Date: March 20, 2023

Source: Nanfang Daily

Author: MA Limin

Correspondent: SU Qianyi, KE Yu

Translator: LIU Na

The awards ceremony for the first Chao Studies Lifetime Achievement Awards and the Chao Studies Outstanding Achievement Award of Jinan University was held on March 19. Lifetime Achievement Awards went to Prof. Zhan Bohui, honorary director of JNU's Center for Chinese Dialect Studies; Zeng Chunan, former director of the Literature and History Committee of the Political Consultative Conference of Chaozhou City; and Yang Fangsheng, advisor to the Chaoshan History and Culture Research Center. Eight people, including Prof. Wu Guoqin of Sun Yat-sen University, won Outstanding Achievement Awards.

Chao Studies is a professional subject of Chaozhou-Shantou culture in eastern Guangdong, including geography, culture, economy, personage, history, philosophy and society.

Zhan, a famous linguist, has studied under such renowned masters as Wang Li and Cen Qixiang. With a lifelong interest in Chao Studies, he has cultivated researchers in the Chaozhou and Shantou dialects. As a native speaker of Chaozhou dialect, he published an article titled Chaozhou Dialectin 1959 in the Dialects and Mandarin Series published by Zhonghua Book Company – An early work that provided a comprehensive description and in-depth study of the Chaozhou dialect.

(Professor Zhan Bohui)

Yang has also made important contributions to Chao Studies. At the early stage of reform and opening-up, when he was the director of Shantou College of Education, he initiated the establishment of the Institute of Chaoshan Culture at the college, published the journal Chaoshan History, and did research in Chao Studies. Since 1997, he has been the editor in chief of four series, 10 books each, on the history and culture of Chaoshan, and popular reading materials in Chaoshan culture.

Zeng is a widely known expert in Chao Studies in Chaozhou. A dedicated researcher, he has published the Zhuo An Wu Manuscript (Volumes 1 and 2) and the Zhuo An Lun Chao Manuscript (Volumes 1 and 2). He has devoted himself to studying the culture of the ancient poet Han Yu and built the Han Yu cultural brand by publishing the book Han Yu in Chaozhou, contributing to the enhancement of the popularity, influence and reputation of Chaozhou-related culture.

In addition to Wu, Outstanding Achievement Awards in Chao Studies were awarded to Lin Chunjun, a researcher of Guangdong Chao theater; Lin Chunyu, an associate professor in the School of Ethnology at Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University; Hu Shaodong, a professor in Shantou University's Business School; Li Hongxin, vice president of the Shantou Overseas Chinese History Society; Weng Liehui, distinguished lecturer at the Shantou City Committee's Party School; Wu Qiaoyu, a professor in the School of Politics and Public Administration of South China Normal University; and Zhang Xinmin, president of the Shantou Chao Cuisine Research Association.