Early this month, the results for the 24th "National May 4th Medal and 2020 National Upward and Virtuous Youth Award" were announced. They recognize the extraordinary contributions made to the country by China's youth, particularly marking for the sacrifices made in combating the outbreak of the novel coronavirus this year.
Wang Yao, a Grade 2009 alumnus of ECNU with a degree in the Art of Broadcasting and Anchoring, outperformed 10,288 outstanding participants from various fields across the country to win the "2020 National Upward and Virtuous Youth - Dedicated Youth Title".
Born in July 1990, Wang received a bachelor's degree in the Art of Broadcasting and Anchoring from ECNU's School of Communication in 2013. Since then, he has been working as a journalist at the Jiangsu Satellite TV Media Convergence Center. He has earned a reputation for his devotion to work and achievements made over the years.
He, for several times, has covered China’s "Two Sessions", the largest annual political meetings held in China.
In 2019, he played a major role in the making of the TV documentary "Gathering forces to forge ahead and create a new era for the Yangtze River Delta". Completed in one month, the documentary portrayed the integrated development in China’s Yangtze delta-area, one of China's most economically dynamic regions. TV stations from Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces worked together to complete the documentary, which highlighted the convenience brought about by the integrated transportation in this area in particular.
Wang Yao also worked on the production team for season 2 of "I never knew that about China", which won the International Communication Prize of China News Award. Other honors Wang has claimed included a number of first prizes in the category of news reporting with Jiangsu TV News.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Wang has been sticking to his post, fulfilling his duty as a journalist and telling the truth about the novel coronavirus outbreak in China. His duties have been releasing authoritative information in a timely manner, writing news stories, taking photos and making videos about people working on the frontlines of the battle against the pandemic. Since the pandemic outbreak, Wang has produced nearly 300 news stories, half of which received over 100,000 hits on the news media platform.
Wang was at work the day when he heard about the award from his family members and colleagues, who sent him a screenshot via the smart phone after spotting him on China Central Television (CCTV), the State-run Chinese television network. They were watching "Xinwen Lianbo", or "News Broadcast", the most watched daily news program in China, which was scheduled to broadcast a piece of news Wang had covered that day. It turned out to be a happy surprise for them when Wang's photo popped upon the screen.
"That was totally beyond my expectation," Wang said. "I'm used to seeing my name appearing in Xinwen Lianbo as a byline for news stories, but not my face. I should say this was my face’s debut on CCTV."
Wang’s former teachers and classmates at ECNU were thrilled to see him winning the award. "He was an outstanding and aspiring young man," said Ma Li, an associate professor with the School of Communication. Ma recalled Wang's old days as a college student. To prove what he said, Ma showed a PowerPoint presentation (PPT) file that includes some old photos of Wang and award certificates he received while at ECNU. Wang was full of gratitude as he recollected his four years' study in ECNU. "I miss my Alma Mater and feel grateful for it. The university emphasizes the integration between theory and practice in the cultivation of students in my major, which has laid a solid foundation for my journalism career," he said.
During his university years, Wang participated in a wide range of academic competitions, scientific research projects, international student exchange programs, and conducted a number of social practices and internships. He used to be the anchor of ECNU News and worked as an intern at media organizations such as Xinhua News Agency, Phoenix TV, Shanghai People's Radio Station, and China Business News.
"I was very lucky to have met so many good teachers at ECNU, such as Ma Li, Chen Hong, Shen Jiayi, Liu Xiumei, Yu Chun and Dong Sheng. While imparting knowledge, they also made me feel the charm of being a teacher," Wang said. "Thanks to them, I didn't idle away my four-year college life."
