<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="1" > The Australian Research Center of East China Normal University - in response to the requirements of the times, to the forefront of the times</h1>
Lin Zhang, Ph.D., is a lecturer at the School of Foreign Languages, East China Normal University
Chen Hong is a professor at the School of Foreign Languages of East China Normal University
The Australian Research Center of East China Normal University is one of the earliest, most fruitful and most influential academic institutions engaged in Australian research in China.
October 19, 2020 marks the 35th anniversary of the Center. On the occasion of this important day, The Director of the Center, Professor Chen Hong, and The Deputy Director Dr. Zhang Lin reviewed the history and development of the Center over the past 35 years, and looked forward to the current situation and future of the Center.
Zhang Lin: Teacher Chen, it has been 35 years since the establishment of the Australian Research Center of East China Normal University. In the mid-1980s, Australian studies were almost completely absent in our academic community, how did we build the centre from scratch?
Chen Hong: Yes, not only in our school, but also in our country, Australian studies have indeed undergone a process of growing from scratch, from the marginal zone to growth and maturity.
After the end of the "Cultural Revolution", in order to improve the academic level of teachers in China's colleges and universities, the Ministry of Education selected outstanding English professional teachers to go abroad for training and study. After a series of rigorous selections, in 1979, nine young and energetic teachers with both excellent ideological character and excellent academic standards were selected to study at the University of Sydney, Australia. One of them is Professor Huang Yuanshen of our school, under the tutelage of Professor Leoni Cramer, an authoritative scholar of Australian literary studies.
During his two-year study, Mr. Huang deeply studied the wonderful Australian literature and experienced Australia's unique culture and customs. After returning to China after completing his studies, Mr. Huang overcame all kinds of obstacles to open a course in "Australian Literature" at East China Normal University, and recruited and trained China's first master's degree students in Australian research.
In 1986, Gough Whitlam, former Prime Minister of Australia and the founder of the successful development of Sino-Australian relations, visited China. In the previous year, Whitlam had made a request for a visit to Shanghai, hoping to visit East China Normal University during his visit to Shanghai to investigate the research situation in Australia. This led to the official establishment of our Australian Research Centre in 1985.
During his visit to our school, Mr. Whitlam spoke highly of mr. Huang's research achievements in Australian literature teaching and research. With his personal support, the Australian side began to donate a large number of books and materials to the center for a long time.
In this way, the Australian Research Center of our university came into being under the excellent situation of reform and opening up, and became one of the pioneers of Australian research in China. Professor Huang Yuanshen can be described as a blue wisp of the road to open up the mountain forest.
Mr. Huang's academic achievements have been universally praised in the international Australian literary research community. As early as 1986, Mr. Huang edited and published China's first "Selected Readings of Australian Literary Works"; in 1997, he published China's first "History of Australian Literature". Once published, these two works had a great impact at home and abroad, and were subsequently revised and reprinted separately. According to the "Report on the Academic Influence of Chinese Literature and Social Science Books", the "History of Australian Literature" ranks among the "top ten domestic academic works cited by foreign literary papers". Professor Leoni Cramer spoke highly of Selected Readings of Australian Literary Works, believing that the compilation of this book shows That Professor Huang Yuanshen's "excellent judgment ability and wit and acumen".
For Australian literature, what Mr. Huang did was not limited to translation and introduction, he also put forward some new ideas, such as classifying a group of novelists with similar literary ideas and styles in the same period of Patrick White as "White" writers, which was recognized by the world literary community.
Under the guidance and guidance of Professor Huang, a group of Australian literary scholars with extensive knowledge and deep insights have emerged in China's foreign literature research circles, who have great influence at home and abroad.
Zhang Lin: Our center is located under the School of Foreign Languages, and Australian literature must be our most important feature. However, the scope of research of our center has long gone far beyond literary and cultural studies, and has become a multidisciplinary center.
Chen Hong: Yes. From the very beginning, Professor Huang Yuanshen has had an extraordinary forward-looking and keen strategic vision. After its formal establishment, the center was attached to the Department of Foreign Languages at that time. However, Mr. Huang's strategic thinking far exceeded the academic field of Australian language and literature studies, and he positioned the center as an interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary country research center very early. From the beginning, in addition to the English major, the researchers of the center also invited experts and scholars from the Department of History, the Department of Economics, the Department of Education, the Department of Geography and other departments to join. The Australian government, partner universities and friends provide us with book donations from time to time, and we have consciously expanded the scope of these materials. In addition to literature and culture, the center's collection of books also involves a large number of Australian politics, diplomacy, economy, history, society, education and so on.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the opportunities for universities to go abroad were very limited, especially in liberal arts disciplines, and there were even fewer opportunities to go abroad. Our Australian Research Centre has good conditions for international exchanges, and can send experts and scholars from different professions and disciplines to Australia for further study and exchange, creating conditions for their research, and they also establish their own academic connections.
Since the 1990s, the Center has published a series of books on "Australian Studies", including "Contemporary Australian Society", "Australian History", "Australian Economy", "Australian Education", "History of Sino-Australian Relations", "History of Overseas Chinese in Australia", etc., as well as "From Isolation to the World: A Brief Introduction to Australian Culture" edited by Mr. Zhou Gucheng. Such a broad academic vision and diversified pattern were rare among the institutions engaged in country-specific research in China at that time.
As a result of this, our centre has long been able to conduct research on various aspects of Australia, especially China-Australia relations, in the face of national strategic needs, and to disseminate research results in various forms and play an important advisory role.
We have always believed that country and area studies are not the academic behavior of individuals confined to ivory towers, but should be applied to the world and serve the country and society.
Zhang Lin: But at that time, the main researchers of the center were still from the English Department, and the academic background was mainly English language and literature, so how did we make breakthroughs, substantively expand our academic field, and be able to have high-quality academic output?
Chen Hong: As early as the 1990s, on the basis of Professor Huang's strategic layout, we have begun to focus on the actual expansion and breakthrough of the research field. Since entering the 21st century, the international situation has undergone tremendous changes, with the take-off of China's economy, China-Australia exchanges and cooperation have become increasingly close, And Australia's political, economic, social and cultural development has also been important. We are aware that we must firmly grasp the pulse of the times, stand at the forefront of the times, use our wisdom, keenly observe and judge China-Australia relations and related issues, and do a good job in serving the national strategy.
In fact, the academic background of the English major and the in-depth understanding of Australian literature and culture have created unique conditions for us to carry out country research. Most of the researchers and master's and doctoral students in the center have solid language skills, fast reading speed, strong listening and comprehension skills, and can grasp relevant information in a timely and rapid manner, and make more accurate analysis and judgment. At the same time, because we have a deep understanding of Australian society, culture and people's feelings, whether it is teachers or students, almost everyone has long-term or short-term learning and research experience in Australia, and for some more complex issues, the judgments we make are often broader, deeper and more unique.
In other words, we can find out what sets Australia apart and its related issues, rather than simply looking at it as a former British colonial country similar to Canada and New Zealand. With this as a starting point, we can have a clear and accurate analysis of some seemingly incomprehensible problems, so as to draw more insightful conclusions.
In the past 20 years, I have worked closely with Professor Hou Minyue, deputy director of the Center, to boldly innovate, guide the master's and doctoral students we guide to expand their professional learning fields, deeply study relevant knowledge and theories, conduct targeted research on various aspects of Australia, especially China-Australia relations, Australia-US relations, And australia-Asia relations, find problems, find methods, and propose solutions. Professor Hou Minyue has long studied Australia-Australia relations, especially the economic and trade relations between the two countries, and has also made deep achievements in the study of Australian political issues. At the same time, the members of the center also include Professor Wang Shiming, a well-known Australian scholar from the Institute of International Relations and Regional Development of our university, which provides important support for our research on Australian politics and society.
Zhang Lin: Teacher Chen, I think you are a very prominent example. You yourself are a graduate of Australian literature, have a superb knowledge in the study and translation of Australian literature, and enjoy a high reputation at home and abroad. So what prompted you to make the successful transition to focus on Australian politics, diplomacy and economics, and especially China-Australia relations? What are some effective ways you can share this with us?
Chen Hong: I began studying and researching Australian literature under Professor Huang Yuanshen in 1987. But as I said earlier, Professor Huang has never been a single, narrow scholar in the academic field. After starting my research in Australia, under the careful guidance of Professor Huang, I co-authored monographs such as "Contemporary Australian Society" and "From Isolation to the World: A Brief Introduction to Australian Culture", in the process of extensively studying Australian politics, economy, society, culture and other aspects of the material, and through the study of related theories, I formed my own views and views on many aspects of Australia.
My master's and doctoral dissertations were on the literary works and ideas of the Australian novelist and Nobel laureate Patrick White. Later, in addition to publishing papers on Australian literature, I also wrote monographs on Australian literary criticism and translated many literary works.
But at the same time, I myself have been paying close attention to China-Australia relations and other related issues for a long time. In 1991, I was invited to visit Australia with the personal support of former Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. In 1994, during a visit to China by former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke, I served as his interpreter and developed a strong interest in Australian politics and diplomacy in my contacts with him. While studying Australian literature, I have been paying attention to the dynamics of Australian politics, diplomacy, economic and trade issues through various channels. Every time I visit Australia, I will buy and copy relevant materials for research, and exchange and discuss with some Australian friends, including former Australian foreign ministers, parliamentarians, ambassadors to China, consul general in Shanghai and think tank scholars. In addition, I also received guidance from Professor Ni Shixiong, a well-known scholar of international relations theory in China.
Since the outbreak of the global financial crisis in 2008, China-Australia relations have undergone major developments and changes. As one of the most important Australian research centers in China, we should obviously undertake our important mission, serve the country's foreign strategy, and make our own contributions to enhancing mutual understanding and trust between China and Australia and the people, and promoting positive and constructive cooperation between the two sides.
The work we have done has been highly recognized and valued by the relevant departments of the state, and has also been positively evaluated by the academic circles at home and abroad. We have frequently written and spoken out in mainstream media at home and abroad, including China Central Television English Channel, Phoenix Satellite TV News Station and Information Station, China Radio International, Xinhua News Agency, China News Agency, Global Times, China Daily, Oriental Satellite TV, Shenzhen Satellite TV, Wen Wei Po, Liberation Daily, Xinmin Evening News, Australian Broadcasting Corporation Television and Radio, Australian Daily, Sydney Pioneer Morning Post, Melbourne Times, South China Morning Post, Russian Satellite News Agency, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, Financial Times, INDIA's WING International Television, etc.
Zhang Lin: You just mentioned the center's external exchanges, which is an important channel for us to expand our research field and conduct in-depth research. How is this pioneering?
Chen Hong: After the establishment of the center, it has received strong support from the Australian side. The Australian Consulate General in Shanghai attaches great importance to Professor Huang Yuanshen's teaching and research work, and provides strong support and assistance for our teaching and research.
As early as when I was a master's student, our center had a relatively limited collection of books, and the school library and Shanghai library had fewer Australian books. In view of this, the Australian Consulate opened its library to us, and we entered its library with an invitation letter issued by the Consulate to borrow books and video materials. Every few weeks, the consulate would give us Australian newspapers and magazines that had been published for a while. This can be said to be a very valuable research material at that time.
The Australia-China Council, part of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, is an agency established by the Australian Government to promote mutual understanding between the two countries. The Australia-China Council has provided long-term support to our Centre. As early as the 1980s and 1990s, the Australia-China Council sent Australian Research Scholars to the Centre, a resident Centre, to provide us with courses in The Australian context and to support and guide our academic research work. We also publish and translate books through applications for CCBC project funding, and send teachers and students to Australia for research and study.
Since the mid-1980s, our university and The University of Loxos in Australia (formerly known as La Trobe University) have been cooperating and exchanging ideas. For more than 30 years, the Centre has worked closely with the English Department and the Department of Asian Studies at Le Trobb University. In the late 1990s, the "Contribution of Chinese to the Australian Commonwealth Process" project, jointly developed by the Center and Locombe University, received a $300,000 research grant from the Australian Government, through which many scholars and doctoral students of the Center traveled to Australia for academic research.
After entering the 21st century, the cooperation between the Center and Australian universities has become closer. Almost every master's and doctoral student in the center has the opportunity to go to Australia for research and study, and the cooperative universities have expanded from the past one (Le Trobe University) to the University of Melbourne, Monash University, the University of Queensland, the University of Technology Sydney, Macquarie University and many others, and the funding sources have also expanded and become more diversified.
In the past two decades, the Center has also cooperated with Australian research institutions and societies in the United States, Japan, Europe, South Korea and other countries and regions, especially St. Olaf College, a partner university of East China Normal University in the United States. St. Olaf College is a well-known liberal arts college in the United States, and I myself have been engaged in research at this school for two semesters. In 2010, during my visit to the university, I actively consulted with the leaders and scholars of the university, and St. Olaf College agreed to accept two graduate students from the center to engage in comparative research between Australia and the United States every year from 2011, and provide free accommodation, living expenses, and domestic research travel expenses for the graduate students of the center. The cooperation with the university has played a great role in promoting the center's research on Australia-US relations.
Lin Zhang: Can you talk about our other two centres, the New Zealand Research Centre and the Asia-Pacific Centre? How were these two centers formed? What is the relationship with the Australian Research Centre?
Chen Hong: New Zealand and Australia are in the same South Pacific region, with the same history, cultural traditions, the same political and social system, and the two countries have commonalities in many aspects, but there are also many differences. When we study Australia, we inevitably touch on all aspects of New Zealand.
In January 2002, I was attending the Australia National Day reception held by the Australian Consulate General in Shanghai and met Ms. Fu Enlai, then Consul General of New Zealand in Shanghai and current New Zealand Ambassador to China. Under our joint planning, in May of that year, the New Zealand Research Center was established, and The then Minister of Education of New Zealand and the current Speaker of the New Zealand National Assembly, Trevor Mallard, came to our school to inaugurate the center. This is one of the few research institutions established in China that specializes in New Zealand research. The members of the center come from the School of Foreign Languages, the Institute of International Relations and Regional Development, the School of Humanities and other departments, and we are currently cooperating with the University of Auckland in New Zealand, Victoria University of Wellington and other universities. The Centre already has a considerable collection of New Zealand culture, politics, history and society. At present, the center carries out the training of postgraduate students in the new Zealand research direction. China's first New Zealand Studies textbook prepared by the Center will be published in 2020, and the first New Zealand Blue Book will also be published in 2021. The researchers of the Center actively write consultation reports, frequently write articles in Chinese and foreign media, and express their views on China-Singapore relations and New Zealand's political, economic, social and cultural issues.
We have always believed that the study of Australia and New Zealand should be placed in a holistic context that is more politically, economically, socially and culturally relevant. Australia and New Zealand are not isolated research subjects and should integrate research with regional, world and especially china relations.
Australia and New Zealand are important countries in the Asia-Pacific region, and Australia is the initiator of regional economic and trade cooperation organizations such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Organization (APEC), the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Therefore, it is of great significance for us to start from the country studies of Australia and New Zealand, and then to promote regional research.
In 2003, we applied to the school to establish the Asia-Pacific Research Center of East China Normal University. There was no concept of country and area studies at the time, but we felt that doing so was an important step. After the establishment of the center, our horizons have broadened and the scope of academic research has been greatly expanded.
Zhang Lin: In this way, our academic path is indeed getting broader and broader. According to the "Basic Conditions for Application for Degree Authorization Review" promulgated by the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council in 2017, the discipline directions under the first-level discipline of foreign Chinese and literature have been expanded and adjusted to five university disciplines: foreign literature, foreign Chinese dialects and applied linguistics, comparative literature and cross-cultural studies, translation studies, and country and regional studies. In this way, our country and area studies are officially integrated into the teaching and research areas of foreign language disciplines.
Chen Hong: Yes, we are in an era of unprecedented development, facing major changes unprecedented in a century. How to respond to changes in the world situation and respond to the requirements of the times is something we need to think about and must make strategic changes as soon as possible.
More than 30 years ago, when Professor Huang Yuanshen and eight other scholars returned from Australia to their respective universities to start Australian research and teaching, they were faced with almost a blank space. But it was on such a blank piece of paper that they drew new and beautiful pictures. In just 30 years, from seven or eight australian research centers in our country to nearly forty today, Australian studies has become an important research and teaching field for many universities and research units.
Today, the Australian Research Center of East China Normal University is not only a teaching unit and research institution, but also the most important Australian research think tank in China. The times have entrusted us with an important mission, and we must respond to the call of the times and make due contributions to enhancing mutual understanding, mutual trust and friendship between China and Australia.
Zhang Lin: Thank you Teacher Chen for accepting my interview. As the "back wave" of the Australian Research Center of East China Normal University, we will live up to the expectations of Professor Huang Yuanshen and other predecessors, and continue to work hard to push our country and regional studies forward.