SISU holds the first National Advanced Greek Language Teaching Wokrshop and unveil the Center for Greek Studies
SISU holds the first National Advanced Greek Language Teaching Wokrshop and unveil the Center for Greek Studies
SISU holds the first National Advanced Greek Language Teaching Wokrshop and unveil the Center for Greek Studies
On Dec. 6, the opening ceremony of the first National Advanced Greek Language Teaching Wokrshop and the unveiling ceremony of the Center for Greek Studies jointly hosted by Shanghai International Studies University (SISU), the Greek Consulate General in Shanghai and Center for the Greek Language, together with the awards ceremony of the first National Nikos Kazantzakis Works Reading Contest were held on SISU’s Hongkou Campus.
Vice President of SISU Yang Li, Greek Consul General in Shanghai Vassilis Xiros, President of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh) Pericles A. Mitkas, Elena Avramidou, member of the Executive Committee of the International Society of Friends of Nikos Kazantzakis and visiting professor of the Department of History of Peking University, Thomasis Rousoulioti and Rania Voskaki, professors of Center for the Greek Language, Director of Office of Research Affairs of SISU Wang Youyong, Director of Office of Academic Affairs of SISU Jiang Zhibin, Professor Zhu Shengpeng and Associate Professor Wang Xiaoying, founders of the Greek language major of SISU, Chair of the Council of School of European and Latin American Studies Xin Jiongjun, all the Greek language teachers in China, and all the students in SISU’s Greek language major attended the event. Vice President Yang Li, Consul General Vassilis Xiros, Professor Zhu Shengpeng and President Mitkas delivered speeches respectively. Associate Professor Hu Jingjing, Director of Department of Greek language, presided over the opening ceremony and the unveiling ceremony.
Yang Li first extended a warm welcome to all the guests. He then reviewed the history and development of the Greek language program of SISU and fully recognized the achievements of SISU Greek language teaching team. He pointed out that China and Greece have long had a friendly relationship with increasingly close exchanges and cooperation, and the two sides regard the Belt and Road initiative as a common opportunity to both of them. He hoped that this workshop could foster cooperation between Greek language programs in different universities in China to jointly cultivate high-level Greek speakers.
In the speech, Vassilis Xiros expressed his congratulations to all the prizewinners of the first National Nikos Kazantzakis Works Reading Contest and spoke highly of the competition. He praised the contest for enhancing Greek majors’understanding of the great Greek writer Kazantzakis and Greek culture, as well as arousing their enthusiasm to learn Greek. He also congratulated the newly-founded Confucius Institute at AUTh, stressing that the Greek Consulate General in Shanghai would continue to cooperate with SISU to promote economic, social and cultural exchanges between China and Greece.
As the founder of the Greek language program in SISU and the founding father Greek language program in China, Professor Zhu Shengpeng expressed his unparalleled joy for the vigorous development of the Greek language education in China. He pointed out that with the increasingly close relationship between China and Greece, currently it is the golden age for the Greek language progtam. He hoped that more and more students could learn this ancient language and looked forwarded to more academic exchanges.
Mitkas first made an introduction of AUTh, and said that both Confucius and Aristotle are masters of their culture who exerted significant influence in the history of human civilization. He then expressed his hopes for the Confucius Institute at AUTh. Finally, he quoted some words of the famous Greek writer Kazantzakis to encourage students to make greater efforts in the Greek language learning to scale new heights.
Subsequently, Yang Li and Vassilis Xiros unveiled the Center for Greek Studies of SISU together. Xin Jiongjun, Council chair of the School of European and Latin American Studies, then read the list of prizewinners of the reading competition, and the guests presented awards to the award-winning students and teachers. At the end of the ceremony, Liu Fan, the first-prize winner from SISU, read his essay.
In recent years, China and Greece have continuously promoted bilateral cooperation within the framework of the “Belt and Road” initiative. The four-day workshop, which invites experts from the Center for the Greek Language to give lectures, is aimed to unite the Greek language programs across China to promote the development of this major, as well as to cultivate high-level Greek speakers. The establishment of the Center for Greek Studies of SISU is a new starting point for the Greek studies of SISU, and the center will become the link of China-Greece cultural exchanges. It will focus on academic research, talents cultivation, think tank functions and the expansion of academic exchanges at home and abroad.
Introduction to the Center for Greek Studies
The Center for Greek Studies of Shanghai International Studies University was established in 2014. Since its establishment, it has forwarded Greek studies in SISU and even in China by promoting students and teachers training, social services and international exchanges. It offers suggestions to the “Belt and Road” initiative and global governance. The center has established long-term cooperative relations with Greek universities such as AUTh, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Ionian University, and University of Ioannina. In recent years, the members of the center have published more than 10 academic articles and have undertaken a number of provincial/ministerial-level research projects. Combining teaching with research, they have made important contributions to modern Greek studies. In 2017, the center was selected to be one of the “Centers for Area Studies“ by the Ministry of Education.
