On May 9, faculty members Huang Chi, Chen Qi, Tan Jie, Song Jielin, Xu Ting, and Chen Qin from the School of Foreign Languages attended the academic symposium on “A New Pattern of Opening-up and the International Communication of Ba-Shu Culture” at the Sichuan Social Sciences Museum. The event was hosted by the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press (FLTRP).

Over 200 experts and scholars, heads of foreign language departments, and key faculty members from universities nationwide participated in the symposium. They engaged in in-depth discussions on topics including area studies, development of an indigenous knowledge system, international expression of Ba-Shu Culture, and cultivation of international communication talents.

The symposium aimed to strengthen international communication capacity, present true, multidimensional, and comprehensive stories of Ba-Shu Culture in the new era, and guide social science researchers nationwide to focus on theoretical and practical issues concerning Sichuan's efforts to accelerate the building of a new pattern of opening-up and promote the international communication of Ba-Shu Culture.

At the symposium, Cao Shunqing, distinguished professor of liberal arts at Sichuan University and member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, delivered a keynote report titled “Mutual Learning among Civilizations and the Development of an indigenous knowledge system.” He elucidated the relationship between the development of world civilizations and mutual learning among civilizations, particularly with Chinese civilization, and called for increasing the representation of Chinese civilization in the global narrative system to promote the international communication of an indigenous knowledge system with Chinese characteristics.

Shen Guilong, vice chairman of the Shanghai Federation of Social Science Associations and director of the Institute of China Studies at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, presented a report titled “A Global Comparison of Open Resilience: How to Build a New Pattern Balancing Security and Development.” He explored the importance of open resilience in an era of profound global changes, providing theoretical references for the state to coordinate security and development and achieve positive interaction between high-quality development and high-level opening-up.

Dong Hongchuan, chair of the Sub-Committee on English Major Teaching under the Steering Committee for Foreign Language and Literature Majors in Higher Education of the Ministry of Education, president of the China Association for Comparative Studies of English and Chinese, and former president of Sichuan International Studies University, delivered a report titled “Promoting Interdisciplinary Integration to Cultivate High-level Interdisciplinary International Communication Professionals.” He proposed pathways for upholding fundamental principles while breaking new ground in foreign language education reform and shared the experience of Sichuan International Studies University in cultivating such professionals.

The symposium featured three parallel sessions focusing on “Building a New Pattern of Opening-up from a Comparative Area Studies Perspective,” “International Expression and Intercultural Communication Strategies of Ba-Shu Culture,” and “Reform of Foreign Language Disciplines and Innovation in Cultivating Internationally Oriented Interdisciplinary Professionals in Support of Opening-up and Communication.” Twenty-four scholars from various universities delivered presentations. The sessions featured diverse topics, expert commentary, and lively discussions, fully demonstrating the vitality of research on the international communication of Ba-Shu Culture.

Our faculty members listened attentively to the reports and actively engaged with experts and scholars. They broadened their academic horizons, strengthened exchanges with domestic peers, deepened their theoretical and practical understanding of the international communication of Ba-Shu Culture under the new pattern of opening-up, and gained new insights for research and disciplinary development in related fields.