Just a few days after the annual national college entrance examination, or gaokao, some universities have released creative designs for their personalized acceptance letters with unique features such as “golden keys,” hoping to impress prospective students and extend their sincere welcome and best express wishes. .

When newly admitted students receive such cheerful letters from the Harbin Institute of Technology in Heilongjiang province this summer, they may get more than they expect: a surprise gift of a special gold key, which is made of an aerospace-grade titanium alloy known as ” space metal” or “future metal”.

Teams led by Professors Huang Lujun and Geng Lin from the School of Materials Science and Engineering used selective laser-melting 3D printing technology with the highest shaping precision and capabilities for complex components, as well as advanced polishing techniques to fabricate the keys.

Extensive ion implantation and surface strengthening technology was used to coat the keys. This technology overcame challenges such as high wear resistance and temperature-resistant welding for core components of space docking mechanisms, and provided crucial support for more than 10 successful docking events of the Shenzhou and Tianzhou spacecraft and the Tiangong Space Station.

“The key symbolizes students opening the door to the universe and the future,” said Xing Zhaoxia, director of HIT’s undergraduate admissions office, adding that about 8,000 new students will be admitted to HIT this year.

In addition to showcasing cutting-edge technologies, their acceptance letters also feature traditional Chinese colors and iconic school elements.

“The lucky bag, designed with six traditional colors and school elements, represents HIT’s blessing for the students, hoping that they can share the joy with their families and teachers,” said Xing.

Cong Jinghan, a first-year student at the School of Future Technology, still remembers the day he received an acceptance letter from HIT in 2023.

“I was extremely excited when I received the letter, along with a red bookmark covered with special material used by Tianwen 1, China’s first mission to Mars program, which allowed me to experience the mystery of the universe for the first time,” Cong said.

Renmin University of China also recently released a new version of its 2024 acceptance letters, featuring a three-dimensional box-like design with gold foil on the surface depicting iconic buildings from different historical periods of the university.

The gift package contains three surprises: a mystery box with selected commemorative badges with the school emblem from different periods, a three-dimensional book stand and a book.

After assembling the interactive three-dimensional book stand, students can use augmented reality scanning to verify their identity and listen to songs created by alumni.

Beijing University of Science and Technology chose “cicada wing steel” as acceptance letters.

The material, named for its thinness comparable to a cicada’s wing, has a thickness of just 0.07 millimeters, which is widely used in 5G base station signal receivers, signal transmission filters and integrated circuit boards.

It is a leading technology, developed by a team from the university and alumni of the Shougang Group.