To drive cultural exchanges and collaboration between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan and to preserve and promote Chinese culture, the City University of Macau (CityU) today held a grand unveiling ceremony for the Cross-Strait Cultural Research and Exchange Center and a seminar on “Historical Memory and Identity Confirmation in Daily Life and Media Practices”. Guests at the event included Li Yonggang, director of the Taiwan Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR, Teng Sio Hong, deputy director of the Education and Youth Development Bureau of Macao SAR Government, and Lao Ngai Leong, chairman of the Macao Region China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification.
In his speech at the unveiling ceremony, Deputy Director Teng Sio Hong noted that the establishment of the Cross-Strait Cultural Research and Exchange Center is a testament to CityU’s proactive contribution to national strategies. It is expected to deepen academic exchanges between the mainland and Taiwan while providing a platform to foster cultural identity among young people on both sides of the strait through research and practical initiatives. He also stressed Macao’s unique role in cultural exchanges under the “one country, two systems” framework and expressed his hope that the Center would make active contributions to cultural inheritance and exchanges.
According to Kong Fanqing, vice chairwoman of CityU’s Council, the Center will focus its research and exchange activities on traditional and contemporary Chinese culture, its transmission and development across the strait, and more, in a bid to promote the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture while showcasing modern practices of harmonious co-existence in its diverse landscape.
Rector Liu Jun of CityU described the establishment of the Center as a milestone in CityU’s development and shared the university’s commitment to creating an integrated platform for academic research, cultural activities, and think tank development by drawing on academic resources in the mainland, Taiwan, and beyond. In doing so, the Center aims to take cross-strait cultural research and exchanges to the next level and make greater contributions to the preservation and innovation of Chinese culture. In his closing remarks, Rector Liu quoted a well-known Chinese poetic verse, “The river is wide at full tide; a strong wind sends the sail surging forward”, to express his high hopes for the Center’s future development.
In the presence of dignitaries and guests, Director Li Yonggang, Deputy Director Teng Sio Hong, Chairman Lao Ngai Leong, CityU’s Chancellor and Council Chairman Chan Meng Kam, Vice Council Chairwoman Kong Fanqing, and Rector Jun Liu jointly unveiled the Center’s plaque. Amidst warm applause, the Center officially began its mission to serve as a bridge to facilitate cultural exchanges and cooperation between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.
The seminar, titled “Historical Memory and Identity Confirmation in Daily Life and Media Practices”, attracted prominent scholars from across the strait, including Professor Xiao Fang, member of the Eighth Academic Panel under the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council and head of the Department of Anthropology and Folklore Studies at Beijing Normal University; Professor Tao Dongfeng, director of the Center for Contemporary Cultural Studies at Guangzhou University and editor-in-Chief of Culture Studies; Professor Shaw Chong-Hai at National Chengchi University, Taiwan; Professor Wei Ai, chief of the Center of Cross-Straits Political and Economic Affairs at National Chengchi University and vice chairman of the Bridge Across the Strait Foundation; Professor Xiang Yong, UNESCO chair on Creativity and Sustainable Development in Rural Areas and dean of the Institute for Cultural Industries, Peking University; Professor Yi Na, director of the Institute of Ethnic Literature at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and deputy dean of the School of Chinese Language and Literature, University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Professor Zeng Yiguo, associate dean of the School of Journalism & Communication, Jinan University; and Professor Yan Xing, deputy director of the Fujian-Taiwan Research Institute at Fujian Administrative College. The scholars explored the underlying logic and current topics on cultural exchanges from a variety of perspectives, including heritage and memory, popular culture, oral traditions, digital cultural practices of the younger generation, and the preservation and study of family letters and remittances from overseas Chinese. Their insights provided new perspectives and approaches to advance cross-strait cultural research. The seminar was chaired by Professor Wang Zhong at CityU, with Professor Yi Na serving as a reviewer.
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The ceremony and seminar were also attended by CityU’s Vice Rectors Han Wei and Ip Kuai Peng, Pro-Rectors Wicky So Kam Hung and Vince Chu Te Lin, and faculty members and students.
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Source: CityU Reporter
