The first Symposium on Global Chinese and Area Studies concluded at Huaqiao University (HQU) Xiamen campus on Nov 3. Hosted by HQU Research Institute of Global Chinese and Area Studies (RIGCAS), the Fujian Base of Overseas Chinese Affairs Theoretical Research of Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council and Journal of World Confederation of Institutes and Libraries for Chinese Overseas Studies, the three-day event brought together over 60 experts and academics in the field of global Chinese and Area Studies.

The symposium featured keynote speeches from leading academics, including Prof. Fan Hongwei from the Research School for Southeast Asian Studies of Xiamen University, Prof. Chen Yiping from the School of International Studies of Jinan University, Prof. Zheng Yisheng from the College of Ethnology and Sociology at Guangxi Minzu University, Prof. Chen Jingxi, Director of Shantou University Library, Prof. Lin Sheng from the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Fuzhou University, and Prof. Zheng Wenbiao from RIGCAS of HQU. They presented on a diverse range of themes including differences of overseas Chinese education during the period of the Republic of China (1921-1949) in Southeast Asian Area, mutual construction and symbiosis of Area Studies and global Chinese Studies, across borders network and economic cooperation among Southeast Asian Chinese businessmen, academic history review of the collection and arrangement of overseas Chinese inscriptions, the issue of updating outmoded and undesirable customs and modernization in overseas Chinese hometowns, and the fusion of global Chinese and Area Studies.

In addition to enlightening speeches, the symposium was structured around five agendas: overseas Chinese communities research, Area Studies, global Chinese and mutual learning among civilizations, migration and mobility, and a postgraduate forum. Presentations and discussions spanned multiple disciplines, including history, political science, sociology, and economics, with research focusing on domestic regions, various ethnic groups, neighboring countries and overseas migrants.

Experts and academics pose forgroup photo

(Editor: Wei Linying)