From November 6th to November 7th, the 7th World Conference on Sinology, co-organized by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC) and Renmin University of China (RUC), was held online, with two branch venues at Beijing Campus and Suzhou Campus of RUC.
Prof. Du Peng, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the World Conference on Sinology and Vice President of RUC, presided over the opening ceremony, which was attended by nearly 200 scholars and representatives from 34 countries. Professor Liu Wei, President of RUC, said in his speech that as the setup of the world continues to change and new opportunities and challenges take place, how the humanities and social sciences can meet the challenges of the times, demonstrate their contribution, and enhance pluralistic communication and rational dialogue has become a common concern for Chinese and foreign scholars of Sinology and China Studies. Liu Wei expressed that the theme of the conference, "Understanding China: The New Relevance of Sinologies", means that Sinology not only focuses on classical wisdom and literature, but also develops into an all-round study of China, which is not only an important way for China to open up to the world, but also an important path for China to understand the world.
In his speech, Prof. Ma Jianfei, Director-General of CLEC, said that the World Conference on Sinology is a platform for the exchange and integration of multiple civilizations, which is in accordance with CLEC's aim of promoting mutual learning and appreciation of the world's diverse civilizations through language and culture, as well as the "China Studies Program (CSP)" which has been deepening and expanding since its establishment in 2013. This year's conference attaches importance to the cultivation of young international scholars, and for the first time, the conference was organized in the form of "Dialogue between the Senior and Young Scholars", encouraging top scholars and young talents to share their ideas and experiences in an interactive way on the same stage. Prof. Ma Jianfei pointed out that in the dialogue between the masters and the newcomers from generation to generation, the bond of the "Academic Community of Sinology and China Studies" will be stronger, richer and closer in the future, which is not only the meaning of deepening the sense of the community with shared future for mankind, but also the common welfare of people all over the world.
The four keynote speeches on 6th and 7th were chaired by Prof. Yang Huilin of RUC and Prof. Tong Shijun of New York University in Shanghai. These four speeches were respectively addressed by four teams consisting of two scholars, Prof. Chen Hong of Nankai University and Professor Han Yili of Sun Yat-sen University, Prof. Roger T. Ames of the University of Hawaii and Prof. Sun Xiangchen of Fudan University, Prof. Wuyun Bilige and Prof. Solonin, Kirill from RUC, and Prof. Du Peng of RUC and Prof. Jean-François Vergnaud of RUC and Université Paul Valéry in Montpellier. They discussed and explained "Understanding China: The New Relevance of Sinologies" actively and academically in the form of dialogue from the following two perspectives, contemporary explanation of traditional Sinology and multilingual and interdisciplinary approaches to China Studies.
In the five forums over the two days, nearly 100 delegates engaged in lively discussions on the themes of Translation and Dialogue in Sinology, Tradition and Modern Transformation of Sinology, Sinology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Overseas Sinology and Local Scholarship Development of Sinology and Chinese language education. Scholars agreed that the conference integrated across languages, cultures, eras and disciplines, focusing on the global vision and cutting-edge perspectives of scholars from various countries, especially the young generation. For more than a decade, the World Conference on Sinology has been trying to assist people all over the world to understand Sinology, proposing and constantly constructing the concept of "New Sinology" and giving new relevance to Sinology. The Sinology that emerged from the World Conference on Sinology, contains a renewed understanding of studies of Chinese ancient civilization and Chinese culture, and a hope for mutual learning and appreciation of diverse civilizations.
Before the opening of the conference, the Executive Meeting of the Board of Directors of World Conference on Sinology was successfully held online. More than 20 board members from the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, Australia, Turkey, Argentina, China and other countries, attended and discussed on the issues including the review of the previous year's working report, the theme of the next conference, and the growth of young talents. Dr. Jing Wei, Deputy Director-General of CLEC, and Prof. Du Peng, Vice President of RUC, attended and addressed. (Information Sources:Center for Language Education and Cooperation)