From September 6 to September 9, the "Symposium on Japanese Ancient History from an East Asian Perspective," organized by the School of Foreign Studies (SFS) and co-hosted by the Faculty of History at Nankai University, was successfully held. The event gathered over 30 experts and scholars from prominent institutions, including Osaka University and five other distinguished Japanese universities, as well as domestic counterparts from Peking University, Shandong University. Professor Yan Guodong, Dean of the SFS, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech.
On behalf of the SFS, Prof Yan extended a warm welcome to all participants, emphasizing the critical role of historical studies in the development of Japanese language studies. He highlighted the need for multidisciplinary collaboration, especially between foreign language studies and fields like history, to seek the development. He also expressed hope that the symposium would foster further high-quality cooperation and exchanges between well-known Japanese universities and domestic institutions.
Xia Yan, Associate Dean of the Faculty of History, representing the co-host, looked back on the longstanding collaborative history between the Faculty of History and the SFS. He noted that in recent years, the Faculty of History has strengthened its exchanges with Japan’s academic community through talent recruitment and other initiatives. Xia expressed a desire to leverage this symposium to enhance cooperative efforts and jointly nurture talent.
Associate Professor Kawakami Mayuko from the School of Letters at Osaka University spoke on behalf of the Japanese delegation. She expressed gratitude for the invitation to the symposium, underscoring that academic research is not an isolated endeavor but rather a collaborative journey that learns from and encourages with each other by exchanging views. Kawakami thanked Nankai University’s SFS for creating this platform for academic exchange between young and middle-aged core scholars from China and Japan.
The symposium’s convenor, Wang Kai, Associate Dean of the SFS and Associate Professor in the Japanese Department, outlined the event’s objectives: to fully restore and upgrade in-person academic exchanges between young and middle-aged core scholars from China and Japan, which were interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic; to transcend the limitations of national historical narratives; to break down disciplinary barriers; to bridge gaps across different historical periods; to promote mutual learning and inspire new insights; and to establish an academic network among participating universities and individual scholars to deepen educational exchanges, foster talent development, and promote project collaborations.
At the closing ceremony, Professor Han Lihong, Director of the Japanese Department at the SFS, delivered closing remarks. She welcomed and thanked the attending experts for their visit to Nankai, congratulated the symposium on its fruitful outcomes, and expressed hopes that this event would serve as a stepping stone for further academic collaboration with renowned Japanese universities and domestic institutions, contributing to the flourishing of East Asian studies.
During the symposium, experts engaged in extensive discussions on pioneering topics in the study of ancient Sino-Japanese political, fiscal, Buddhist, military, and diplomatic history, beginning with ancient times and spanning through the medieval and early modern periods. The event sparked stimulating exchanges and was deemed a resounding success.
