The Executive Council of the China-UK Humanities Alliance for Higher Education convened its fifth annual meeting on Dec. 14, to review the alliance’s past activities and discuss its plans and programs for the next year.
Chen Xu, the Chairperson of Tsinghua University Council and the President of the alliance, delivered opening remarks at the meeting co-hosted by Tsinghua University and the University of Exeter, which was held both online and offline.
She pointed out that since the establishment of the alliance in 2016, 17 leading colleges and universities from China and the U.K. have carried out humanities and academic exchanges through the alliance to cope with the common challenges faced by humanities education and research, and to promote dialogue between the people of the two countries by enhancing all-inclusive capabilities and learning from others.
Chen Xu encouraged the alliance members to give full play to their unique advantages in international humanities academics, humanities education, and cultural exchanges to continue exploring new avenues of research, deepen cooperation models, and expand the influence of the alliance, for the comprehensive development of higher education, talent cultivation and better cross-cultural understanding.
In her speech, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Exeter Lisa Roberts expressed her confidence in the future development potential of the alliance, and said her university was looking forward to hosting the annual summit of the alliance next year under the theme of "Reimagining the Global" .
She also said her university was planning to hold online seminars for doctoral students and young scholars in the humanities field of the two countries, offering an international platform for the new generation of scholars and researchers to establish contacts and develop networks for cooperation and exchanges.
Prof. Yan Haiping, Chair of the Executive Council and Secretary-General of the alliance said that Tsinghua proposed establishing the alliance five years ago as a cross-institutional mechanism for cross-cultural dialogical exchanges and research collaborations in humanity and humanistic education. In the past four years, 17 Chinese and British universities have joined, and according to the ideas released at the time of the establishment of the Alliance, a mechanism, including the China—UK Humanities Alliance for Higher Education Forum, the Early Career Research Forum and China—UK Higher Education Young Talent Alliance has been formed. The humanities education centered on cross-cultural knowledge production and exchange have taken on ever greater historical significance in the face of the deepening sense of uncertainties in social belonging, and cultural parochialism.
Prof. Yan, who is also Dean of Tsinghua Institute for World Literatures and Cultures, on behalf of the Executive Council and all colleagues, echoing President of the Alliance Professor Chen Xu, expressed appreciation of all members ‘enduring commitment over the years and helping in building the main programs of the alliance.
Prof. Mark Goodwin, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Global Engagement at the University of Exeter, expressed his delight that despite the challenges of the pandemic, the alliance has been able to forge ahead with exciting projects.
Following his remarks, representatives from the U.K. and Chinese member universities of the alliance shared a brief overview of activities their universities carried out this year as an alliance member, deliberated on new initiatives of the alliance, and exchanged ideas on the possible theme and structure of the alliance’s annual summit the University of Exeter will be hosting next year.
The session was jointly moderated by Meng Bo, Associate Dean of Tsinghua’s Office of International Affairs, and Melissa Percival, Associate Dean for Global at College of Humanities of the University of Exeter.
Prof. Rana Mitter from the University of Oxford said his university would continue to work with the alliance members to broaden and deepen its academic relationship with China. Prof. Peter Gries, Director of the Manchester China Institute, urged the alliance members to focus on humanism and the common humanity, rather than allow cultures to be politicized. Likewise, Prof. Lucia Najib from the University of Reading said that her team was looking forward to working with the alliance on its new initiatives.
Prof. Tim Lockley of the University of Warwick said his university was keen to support the alliance and welcome exchanges, while Prof. Melissa Percival, of the University of Exeter, said her university offered two fellowships to two of her university researchers to visit Peking University and Fudan University to develop research projects and funded two staff to attend the annual conference of the alliance in Beijing in 2019.
Prof. Li Xiaoshu, Head of the Office of International Affairs at Wuhan University, expressed his university’s interest in hosting the annual summit of the alliance in 2023, coinciding with the 130th anniversary of the founding of the university. Chen Zhimi, the Vice-President of Fudan University, said his university was encouraging their professors to publish on British history, literature, and education. Representatives from Shanghai International Studies University, Peking University, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Beijing Foreign Studies University, also shared their ideas on how the alliance can move forward next year.
The meeting concluded with closing remarks from Tsinghua’s Vice President Peng Gang.
He lauded the alliance for deepening exchanges and cooperation between universities in two countries and for cultivating the ability of the young generation to understand and learn from different cultures. He said he was confident that the alliance would provide strong talent support for the diverse development of the world.
Tsinghua’s Dean for International Affairs Li Jinliang, Chair of the Department Council of Foreign Languages and Literatures Wu Xia, and representatives from the alliance also attended the meeting.
Writer: Sangeet Sangroula
Editors: Guo Lili, John Olbrich
