Ecosystems foster cohesion, digital intelligence unlocks new voyages, syntegration delivers great endeavours

Ecosystems foster cohesion, digital intelligence unlocks new voyages, syntegration delivers great endeavours

Teachers’ Day Message 2026
Professor Youmin Xi, Executive President of XJTLU

Dear colleagues,
Happy Teachers’ Day!

At the beginning of September, as autumn quietly arrives, we once again welcome a festival that belongs to all educators. After 20 years of dedication and endeavour, XJTLU now stands at a pivotal moment as it embarks on a new journey beyond its 20th anniversary. Our distinctive 12345 education system is steadily taking shape, and the University has entered a new stage of development. A few days ago, during a training event at the Institute of Leadership and Education Advanced Development (ILEAD), a colleague asked me a simple yet weighty question: how does XJTLU sustain the vitality and drive of its young teachers?

On the surface, this question may seem to concern only young academics. In reality, it touches upon the organisational vitality of a university. At a time when digital intelligence is reshaping industries, and ecosystem-based and socialised development are becoming defining trends in the future of education, how do we seize the opportunities of the ecosystem era, use digital intelligence to reshape education, and achieve new success through integration? What enables every member of XJTLU to retain the passion to create and the drive to move forward? The answer goes far beyond young teachers alone. From classrooms to laboratories, and from administrative services to technical support, XJTLU’s innovation and productivity have never depended on the isolated efforts of a few, but on an entire ecosystem in which people illuminate and empower one another. Young teachers are the future of XJTLU, while the dedication and creativity of every colleague sustain its present. Today, on this special occasion, I would like us all to reflect on this question together.

I. Drive springs from aspiration: activating inner motivation through HeXie Mindset and seizing the opportunities of the ecosystem era

Genuine drive is never produced by appraisal, nor forced out by pressure. It is awakened by ideas, enabled by platforms, and nurtured by ecosystems. More than 40 years ago, I put forward the HeXie Management Theory. At its heart lies the pursuit that comes from within. Through the dynamic coupling of the He and Xie Principles, we gain the joy and fulfilment of turning ideals into reality. Put simply, the Xie Principle builds a sound system of institutional governance, using rational design to optimise resources and ensure efficient processes; the He Principle activates human agency and creativity, fostering initiative through shared values and cultural resonance. When the two work together around a common HeXie Theme – our ideals and aspirations – our university can move forward steadily in a complex and changing environment.

XJTLU’s nearly 20 years of educational practice offer a vivid illustration of this philosophy. As our 12345 education system has gradually taken shape, the University’s ecosystem-based development has become clearer and more complete. We have never regarded staff as objects of management; rather, we see every individual as a co-creator with ideas, passion, judgement, and the ability to work alongside AI. What we are building is not an ivory tower that follows a fixed routine, but an innovation ecosystem in which everyone wants to do something distinctive and meaningful.

Human society has entered the ecosystem era, and its dividends favour organisations that dare to innovate and know how to collaborate. We must rely on our well-developed educational ecosystem to connect education, research, industry, government, and social service, turning ecosystem strength into developmental strength. These dividends should not be understood only at the institutional level. They should also benefit every member of staff, creating broader space for teaching and research transformation, collaborative innovation, and the application of outcomes, so that individual wisdom can generate value and reap rewards within the ecosystem network. What makes a university truly inspiring is never the height of its buildings, but whether the people within it feel that they are growing, creating, and needed. Only such a place is worthy of one’s finest years, and only such a place can remain full of life.

II. Let technology serve education: Upholding the essence of the “Education + AI” strategy and reshaping education through digital intelligence

Today, we stand at a historical juncture when this inner drive is needed more than ever. Artificial intelligence is transforming the production, dissemination, and application of knowledge at unprecedented speed, and is profoundly reshaping the underlying logic of education. When knowledge is no longer scarce, education cannot stop at the transmission of knowledge. When AI can complete standardised tasks, education must return to its original purpose: cultivating all-rounded individuals. The qualities AI cannot replicate – breadth of vision, judgement, composure, empathy, and creativity – will be the core strengths of future talent.

For this reason, XJTLU has fully launched its “Education + AI” strategy, using digital-intelligence technologies to reshape the entire educational chain systematically and explore new paradigms for talent development in the age of digital intelligence. Our self-developed XIPU AI (Junmo) Platform integrates more than 20 leading large language models and is freely available to all staff and students. Our Learning Mall brings together high-quality educational resources from around the world to support interest-driven personalised learning and lifelong growth. Applications such as AI tutors and intelligent research assistants are continually being introduced. The educational relationship is evolving from the traditional two-way structure of teacher and student into a multidimensional network in which teachers, students, AI agents, blended physical and virtual learning environments, and the global education ecosystem coexist symbiotically. Digital intelligence is not merely a technological patch. It is a foundational force for rethinking curricula, research models, and organisational operations, driving the iterative upgrading of our teaching, research, and social engagement.

But I must stress once again: we are advancing an “Education + AI” strategy, not an “AI + Education” one. The difference in word order reflects a difference in essence. Putting education first places human development at the centre and asks technology to serve growth. AI is a lever for efficiency, an extension of cognition, and a support for teaching, but it must never become the purpose of education.

I therefore sincerely call on every colleague to embrace AI with confidence and use it wisely. Let it take on repetitive tasks such as answering routine questions and grading quizzes; let it assist in designing more personalised teaching; let it accelerate the processing of research data. But let us always remember that technology is a means, while education is the end. We use AI so that teachers may be freed from routine burdens and able to devote more of their energy to what education is truly about: attending to the growth of students’ thinking, guiding their values, sparking their desire to explore, and accompanying the formation of their character.

AI can generate perfect answers, but it cannot catch the confusion in a student’s eyes. It can design the optimum path, but it cannot replace the intellectual exchange of the classroom. It can reproduce vast bodies of knowledge, but it cannot convey scholarly integrity or the warmth of life. The more powerful technology becomes, the more clearly the value of the human being in education stands out. Helping students live with clarity, confidence, and purpose in a world where the virtual and the real are intertwined and uncertainty is ever present is precisely our irreplaceable value as educators.

III. Proactively reshape ourselves: move beyond the ivory tower, deepen integration, and fulfil the responsibility of educators

This transformation requires us to step actively beyond the comfort of the ivory tower, to meet the challenges of our time with openness, and to achieve new success through diverse forms of integration. XJTLU has never been an island. From its birth, it has served as a bridge connecting the world and linking education with industry. From the mutual empowerment of XJTLU’s four education models, to our continued exploration of integration and ecosystems, and now to the cognitive uplift required by the age of digital intelligence, we have always upheld a reform logic driven by the future: first seeing the trend clearly, then reconstructing ourselves so that education remains at the forefront of the times.

In the age of digital intelligence, the boundaries between universities and society are dissolving further. Closed disciplinary silos and one-way classroom delivery can no longer support future-oriented talent development. Interdisciplinary integration, the integration of industry and education, and the integration of Chinese and international educational philosophies are crucial pathways if we are to overcome bottlenecks and produce landmark achievements. This means we must proactively reshape the entire teaching and learning process. The shift from teacher-centred to student-centred learning is no longer a one-way transmission in which teachers speak and students listen, but research-led learning driven by questions and pursued through enquiry. The addition of AI provides far stronger tools for this reshaping: it can quickly build learning scaffolds, provide personalised support, simulate real-world settings, and create immersive experiences. But technology is only scaffolding. The real task is to redesign curricula, classrooms, and assessment so that learning is rooted in authentic contexts, and so that students learn to think, collaborate, and live alongside AI through exploration, while retaining independent judgement and a sound value base amid the flood of information.

Educators in the new era must complete a profound transformation from teacher to educator. This is not simply a matter of mastering new tools; it is a reconstruction of mindset and an upgrading of professional identity. A true educator is a designer of learning, a companion in growth, and a builder of ecosystems. Such a person guides students along their learning journey rather than positioning themselves as the sole centre of it. They understand that the essence of education lies in awakening, kindling, supporting, and nurturing; in stimulating students’ inner drive for growth rather than cutting every unique life to a uniform standard. They see themselves as helpers and fellow travellers, not moulders of students.

Dear colleagues, 20 years have passed, and a new journey has begun. Today, we have a new identity: we are members of a wider educational community in the age of digital intelligence, deeply engaged in the grand social experiment of XJTLU 4.0. Here, we need not be constrained by old paradigms. We can satisfy our curiosity, pursue bold explorations in teaching and research, enrich our academic lives, and integrate our personal interests into the University’s greater mission, contributing the wisdom and strength of XJTLU to the evolution of a more symbiotic civilisation.

We are not only practitioners of education, but also creators of a new educational paradigm. Every step XJTLU takes today is part of writing the answer to the future of education. Education is an undertaking that releases human energy and wisdom. It is also a long journey that must be sustained by original aspiration and love. On this special day that belongs to us, I extend my most heartfelt thanks to every colleague who has put down roots at XJTLU and worked with such dedication. Thank you for your steadfastness in the classroom, your deep commitment in the laboratory, and your service in support roles. It is the glimmer of every individual who has come together to form the galaxy that XJTLU is today.

Looking ahead, may we continue to use the mission and vision as our light, ecosystems as our soil, digital intelligence as our wings, and integration as our path. May we inspire creativity in an atmosphere of harmonious symbiosis and rediscover what is essential through the exploration of human-AI collaboration. May every member of XJTLU find their place in this fertile ground of education, retain the love in their hearts and the drive to move forward, grow in the same direction as the University, and embark on a new journey with the times.

Finally, I wish all staff a very Happy Teachers’ Day and fulfilment in your work!

Professor Youmin Xi
Executive President of Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Liverpool