On September 16th, opening ceremony of the 5th Seminar on Sino-French History and Culture had been held by Université Paris 1 Panthéon, Home of French Humanity and Sciences, Chinese Association of Research on French History, Zhejiang University and our university. Our President Yu Lizhong, Thierry Mathou, French Consul General in Consulate General in Shanghai, and Mr. William Frei, Swiss Consul General in Consulate General in Shanghai, all attended the ceremony. It was presided by Li Hongtu, executive Chairman and Secretary General of Chinese Association of Research on French History.
In the opening ceremony, on behalf of our university, Yu Lizhong gave a warmly welcometo all scholars in and abroad present, and gave a brief introduction of our development. He thought that since its founding in 2004, the Seminar on Sino-French History and Culture had won the trust and support from many scholars in and abroad by effective and practical attitude, which became a window for the communications of Sino-French and even Sino-European history and culture. Yu Lizhong hoped that through the dialogues and communications in this seminar, we could deepen our understanding of each other’s history. And he also wished that this seminar could be held on and on, which would become a testimony of the friendship between China and France.。
Chairman of Chinese Association of Research on French History Duanmu Mei, our director of International Relations Research Institute Feng Shaolei, director of Home of French Humanity and Sciences Alain d’Iribarne, French Consul General in Consulate General in Shanghai Thierry Mathou and Professor Hugues Tertrais of Université Paris 1 Panthéon in turn made speeches in the ceremony, wishing the seminar a complete success.
This seminar was aimed to strengthen the ties between the academic communities of China and France, or even Europe, to promote our research and education on France and other European countries’ history and culture, and to build a platform for our scholars of international exchanges and short-term training, so that a lot of neo-international researchers on history would be nurtured. As one of the hosts, our International Relations and Region Development Research Institute have already held this program in straight five years. Our Graduate School and International Exchange Office also gave substantial support to it.
It is said that this seminar would discuss and study round a topic of “Formulation of the Past: History and Memory”. Meanwhile, there would be some dialogues between Sino-French men of letters, which would realize the communication and cooperation of “inter-disciplinary, inter-cultural, cross-national boundary, and inter-institution”.
