The School of Asian Studies and the School of African Studies of Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) launched a grand ceremony on Sept 26 to celebrate their 60th anniversary. 

Zhao Gang, member of the standing committee of the CPC BFSU committee and vice-president of BFSU, speaks at the ceremony on Sept 26 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the School of Asian Studies and the School of African Studies.

Zhao Gang, member of the standing committee of the CPC BFSU committee and vice-president of the university, noted that as colleges with the largest number of foreign language majors and the longest history in China, the School of Asian Studies  and the School of African Studies live up to BFSU’s original mission of cultivating talents for the Party and the country. 

“We have always adhered to the school motto of ‘learn with an open mind and serve a great cause’ and educated inter-disciplinary students with solid multilingual skills, broad knowledge and good comprehensive quality who have played an important role in the friendly exchanges between China and Asian and African countries,” Zhao said. 

He expressed heartfelt thanks to alumni of the two schools and wished that all teachers and students will build consensus with a beginner’s mind and make new achievements in talent training, academic research and social services, so as to deepen multilateral exchanges and make greater contribution to promoting the Belt and Road Initiative and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Jiang Jingkui, director of the Center for South Asian Studies at Peking University, congratulates the two schools on their 60th anniversary on Sept 26.

Jiang Jingkui, director of the Center for South Asian Studies at Peking University, congratulated the two schools on their 60th anniversary. He reviewed the history of building up less commonly taught languages in China and thanked BFSU for its outstanding contributions. 

Jiang said the teaching of less commonly taught languages under the era of great changes plays an important role in talent training, discipline construction, and the building of new liberal arts education. He expressed his wish that BFSU will continue taking the lead in such fields and set higher standards in the future.

Xu Ye, secretary of the CPC branch of the schools of Asian and African Studies, speaks at the ceremony on Sept 26.

Xu Ye, secretary of the CPC branch of the schools of Asian and African Studies, reviewed the history of the two schools and their achievements in Party construction, discipline development, scientific research and innovation, faculty staff building, school administration, and international cooperation. 

Xu advised the two schools to follow the correct political direction, cultivate high-quality talents and take the initiative to realize top-level development. 

“In the process of promoting the construction of new liberal arts in the new era, the two schools should act as the leading force in training top talents and building first-class faculty teams,” Xu said. 

Zhong Shan, a Vietnamese major teacher and representative of the School of Asian Studies, Yu Juntong, an undergraduate Amharic major student of the 2020 class and representative of the School of African Studies, Pan Guangxue, former Chinese Ambassador to Laos and Cambodia and a Lao language major alumnus from the 1971 class of the School of Asian Studies, and Han Rong, a Kiswahili major alumna from the 1964 class of the School of African Studies, shared their stories about BFSU and extended gratitude to the two schools and the university. 

Han donated 101 wood sculptures and paintings to the School of African Studies and set up an African art gallery to congratulate BFSU on its 80th anniversary and the two schools on their 60th.

Su Yingying (L), dean of the School of Asian Studies, and Li Hongfeng (R), dean of the School of African Studies, speak at the cerebration on Sept 26.

Following the speeches, Su Yingying, dean of the School of Asian Studies, Li Hongfeng, dean of the School of African Studies, and Xu released promotional videos, emblems and oral histories of the two schools, and invited senior teachers to present an original poem titled “remain true to the original aspiration of the School of Asian and African Studies”. 

The School of Asian Studies and the School of African Studies grant lifetime achievement awards in education and teaching to senior teachers on Sept 26.

At the end of the ceremony, BFSU awarded honorary certificates to senior teachers in the two schools who have made outstanding contributions in education. The audience extended warm applause and sincere respect to the winners.

Representatives from the Ministry of Education, BFSU and other renowned universities also attended the celebration.