Date: April 4, 2023

Source: College of Liberal Arts

Authors: WANG Jingzhou, KE Yu

Translators: HUANG Han, LAN Jianhuai, LIN Xing

JNU's College of Liberal Arts held an alumni association founding ceremony to celebrate the 95th anniversary of its literature and history disciplines on Shipai campus on April 2. More than 300 people attended the ceremony including Si Zhiguang, former deputy director of the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial People's Congress; JNU President Song Xianzhong, and faculty members, students and alumni of the college.

(The conference scene)

Founded in 1929, the College of Liberal Arts was one of JNU's earliest colleges. The literature and history disciplines, founded in 1927, were the two major disciplines established in the early founding days of JNU.

JNU's literature and history disciplines have made achievements at state-level in areas such as platform development, disciplines promotion, and Party building. In September 2020 the Ministry of Education accredited the Collaborative Innovation Center for the Inheritance and Communication of Chinese Culture in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Overseas as a collaborative innovation center jointly built by Guangdong province and the ministry. The college's faculty members have undertaken 45 major key projects of the National Social Science Fund of China and published 9 papers in the quarterly journal Social Sciences in China in the last decade. And 5 experts at JNU were awarded the title of Excellent Social Scientist in Guangdong.

Since JNU's establishment, Song said, it has been charged with the mission of diffusing the knowledge and caring for Overseas Chinese, teaching overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia the Chinese traditional Confucian classics, literature, and historiography. The development of the literature and history disciplines and the college's construction have accompanied the development of the university. The college and the disciplines adhere to the original aspiration of imparting knowledge and cultivating people, and have made outstanding contributions to the continuation and development of Jinan humanistic spirit, he said.

(President Song Xianzhong's speaking)

Cheng Guofu, dean of the college, reviewed and made prospects for the development of the literature and history disciplines and the college of Liberal Arts Zhou Juan, vice dean of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, gave an introduction to the Chinese language and literature disciplines and the book series Collection of JNU Chinese Masters. Liu Zhenggang, dean of the history department, gave a brief account of history disciplines and the book series Collection of JNU Achievements on History Disciplines. Zhang Haisha, a professor in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, recited her original poem A Teacher's Confession of Love. Profs. Zhan Bohui, Mao Qingqi, Lu Cuilan, Shao Jingmin, Chen Chusheng and Zhang Xiaohui, as teacher representatives, accepted flowers from students and praise from all alumni. On behalf of the faculty, Prof. Jiang Shuzhuo reviewed his 35 years teaching and scientific research at Jinan University.

(Presenting appointment letters to the Alumni Association’s vice presidents)

At the founding ceremony of the Alumni Association, alumni made donations to establish a fund for the college's discipline development and construction. Wu Jianchu, a 1991 history graduate, and Ouyang Huajin, a 1991 graduate in Chinese language and literature, donated 200,000 and 1000,000 yuan, respectively.