On October 19th, the International Academic Seminar on "Chinese Language, Communities and Cross-Cultural Practice" was held at our university. With the theme of "Chinese Language, Communities and Cross-Cultural Practice", the seminar conducted in-depth exchanges around core topics such as youth culture, consumer behavior, mutual learning among civilizations, and Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (TCSOL). It brought together teachers and students from Fulda University of Applied Sciences in Germany, as well as those majoring in TCSOL and Social Work at our university.

Figure 1 Opening Ceremony of the International Academic Seminar on "Chinese Language, Communities and Cross-Cultural Practice"

In the welcome speech delivered by Associate Professor Sun Xia, Director of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, the seminar officially kicked off. She expressed the expectation of exploring innovative paths for cultural communication and cross-cultural communication through thematic sharing, teacher-student interaction and other forms. The seminar was carried out around four sub-topics.

Figure 2 Exchange and Sharing between Chinese and German Students

Sub-topic 1: The Landscape of Leisure and Entertainment among Contemporary Chinese College Students

    Centered on the case of "From 'City Walk' to 'Special Forces-style Travel'", this sub-topic accurately defined the definitions and core characteristics of two emerging leisure and entertainment methods among contemporary Chinese college students. It also conducted an in-depth analysis of the cultural roots and psychological motivations behind their evolution from individual behaviors to group trends. This sub-topic provides a vivid annotation for understanding the value transformation and emotional structure of contemporary Chinese youth's lifestyle.

Sub-topic 2: Consumer Behavior and Aesthetic Orientation of Contemporary Chinese College Students

    Focusing on the phenomenon of "Exploring Chinese College Students' Personalized Consumption Choices through 'Customized Sneakers'", this sub-topic explained how contemporary Chinese youth transform daily consumer goods into mobile displays of self-identity and cultural symbols through creative practices such as embroidery, graffiti and 3D printing. The analysis not only interprets the aesthetic orientation and value demands behind Chinese youth's consumption behavior, but also serves as a key entry point for decoding the uniqueness of Chinese youth culture, providing a new cultural perspective for the outside world to understand Chinese youth.

Sub-topic 3: Comparison of Myth Systems from the Perspective of Mutual Learning among Civilizations

    This sub-topic focused on the "Origin of Chinese Temple Culture and the Comparison between Chinese and German Myths". Taking Chinese temple culture as a profound entry point, it systematically demonstrated the profound heritage of Chinese culture in terms of architecture, philosophy and belief. From the macro perspective of cultural comparison, the sub-topic further analyzed the similarities and differences between the two myth systems of China and Germany in narrative structure, symbolic imagery and spiritual core.

Sub-topic 4: International Chinese Language Education from a Cross-Cultural Perspective

    With the core of "Capacity Building and Training Paths for Local Teachers of International Chinese Language from a Cross-Cultural Perspective", this sub-topic directly addressed the practical pain points and core challenges in the development of global Chinese language education. It provided strategic suggestions with both theoretical depth and practical feasibility for optimizing the cooperative model of Chinese-foreign Chinese language education and innovating teacher training paths.

Focusing on the cultural landscape of contemporary Chinese youth and the practice of cross-civilization dialogue, this seminar aimed to reveal the social and cultural motivations behind the behavioral patterns of young groups and explore new paths for mutual learning among civilizations in the context of globalization. Teachers from the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, such as Sun Xia, Gong Qiongfang and Qin Chongwen, expressed their concerns about the shaping power of youth subculture, the social representation of consumer behavior and the reality of cross-cultural dialogue, which constitutes a dynamic map for understanding contemporary Chinese youth and the world.

Figure 3 Professor Dominique Moisl from Fulda University of Applied Sciences in Germany Delivering a Summary Report

After the thematic presentations, Professor Dominique Moisl from Fulda University of Applied Sciences in Germany shared his insights and comprehensive evaluations on the above four thematic reports. Student representatives from the 2023 and 2024 cohorts majoring in TCSOL conducted in-depth exchanges and experience sharing with teachers and students from Germany on the above distinctive topics.

   Photos: Tian Siyu 

Text: Yang Keran

Editors: Qin Chongwen, Sun Xia

Reviewer: Bu Qingping