On May 16, the final round of the 6th National Academic Innovation Competition for Undergraduate German Majors concluded successfully. Students from the Department of German at the School of Foreign Studies (SFS) at Nankai University distinguished themselves through their strong disciplinary foundation and outstanding academic innovation, winning a Grand Prize, a Second Prize, and a Merit Award. In addition, Dr. Xian Peixin and Dr. Yuan Si were recognized as Outstanding Advisors.
An interdisciplinary paper entitled “National Logics Behind Differences in the Value of the Chinese and German Coffee Industries: A Comparative Analysis Based on the Global Value Chain,” completed jointly by Lei Shijie (Class of 2024, Translation Studies, German track) and Yu Bohan (Class of 2023, German) from the SFS, together with Luo Jiaxin (Class of 2024, School of Finance), with assistance from Jiang Yantang and Lin Zhi (both Class of 2024 undergraduates), won the Grand Prize. The project was supervised by Dr. Xian Peixin, who was awarded with “Outstanding Advisor”.
Xiang Tingsha, a German major from the Class of 2023, received the Second Prize for the area studies paper “The Translation and Reception of The Art of War in the German-speaking World.” Her advisor, Dr. Yuan Si, was also recognized as an Outstanding Advisor. Li Jingmei, a German major from the Class of 2022, was awarded the Merit Award for her literary studies paper “A Study of the Reception of The Peach Blossom Spring in Germany,” supervised by Dr. Bo Yidi.
The competition demonstrated the Department of German’s success in moving beyond the traditional boundaries of foreign language studies. The award-winning projects not only explored the international dissemination of traditional Chinese culture but also addressed global industrial and economic issues through interdisciplinary research. Looking ahead, the Department of German at the SFS at Nankai University will continue to uphold its educational philosophy of integrating language proficiency, academic thinking, and interdisciplinary perspectives. In line with the development of the New Liberal Arts initiative, it remains committed to cultivating foreign language professionals capable of telling China’s stories effectively and addressing the major issues of the times on broader academic platforms.
