On October 29-30, 2016, the academic symposium “Christianity and Modern Chinese Education” was successfully held at the Lehua New Building of Shanghai University. The event was jointly organized by the Center for the Study of Religion and Chinese Society at Shanghai University, the Center for the Study of Christianity and China in Los Angeles, USA, and the editorial office of the journal Chinese Christian Studies in the United States. Over 40 scholars from more than 30 institutions, including Tsinghua University, Nankai University, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, University of Macau, Central China Normal University, Nanjing University, Sun Yat-sen University, Jinan University, East China Normal University, South China Normal University, University of London, and Fukuoka Women's University in Japan, attended the conference. Additionally, 16 doctoral candidates from Peking University, Renmin University of China, Shandong University, Sichuan University, Fudan University, and Hubei University participated.
Professor Zhang Yong'an, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Shanghai University, delivered the opening address, welcoming the scholars from afar. Subsequently, Professor Ma Min, Party Secretary of Central China Normal University and doctoral supervisor, presented the keynote speech. In his report, he provided an overall grasp of the emergence and general overview of research on church universities, segmented the developmental stages of research on church-affiliated universities, and highlighted the latest research trends in this field. He emphasized the need to transcend the boundaries between modern and contemporary history, re-examine the historical legacy of church-affiliated universities from the perspective of educational development and talent cultivation, objectively evaluate both the positive and negative lessons learned, draw upon their institutional experiences, and effectively advance the modernization of Chinese higher education.
As the conference drew to a close, an award ceremony for outstanding students from the journal Chinese Christian Studies was held. Professor Ling Li, Editor-in-Chief of Chinese Christian Studies in Los Angeles, USA; Associate Professor Xiao Qinghe from Shanghai University; and Associate Researcher Yu Qiang from the Zhejiang Academy of Social Sciences presented awards to the winning students to encourage and recognize their research achievements. Finally, Professors Tao Feiya and Li Ling from Shanghai University delivered concluding remarks. They outlined the current state and challenges facing Christian studies, advocated for a comprehensive and objective perspective on Sino-Western cultural exchange, encouraged scholars to continue pioneering research in the history of Christianity in China, and outlined future research directions. Associate Professor Xiao Qinghe then declared the conference successfully concluded.
The conference received over 40 papers, with presentations focusing on topics including church schools versus non-church schools, the Sinicization of church universities, church women's universities, the influence of Christianity on Chinese education, and Christianity in modern China. Participants engaged in in-depth discussions on the issues raised in the papers.
The Center for the Study of Religion and Chinese Society at Shanghai University will continue to promote research on Christianity and modern Chinese society. Following discussions, both parties agreed that the annual conference of the American journal Studies in Chinese Christianity will be held regularly at Shanghai University in late October each year. The tentative theme for the 2017 conference is Christianity and Modern Chinese Healthcare, while the 2018 conference will focus on Christianity and Modern Chinese Legal Systems.
For more information, please visit the Center's website: http://www.ChineseCS.cn. (Contributed by Huang Nana)