Qu  Weiguo, Head of the English Department of the prestigious Tsinghua University in a speech to the Class of 2019 on June 19, praised the importance of fighting for individual liberty, talking with the world outside and thinking independently. In his speech he paraphrased Mahatma Gandhi to say: 'You can lock up my body, but you can never imprison my will'. He also paid tribute to Quentin Pan, a leading sociologist of Tsinghua University who was mistreated and died during the Cultural Revolution. He concluded by quoting Edward Everett Hale: "I am only one, But still I am one. I cannot do everything, But still I can do something；And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."

(Comment: Qu Weiguo has joined a growing list of leading Chinese scholars who have publicly criticised the policies being enforced by Xi Jinping.His speech has gone viral in China.)