On the evening of April 19, over 400 students from XJTU and 10 key middle schools, including the XJTU Attached Middle School, assembled in the university Science Hall to participate in "Physics Enlightens the World," an international event organized as part of the World Year of Physics 2005. The event involved sending a light signal in a continuous relay around the globe. It was sponsored nationwide in China by the Chinese Science Association and Physics Society of China, and in the Shaanxi area by the XJTU University Science Associations and the Science and Technology Office of XJTU.

At 20:05, as the screen in the Science Hall showed that the light signal transmitted from Taiyuan to Xi'an had been received, all the teachers and students present in the Hall broke into applause. Then, the light beam was transmitted from Xi'an to Yinchuan to continue its around-the-world "journey." The light signal first entered China in Shanghai via an undersea optical cable. From there, it passed through 34 cities, including Xi'an, before arriving in Beijing, its final destination in China.

"Physics Enlightens the World" was organized to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the death of Albert Einstein, regarded by many as the greatest physicist of the 20th century, and was intended to call public attention to the accomplishments of the famous scientist, and to promote international public participation in the activities of the World Year of Physics 2005. Over 40 countries participated in the event.