow and pursue their dreams. He is Professor Zhou Wenguang.
As a graduate supervisor, Professor Zhou Wenguang has always upheld a responsible attitude toward students and a rigorous approach to academics. Since joining the university, he has supervised more than 50 master’s students and over 10 doctoral students. Under his meticulous guidance, many students have emerged prominently in their academic pursuits, with several winning the titles of Provincial or University Excellent Graduate and Excellent Graduation Thesis. He not only imparts knowledge but also focuses on guiding students to develop the abilities of independent thinking and scientific innovation, making him a reliable mentor in their academic careers.
To build a platform for undergraduates to engage in scientific research practice, Professor Zhou Wenguang took the lead in establishing the Algae Club of Nanchang University. Here, he has led batches of undergraduates in conducting research activities, inspiring their interest and enthusiasm for scientific inquiry. Under his cultivation, every cohort of students includes recipients of the National Scholarship or Provincial Scholarship. These honors are not only recognition of the students’ efforts but also a vivid reflection of Professor Zhou Wenguang’s achievements in education.
Professor Zhou Wenguang has also spared no effort in promoting the international development of students. He has actively facilitated the establishment of a university-level cooperation agreement between Nanchang University and Imperial College London, a world-renowned institution of higher learning. This initiative has provided students with valuable opportunities to go global and broaden their academic horizons, greatly enhancing their international competitiveness and injecting new vitality into the talent cultivation of the school.
Professor Zhou Wenguang’s dedication and contributions have earned widespread recognition and acclaim. He was awarded the 7th Contribution Award of the Chinese Overseas Chinese Community, which demonstrates his outstanding achievements in relevant fields and contributions to the development of the overseas Chinese community. He was named one of the first Top Ten "Models of Moral Education" at Nanchang University, a high honor recognizing his commitment to the original aspiration of education and his dedication to nurturing students. In 2024, he won the Second Prize of Jiangxi Provincial Natural Science Award, an authoritative recognition of his scientific research achievements. Meanwhile, he was honored as an "Excellent Teacher in the Hearts of Students in the New Era" in Jiangxi Province — this recognition from students is the best interpretation of his philosophy of teaching.
From leading scientific research to nurturing talents, from promoting international exchanges to garnering numerous honors, Professor Zhou Wenguang has always been full of enthusiasm and a strong sense of responsibility, dedicating himself to the talent cultivation of the school. With the radiance of a teacher, he has illuminated the path of dreams for generations of students.
Igniting Dreams to Cultivate New Talents of the Era — Characteristic Education Practice of Nanchang University
Professor Zhou engages in in-depth discussions with students
In an interview, Professor Zhou spoke eloquently: "The core of our education is to fully stimulate students' potential and initiative. During one-on-one conversations with students, we often find that they cherished dreams of becoming scientists, teachers, and other professionals in their childhood, but the light of these dreams has dimmed as they grew up. Therefore, the first step of our education is to help students 'rediscover their dreams', and the second step is to 'ignite their dreams' — rekindling the dreams in their hearts through guidance, so that this passion can become the driving force to stimulate their potential. Practice has proved that this approach is highly effective, achieving twice the result with half the effort in education."
There was once a student who initially ranked only in the upper-middle level academically and was full of confusion about his future development. After joining Professor Zhou’s study group, under the teacher’s active guidance, he not only developed a strong interest in his major but also broadened his horizons and thinking. He gradually realized that "there is always someone better", which greatly boosted his learning initiative and propelled his academic performance to the top of his class. More gratifyingly, he successfully published an SCI paper during his undergraduate studies and was eventually recommended for admission to Wuhan University with the first overall ranking in his major. This case vividly embodies our educational philosophy: only by combining teachers' educational concepts with students' internal motivation can we truly awaken students' subjective initiative, transforming them from "having to learn" to "wanting to learn". To support students' growth, we also actively create favorable conditions for them and help them spread their wings of ideal. Whether providing opportunities to participate in domestic and international academic conferences, recommending them to take part in high-level competitions such as the "Internet+" and "Challenge Cup", or guiding them to publish high-quality academic papers, all these efforts are aimed at enabling students to temper their abilities and achieve all-round development through practice.
This systematic training model of the relevant departments of Nanchang University relies on the university’s high-quality resources and, more importantly, on the teachers’ educational feelings and broad vision. It has successfully helped many students who were once confused about the future to achieve transformation and stride steadily toward their ideals. This is the belief that Professor Zhou Wenguang has always conveyed to his students: only when internal and external motivations resonate in harmony can learning truly become a journey of active exploration and continuous growth.
Students’ Perspective on Professor Zhou Wenguang: A Record of His Educational Details and Style
In getting along with Professor Zhou Wenguang, students have not only acquired professional knowledge but also learned a great deal about how to conduct themselves and handle affairs. His educational style has been unanimously recognized, with specific details as follows:
- Imparting Interpersonal Details and Emphasizing Respectful ExpressionSome students mentioned that they used to reply to Professor Zhou’s messages with just two words: "Got it". The teacher immediately pointed out: "When replying to others, you should try to make your messages longer. A too-short reply may come across as disrespectful." This reminder helped students develop more appropriate communication habits, which has been of great help in their personal conduct.
- Respecting Diverse Opinions and Supporting Independent ExplorationWhen students disagree with Professor Zhou on thesis topics or experimental plans, the teacher "prefers to discuss the issues with us". A student once discovered a new research direction during an experiment and informed the teacher. "He was quite supportive of me proceeding with my idea and continuing the research", while also providing guidance: "telling me which direction to take next". He always supports students in exploring according to their interests.
- Strict Requirements in Scientific Research, Gentleness and Tolerance in Daily LifeStudents believe that Professor Zhou "may be quite strict with us in scientific research", but "in daily life, whenever we encounter problems, he always guides us patiently and shows us great tolerance". For example, a postgraduate student who fell behind in his experimental progress turned to the teacher for help. "He always guided me patiently, helped me reorganize the framework of my thesis, and enabled me to catch up with the progress of other students". The student sighed with emotion that the teacher is "not only my supervisor in scientific research but also a guide in my life journey".
- Shaping Independent Thinking Through "Guidance and Empowerment"When asked to describe Professor Zhou’s educational style in one phrase, students chose "guidance and empowerment". Because "when we ask Professor Zhou a question, he tends to guide us to solve it ourselves rather than giving the answer directly". He will provide new ideas based on cutting-edge knowledge and "recommend teachers or senior brothers and sisters who he thinks can help us". This has enabled students to "develop the ability of independent thinking" and achieve transformation from being students to more mature individuals.
- Emphasizing the Pursuit of Truth in Scientific Research and Shaping Rigorous ThinkingA student whose research results were quite different from those reported in the literature and showed poor effectiveness was comforted by Professor Zhou: "We should not conduct experiments with a predetermined result in mind. The results you obtain are your data. As long as you verify them repeatedly, they are your true and authentic data". He also suggested: "change your way of thinking — if the effect is not good, you can try to falsify the existing conclusions". The student said that "this incident has been extremely important in shaping my overall scientific research thinking".
Conclusion
From strict requirements in scientific research to patient guidance in daily life, with the original aspiration of "guiding and empowering" students, Professor Zhou Wenguang has illuminated the direction of growth for students through every bit of interaction. What he has taught students is not only professional knowledge and scientific research thinking but also the way of dealing with others with respect, the academic attitude of seeking truth from facts, and the courage to solve problems independently.
This commitment to valuing both "imparting knowledge" and "nurturing people" has made him what students call a combination of "research supervisor" and "life mentor". The ignited ideals, shaped thinking, and cultivated abilities will become the driving force for students to move forward in the future, testifying to the profound and long-lasting impact of an excellent teacher on students.
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