Just before its anniversary celebration, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics received a remarkable gift: 1,440 grams of gold.
The donor is Gu Xianjue, a member of the Class of 1953 who studied instrumentation, and she is now 91 years old.
In the autumn of 1953, Gu Xianjue carried an old suitcase from Wuhu, Anhui Province, to Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, and walked through the gates of the university.
After graduating, she went to Shenyang Factory 119, an aviation instrumentation plant.
In the early winter of 1958, as one of 17 elite employees at the factory, she was sent to Beijing to help build Asia's largest aviation instrumentation plant, Factory 232, which is now Beijing Qingyun Aviation Instrument Co., Ltd.
After retiring, Gu Xianjue was rehired by the China Academy of Railway Sciences and Times Company, where she continued standardization work, reviewed technical documents, and trained employees at all levels in standardization knowledge.
She only truly retired after training a successor for the company.
She compiled and published the Concise Standard Manual for Aviation Instrument Product Design, took part in the formulation and revision of multiple aviation industry standards, and received a fourth-class award for major scientific and technological achievements from the Ministry of Aviation Industry.
Just before the university's anniversary celebration in 2010, Gu Xianjue, second from the left, returned to her alma mater for a visit.
In 2023, Gu Xianjue donated her lifelong collection to the Wuhu City Museum free of charge.
In 2026, she donated 1,440 grams of gold to her alma mater.
In her heart, her hometown is the native land that raised her, while her alma mater is the starting point of her journey to serve the country through aviation.
She spent a lifetime saving these 1,440 grams of gold.
When she was young, she converted the money she saved into gold.
Over the decades, it grew into this weighty expression of affection.
"Keeping these things by my side is not as good as giving them to a place that needs them more," she said.
"I have long been away from the front lines of society, but the university has a bright future, and I believe it will make good use of this fund."
University leaders visited Gu Xianjue at her home to extend their regards.
Gu Xianjue left the decision to the university and also entrusted her expectations to the younger generation.
This gesture is not only about the gold itself, but also about the trust an elderly woman accumulated over a lifetime.
She believes the university will make good use of the donation and that its young people will walk the road ahead well.
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