BNBU Successfully Hosts Symposium on Chinese Culture and Global Communication

On March 21-22, 2025, the Symposium on Chinese Culture and Global Communication, organized by the Institute for Communication studies of Chinese Cultural (ICSCC) and co-hosted by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Graduate School, was successfully held at BNBU. Scholars from various universities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area gathered to engage in in-depth discussions on the global communication of Chinese culture and the innovations and challenges in the development of humanities disciplines in higher education within the Greater Bay Area. The symposium yielded significant outcomes.

Group photo of participants

The symposium commenced with a keynote lecture by Professor LO Ming-tung from Hong Kong Baptist University on the afternoon of March 21 at 1:45 PM i. Titled "The Study of Family Instructions by Korean Confucian Scholar Jeong Yak-yong," the lecture explored Jeong Yak-yong's works, including Yuyudang Jeonseo, Four Essentials for Household Management, and his family letters, Chasan Family Letters. Professor LO detailed how Jeong Yak-yong's philological theories evolved through archaeological discoveries of primary historical materials, the foundations of his family instruction doctrines, their literary forms, specific household norms, and their profound philosophical implications. He highlighted that unlike well-known Chinese family instructions such as Yanshi Family Instructions and Zeng Guofan's Family Letters, Jeong Yak-yong's work was treated as an academic discipline with universal applicability rather than being confined to private use. Professor LO emphasized that Jeong Yak-yong's contributions to Korean philology in the realm of family instructions represented a valuable synthesis of Chinese and Korean cultural and scholarly traditions.

Professor LO Ming-tung，HKBU

Professor LO Ming-tung with participants

At 9:30 AM on March 22, the Symposium officially opened with Professor LI Jianhui, Registrar of BNBU, serving as the moderator. Professor LI provided an overview of the university, the ICSCC and the distinguished guests in attendance. He noted that the undergraduate program in "Chinese Culture and Global Communication (CCGC)," launched in 2019, has become a key discipline supported by national initiatives, with plans to expand into master's programs and deepen international academic collaborations. Professor LI expressed gratitude to Professor HUANG Yu, Professor GUO Zhongshi, and Professor LO Ming-tung for their contributions to the discipline's development and called for continued efforts to integrate Chinese culture with global communication.

Professor LI Jianhui，BNBU

Symposium scene

The first keynote speech was delivered by Professor SUN Jiang from the University of Macau, titled "The First Confucian Journey to the West." Professor SUN used the 1893 World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago as a starting point to analyze the cross-cultural translation practices of late Qing diplomat PENG Guangyu. He argued that cultural communication must transcend textual translation and return to lived practices, emphasizing Macau's unique role as a "site of memory" bridging East and West in global narratives. Professor SUN also cautioned against the erosion of humanities in the technological age, advocating for a revival of humanistic spirit amid the rise of AI.

Professor SUN Jiang , University of Macau

Professor Tim Summers from The Chinese University of Hong Kong introduced the interdisciplinary features of the university's "Chinese Studies" master's program. He explained that the program aims to cultivate "global China experts" by offering courses spanning humanities and social sciences, taught in English and incorporating fieldwork in the Greater Bay Area. Professor Summers acknowledged the challenges posed by international political dynamics and the predominance of STEM fields, stressing the need to balance disciplinary development and diversify student recruitment.

Professor Tim Summers, CUHK

Professor GUO Zhongshi from Hong Kong Baptist University addressed the current state of master's education, criticizing the dilution of academic rigor due to the industrialization of education. Drawing an analogy with WeChat's user base, he argued that "popularity does not equate to quality," condemning the trend of unchecked enrollment expansion and "fast-food" curricula. Professor GUO urged universities to nurture "independent thinkers capable of transforming society." While acknowledging the impact of AI, he emphasized the importance of leveraging such tools to enhance teaching while preserving the core values of humanities and reforming academic evaluation mechanisms.

Professor GUO Zhongshi, HKBU

Professor LO Ming-tung from Hong Kong Baptist University elaborated on the interdisciplinary design of the university's "Master of Chinese Academic Culture" program. The program breaks down the boundaries between literature, language, and culture, offering new electives such as Crime Literature and Film and Chinese Language and Culture, while establishing credit-transfer mechanisms with departments like English and Translation. The goal is to cultivate versatile talents with both academic prowess and international perspectives.

Professor LO Ming-tung, HKBU

Dr. CHEN Jianing, Program Coordinator of Chinese Culture and International Communication at BNBU, shared the program's core philosophy. He stressed that cultural communication is a two-way dialogue rather than one-way propaganda and introduced courses that blend communication theories, cultural studies, and global perspectives. Practical components such as fieldwork and participation in international conferences are integral to strengthening students' competencies. Dr. CHEN called for collaboration between academia and industry to nurture a new generation of professionals "proficient in both culture and communication," thereby facilitating the integration of Chinese culture into global narratives.

Dr. CHEN Jianing,BNBU

In his closing remarks, Professor HUANG Yu, Executive Director of the ICSCCl at BNBU, encouraged students to seize learning opportunities, broaden their horizons, and enrich themselves.

Professor HUANG Yu，BNBU

The Symposium provided a vital platform for universities in the Greater Bay Area to advance research on Chinese cultural communication and refine talent cultivation models. As BNBU approaches its 20th anniversary, the university will further promote interdisciplinary collaboration and international communication practices, contributing academic expertise to enhance the global influence of Chinese culture.

Active discussions among participants

Contributors: DU Yaohua, LU Xinyu, YU Chenxing

Photography: ZHAO Ruohan

Editor: DUAN Yingtong