Illustration: Liu Xiangya/GT

Graduation ceremonies are often associated with tradition and formality. Students line up in identical gowns, receive their diplomas, pose for photographs and bid farewell to the campus. However, at many Chinese universities, commencement has become something more - celebrations that leave room for creativity and genuine human connection.

This graduation season, students at universities across China have marked their commencement ceremonies with distinctive, personalized touches.

Some graduates crossed the stage in distinctive outfits. Some brought family members or pet cats to join them for the tassel-turning ceremony or photos. Others clinked glasses of champagne or beer with university presidents after receiving their degrees, while others posed for playful selfies or presented humorous awards such as "Most Handsome President."

At universities in Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, graduation ceremonies have gone viral for their playful creativity. Many students walked onto the stage in distinctive costumes for the tassel-turning ritual, including one graduate dressed as Patrick Star from SpongeBob SquarePants, whose appearance quickly spread online. 

Alongside cartoon characters, students also appeared in hanfu (a type of traditional Chinese clothing), anime-inspired outfits and retro styles, turning stages into a lively showcase of personal expression.

University leaders have not interrupted these moments; instead, they continued ceremonies with care, adjusting the graduates' tassels and even joining students in humorous photo poses.

What makes these moments resonate is not simply that they are entertaining enough to go viral online. They reflect a growing recognition that graduation is more than a formal ceremony. It is also one of the last opportunities for students to celebrate years of friendships, personal growth and shared experiences before entering a new stage of life.

For today's graduates, personal expression has become an important part of that farewell. A cosplay costume, or a lighthearted interaction with a university president, may seem like a small gesture, but together they create memories that belong uniquely to each individual. Rather than blending into a sea of identical gowns, students are finding ways to make one of life's biggest milestones reflect who they are.

The popularity of these moments also speaks to changing expectations among younger generations. Students who have grown up sharing their lives through social media naturally hope their graduation will feel authentic rather than entirely ceremonial. The ceremonies that attract the most attention is rarely the most extravagant. Instead, they are the ones where personality shines through and genuine emotions are allowed to unfold.

Zhang Peng, an associate professor at Nanjing Normal University, told the Global Times that graduation is an important milestone in students' four years of university life. Students want to say goodbye to their university in their own unique ways, and schools respond with equal enthusiasm and warmth. "This reflects the human warmth of education."

Universities' thoughtful preparations for graduation ceremonies are reflected in moments where university presidents happily pose for playful photos, accept humorous awards or raise a toast with graduates, sending a simple but meaningful message: Authority does not have to create distance.

The same philosophy can be seen in the growing variety of graduation activities. Agricultural universities showcase technologies that their students have helped develop. Music festivals, concerts and graduation banquets create opportunities for classmates to celebrate together one last time. These events are not distractions from education but extensions of it, recognizing that university life is shaped as much by community and shared memories as by lectures and exams. 

Universities have embraced the festive spirit just as enthusiastically. Qingdao University in East China's Shandong Province transformed its commencement into a giant sing-along, with thousands of graduates filling the venue with familiar songs. 

At Yantai University, faculty members and graduates made dumplings together before sitting down to a farewell feast featuring more than 100 dishes and an 8-meter-long cake.

At Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, an open-air lawn music festival featuring live bands, dance performances, instrumental ensembles and DJ sets attracted more than 5,000 students and faculty, turning graduation into a campus-wide celebration.

In many ways, graduation is the final lesson a university offers its students. By giving graduates room to express themselves while preserving the dignity of the occasion, universities demonstrate confidence in both their students and their educational values. It reflects a balance between tradition and individuality, where neither one needs to come at the expense of the other.

The creative expressions of graduates are not only entertaining campus moments, but also deeply personal ways for students to mark an important transition in their lives. Behind the costumes, performances and playful interactions lies a shared desire to turn a standardized ritual into something that feels uniquely their own.

Of course, creativity should never come at the expense of the ceremony itself. However, this year's commencement season shows that solemnity and joy are not mutually exclusive. A graduation ceremony can be meaningful without being rigid, and memorable without losing its sense of occasion.

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. life@globaltimes.com.cn