On 22nd September 2021, the KoGuan School of Law held the school opening ceremony for incoming freshmen. Students from all over the country gathered to pursue their legal education and start a new journey with KoGuan School of Law. Professor Kong Xiangjun (Dean of KoGuan School of Law), Professor Wang Houji (Party Secretary of KoGuan School of Law), Shen Guoming (Chair Professor of Jurisprudence), Peng Chengxin (Vice Dean of KoGuan School of Law and Distinguished Professor), Jiang Hongzhen (Vice Dean of KoGuan School of Law), Zhang Yangbo (Deputy Party Secretary of KoGuan School of Law), Fang Xiao (Professor of Legal History), Lin Yan (Professor of Constitutional Law and Administrative Law), Xu Wei (Associate Professor of Civil Law and Commercial Law), and teachers from the Students Affairs Office and International Programs Office attended the ceremony alongside the 2021 freshmen of KoGuan School of Law. 

Dean Kong Xiangjun firstly welcomed freshmen to KoGuan School of Law, advicing students to make full use of their time and lay a solid foundation for their future during their studies at KoGuan School of Law. He put forward five requirements to the 2021 freshmen: to be ambitious, virtuous, steady, creative and persevering.

Tang Zhi, laureled as one of China’s Top 10 Best Prosecutors in 2020, and a 2002 undergraduate alum of KoGuan School of Law, delivered a speech as an alum representative. He mentioned law is a systematic discipline, dabbling in many different fields and necessitated the integration of theory with practice. 

Professor Lin Yan made several suggestions to the new students. Firstly, that we should insist on our ideals and dedicate ourselves to achieving them step-by-step. Secondly, that problems help us overcome deficiency. Instead of running from a challenge, we should use it as an opportunity to become stronger. Thirdly, that in the course of interacting with the law, we should reflect on it from a public perspective. He emphasized that law students should actively participate in the perfection of the law.

In order to improve talent training quality and intensity, and help students launch into a new stage of their legal studies, the school has put together a strong team of headteachers for all 2021 freshmen classes. The 2021 freshman headteacher appointments were celebrated as part of the opening ceremony. Fang Xiao and Li Bei were appointed as undergraduate class advisers. Yang Li, Lin Yan, He Juan, and Lin Haozhou were appointed as class advisers for master's students, and Shen Guoming was appointed as the class adviser for doctoral candidates. Dean Kong Xiangjun issued a letter of appointment to the representative of the class advisers.

Afterwards, Gu Xinyi and Li Yutong gave speeches on behalf of the 2021 undergraduates and graduate students respectively. Initially sharing her sense of justice and thoughts on the purpose a lawyer should serve, Gu Xinyi expressed pride in being a part of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and shared her vision of the future rule of law. Also with a strong belief in the rule of law, Li Yutong presented on living a good life in observance of the law, and emphasized the importance of using the law and our legal educations to give back to society.

Additionally, in accordance with the school's “High-Quality Rule of Law Talents Training Program,” to cultivate the talent of the country's future leaders—and to inspire new students to commit themselves to the rule of law—the ceremony was the perfect opportunity to announce the winners of The Dean's Talent Award. The Dean's Talent Award was established in 2018 by alumni law firm Shanghai Shenhao, and has contributed significantly to the school’s student training work over the years. Seven outstanding students, Bai Yunfeng, Zhou Xiaoqi, Yue Wentong, Ma Yixuan, Li Mengzhen, Sun Yichen, and Cao Yue, won the honorary title of the 2021 Dean's Talent Award. Finally, the ceremony concluded with freshmen singing Shanghai Jiao Tong University's school anthem.