The Great Learning (2021)

Genre: Documentary Directors: Sun Hong, Wang Jing, Ke Yongquan

Four students at Tsinghua University are facing new challenges in life. As part of the first generation of university students born in the 21st century, Yan Yunzhou is trying to adapt to the challenges of college life. PH.D. graduate Song Yuntian decides to return to his hometown to work as a primary-level government worker. Cai Zheng, a young teacher after traveling abroad, returns to teach at Tsinghua, dedicating his life to astronomical research. A retired professor Qian Yi has also dedicated her life to cultivating students to meet the challenges of China’s future. Zooming in on each story, the documentary film portrays the ideals of each of the four people and the fountain of eternal youth that belongs to the university which provided them with a platform to pursue their potential.

Tsinghua is one of China’s most prestigious universities. The film documents various scenes of study, work, and leisure time in the lives of the four people, reflecting the spirit of pursuing truth that a real university possesses. Each of them is chasing after his/her own dream on the campus, where the school has always supported students to achieve and surpass themselves. The film shows the charm of the university — a school that provides people with a degree and also affects them for life.