On June 15th, the BNU Phoenix Forum (2022) "Global Symbiosis - The Future of Education” was held at Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai (BNU Zhuhai). Head of institutions such as Zhuhai Foreign Affairs Bureau, Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao S. A. R., Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region Education and Youth Development Bureau, Association of Primary and Secondary School Principals in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Macao Chinese Educational Association, International Centre for Higher Education Innovation under the auspices of UNESCO and so forth. Also, representatives and guests from over 10 universities at home and aboard, such as Rangsit University in Thailand, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in South Korea, Macao Polytechnic University, Tsinghua University, Southern University of Science and Technology, and Shaanxi Normal University gathered together at Phoenix School to participate in the forum themed around "International Education in the Future of Education: Let's Re-imagine Our Future Together" as part of the discussion on the bigger issue of "Global Symbiosis - The Future of Education."
Chen Xi, Director of International Education Affairs and Dean of Phoenix School, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai and Director of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Cultural and Educational Exchange Center, presiding over the opening ceremony at Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai
Dean Chen Xi presided over the opening ceremony at Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai. She believes that education not only holds the promise of humanity, but also responds to the urgent need to rethink the questions of "why, how, what, where and when" concerning learning. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, once said that at a time when climate, health and technological challenges are intertwined, it is more necessary than ever to re-imagine education in order to chart a course for the future. Themed around "International Education in the Future of Education: Let's Re-imagine Our Future Together,” Phoenix School organized BNU Phoenix Forum (2022) to explore the issue of “Global Symbiosis: The Future of Education,” sending an invitation to experts around the world to encourage thinking and imagination on international education, and to establish an open, inclusive and shared exchange platform for dialogues on the topic of re-constructing international education in the future of education.
Speech by Mr. Deng Weiqiang, Director of Education Fund Department, Education and Youth Development Bureau, Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region
Mr. Deng Weiqiang delivered the first opening ceremony speech at the forum. He extended gratitude to BNU Zhuhai for its consistent support to Macao education. The Education and Youth Development Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region and Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai signed the "Memorandum of Understanding for the Elite Teacher Program" in 2021, and to facilitate the implementation of this program, BNU Zhuhai has established the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Cultural and Educational Exchange Center, on the basis of which a number of training sessions have been conducted. In the future, the Macao SAR Government will continue to implement the governance philosophy of "promoting Macao through education" and "building Macao through attracting talents," strengthen professional exchanges between educators from mainland China and Macao, build bridges for communication between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, and jointly promote the diversified development of non-tertiary education in Macao in an effort to contribute to the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Speech by Mr. Zheng Hongguang, Vice Chairman of the Association of Primary and Secondary School Principals in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Chinese Educators Association of Macao
Mr. Zheng Hongguang pointed out that BUN Zhuhai has been working in close cooperation with Macao. Since its establishment, Phoenix School has been upholding the spirit of BNU, promoting cultural exchange, working on talent cultivation, and promoting international education. Under the leadership of Dean Chen Xi, some primary and secondary schools in Macao have built sister-school bonds with primary and secondary schools in Zhuhai and achieved fruitful results. In addition, a lot of online and offline collaborations have been carried out, and a number of distinctive professional courses have been developed, which highlight the leading role of BNU in the high-quality development of basic education, and actively promotes the development of education in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area on a deeper and broader scale. Today the BNU Phoenix Forum is held after the epidemic, experts and scholars from all over the world gather at the foot of the Phoenix Mountain to jointly explore issues in education. He extended his expectation that the attendants can work together to generate new ideas in international education.
Speech by Xia Guangzhi, Deputy Director of Center for Hong Kong and Macao Studies, Tsinghua University
Mr. Xia Guangzhi shared some experiences and insights from his work experience at Center for Hong Kong and Macao Studies, Tsinghua University. He pointed out that the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is a region of strategic importance and enjoys unique advantages in the development of international education. Phoenix School held the BNU Phoenix Forum to create a platform for academic exchanges, which promoted cultural exchanges and the development of international education.
From the perspectives of historical and technological development, he proposed two important issues that urgently need to be discussed: “the time features of talent cultivation in international education” and “the approaches to implementing international education in the era of rapid technological development.”
Speech by Dr. Piyasuda Mawai, Dean of College of Liberal Arts, Rangsit University
Dr. Piyasuda Mawai said that the development of Chinese international education in Thailand could not be achieved without the strong support of China. Supported by China, Thailand has introduced Chinese teachers, experts and scholars to promote Chinese international education in Thailand. As part of the Chinese international education in Thailand, Rangsit University hopes to continue to carry out relevant educational programs in the future and make its own contribution to the educational exchanges between the two countries.
Speech by Zhang Xianbin, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of BNU Zhuhai
In his speech, Zhang Xianbin extended a warm welcome to the guests of the forum. He said that the theme of "Global Symbiosis - The Future of Education" is in line with the various issues resulting from the unprecedented changes in the current century, especially the issue of international education in future internationalization. He affirmed the necessity of the efforts made by the team headed by Dean Chen Xi to create a community of academics, research, development and innovation by holding a series of BNU Phoenix thematic forums, and expressed his expectation that the experts and scholars would talk about the present and the future together; look at the civilization of China and the world from an international perspective; integrate science, technology and innovation into the thinking on international education, and provide more valuable opinions for the construction of "One University, Two Campuses" of Beijing Normal University.
Keynote speech by Mr. Wang Xuesong, Secretary of the Party Committee of the School of International Chinese Language Education, Beijing Normal University
After the opening ceremony, Professor Feng Liping presided over the keynote speech of the conference. Six speakers from Beijing and Zhuhai campuses of Beijing Normal University, Beijing Language and Culture University, UNESCO, Shaanxi Normal University and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies discussed topics such as future education, international education and Chinese language education from the perspectives of language and culture, Chinese calligraphy education, Chinese character learning and teaching, language resource conservation, digital transformation and business education. These presentations compiled both macro and profound insights as well as concrete and pragmatic solutions, which are of significance for practitioners of higher education in terms of how to face the future with a proactive posture and better assume the responsibility of education.
BNU Phoenix Forum Round-table Sessions
In the afternoon of June 15th, the round-table sessions were held. Scholars and experts from more than 10 sister universities in the United States, Thailand, South Korea, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and mainland China gathered to conduct in-depth discussions on the two topics of "International Education in the Future of Education" and "Chinese Language Education in International Education" from their own perspectives. They expressed their thoughts, exchanged experiences, generated new ideas, and envisioned the future. Constructive dialogues and exchanges were held on the responsibility and role of education in shaping the development of human society, the mutual support and promotion between education and scientific and technological progress, the connection between localization and globalization of education, the internationalization of Chinese language and the integration of Chinese language education into international education, and many other issues that are of great concern to all walks of life. Professor Meng Zhuyi, Honorary Professor at the Department of Chinese Language and Culture at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, pointed out that sustained language learning is the only way to achieve a deeper understanding of the culture of the country where the second language is spoken, emphasizing the great contribution of language learning to human education. Professor Zhao Xueqing from the School of Chinese Language and Literature, Shaanxi Normal University pointed out that international Chinese language education in the future will be an important channel for cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries, and that international Chinese language education should be fully utilized to promote the global influence of Chinese culture.
Professor Li Jiayong, Deputy Dean of the Institute of Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences, Beijing Normal University, presided over the closing ceremony of the forum by talking about the four pillars of modern education proposed by UNESCO, namely "learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together, and learning to be," which endows new implications for the development of international education: language learning is important as a bridge to communication in the current globalized world. At last, He Jiangkun, Deputy Dean of Phoenix School, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, expressed his gratitude to all the experts and scholars for their participation in the forum and looked forward to meeting them again at the BNU Phoenix Forum (2023). The roundtable sessions contributed valuable thoughts and achieved fruitful results for the future of education and the harmony and evolution of the global education ecology.
Group photo of the attendants of the BNU Phoenix Forum (2022)
As an integral part of the forum, the Phoenix Lecture VI was also held concurrently. Professor Li Jikai from Shaanxi Normal University gave a wonderful lecture on Lu Xun culture and its educational value in the post-ancient perspective. Through informative historical materials, extensive analysis and vivid narration, Professor Li Jikai presented the vivid spirit of Lu Xun and its realistic value in the new era. The Phoenix Lecture Series aim to broaden international horizon and cultivate globally competent talents, providing a platform for students to acquire diversified and international knowledge.
Translator: Yan Li
Proofreading: Martin Wittenberg
