The First of the "Cambridge-BFSU Young Scholars Workshop" Series of Ac

On the afternoon of 29 September 2014, the first of the “Cambridge – BFSU Young Scholars Workshop” series of academic exchange events were conducted in Conference Room 207 of the Arabic Department, BFSU. The workshop was co-sponsored by Information Center for Worldwide Asia Research at BFSU and Cambridge Oriental Culture Association. Dr. LI Xiaofan, who graduated from Cambridge University, was invited to give a keynote speech entitled “French Intellectuals' Dialogues with Ancient China in the Twentieth Century”.
ICWAR Deputy Director GUO Qiqing, ICWAR Executive Deputy Director ZHAO Zongfeng, BFSU Youth League Committee Deputy Secretary YUE Yang, BFSU School of Chinese Language and Literature Associate Professor MA Xiaodong, and over 20 PhD and MA candidates and overseas students attended the event.
ZHAO Zongfeng made a welcoming speech to LI Xiaofan and briefed the audience on the background and mission of the ““Cambridge – BFSU Young Scholars Workshop”. He indicated that the platform was built to enhance the academic exchanges and dialogues between young scholars of the two universities. It was hoped that BFSU postgraduate students will increase their awareness of raising questions, improve their research methods and enhance their academic foundation.
LI Xiaofan reviewed how 20th Century French intellectuals first encountered the Chinese culture and were inspired, and introduced the multi-faceted reception of the Chinese culture in France. By investigating how French intellectuals came to accept Chinese concepts, how the French Avant-Garde explored visual arts, innovated aesthetic forms, and also how different civilizations have dialogued with each other, LI Xiaofan analyzed new thinking methods for examining cultural transmission and cultural influence.
After the keynote speech, scholars and students interacted with LI Xiaofan by discussing the real meaning of modernity and the specific patterns in which French and Chinese cultures influenced each other. Next, GUO Qiqing narrated the significance and value of the workshops and suggested that the events will not only improve BFSU postgraduates’ academic abilities and vivify the cultural atmosphere on campus, but also provide opportunities for students to exchange ideas with young scholars from first-class universities, opening a new window of exchange for BFSU.
Ten “Cambridge – BFSU Young Scholars Workshop” series of academic exchange events are planned, for which young scholars of different disciplines and programs in Cambridge University shall be invited for academic exchanges at BFSU.