The Assessment Report on the Global Dissemination and Impact of Key Concepts in Chinese Thought and Culture 2024 was released on June 20, during the 30th Beijing International Book Fair. 

Cover photo of the Assessment Report on the Global Dissemination and Impact of Key Concepts in Chinese Thought and Culture 2024 [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn] 

Initiated as part of the major “Research on the International Influence of Chinese Core Terms” project funded by the National Social Science Fund of China, the report was authored by a research team organized by Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU). It marks the first monographic study of its kind in academic circles and the first public release of such research findings.

Yuan Jun, director of BFSU’s academic committee, briefs participants on the “Research on the International Influence of Chinese Core Terms” project. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]

Han Zhen (C), director of the academic committee of Beijing Normal University, Zhang Jing (L), dean of the School of Humanities at the Communication University of China, and He Mingxing (R), professor at BFSU’s School of International Journalism and Communication, discuss strategies to enhance the international communication effectiveness of key concepts in Chinese thought and culture. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn] 

Key concepts in Chinese thought and culture refer to notions and core words created or constructed by the Chinese nation, embodying Chinese philosophical thoughts, humanistic spirit, ways of thinking and values. A book series under this topic published by the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press (FLTRP) has currently secured copyrights in 40 languages, with 31 languages having publications overseas.

The Assessment Report on the Global Dissemination and Impact of Key Concepts in Chinese Thought and Culture 2024 employs the theoretical framework of communication effectiveness research adopted in studies on the global influence of Chinese publications. It integrates relevant theories in translation studies and practices in conceptual history and other related fields.

The report evaluates the dissemination and influence of Chinese thought and cultural terms worldwide from three dimensions of communication scope, opinion leaders and readers’ cognition and acceptance. 

Utilizing professional databases and internet platforms, including OCLC, JSTOR, COCA and Goodreads, it collected and analyzed data on 1,200 cultural, historical and philosophical terms and over 200 traditional Chinese medicine terms released by the FLTRP from 2014 to 2024. Representative terms from philosophy, history, literature and art and traditional Chinese medicine were selected as research objects.