A group photo of attendees at the 7th Western China Symposium on the Academic Development of Foreign Language

The 7th Western China Symposium on the Academic Development of Foreign Language was co-hosted by the Editorial Office of Foreign Language Teaching and Research and the National Research Center of Foreign Language Education, two affiliated institutes of Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), in Lanzhou, capital city of Northwest China's Gansu province, on June 5.

Speaking at the symposium, Li Chaodong, a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Committee of Northwest Normal University and vice-president of the Lanzhou-based university, emphasized the importance of learning foreign languages and relevant education in the modern era.

Wang Kefei, editor-in-chief of Foreign Language Teaching and Research, said in his speech that the journal has always followed the development of foreign language education in western China and hoped that the gathering was conducive to the further growth of the academic disciplines of foreign language study and teachers.

Lin Zhengjun, a professor with BFSU, put forward a five-point proposal involving renovation, explanation, transformation, development and innovation to deal with existing problems related to the building of theoretical frameworks in the composition of linguistic-oriented academic papers.

Liu Zhengguang, a professor with Hunan University, said that the research of linguistics should focus on major linguistic phenomenon and facts and relevant methods adopted to conduct further studies.

Yang Jincai, a professor with Nanjing University, talked about the orientation of dissertation topics and research modes in contemporary foreign literature.

Huang Libo, a professor with Xi'an International Studies University, came up with the concept of "written-oral style" and took the writing of late Chairman Mao Zedong (1893-1976) as an example for conducting research into textual material.

Xv Jinfen, a professor with Huazhong University of Science and Technology, explained the concept of "teaching-research interaction" and highlighted the importance of reflection in teaching of foreign languages.

Other attending professors also voiced their views on topics of common concern at the symposium.

The one-day symposium was composed of four parallel topics concerning linguistics, foreign literature, translation and cross-culture, and foreign language education. It drew the attendance of 15 professionals from 10 domestic universities, foreign language teachers and graduate students from Lanzhou and neighboring areas.

The Western China (Ethnic Regions) Symposium on the Academic Development of Foreign Language, launched in 2013, is designed as a platform where western China can engage in exchanges with top foreign language universities in other regions of the country and professionals. It is also a concrete action through which BFSU can better respond to the national strategy of the development of China's western region and support the development of universities and colleges in border areas.