June 3-5, Amalgamation and Innovation--A Seminar on Ancient Chinese Literature and Teaching cum the 1st Annual Meeting of Jiangsu Society for Ancient Chinese Literature was successfully held in the School of Liberal Arts, Nanjing University. Near 90 experts and scholars from colleges and universities in Jiangsu and other provinces, the Phoenix Press, Jianghai Academic Journal, The Research on the Ming and Qing Dynasties Novels attended the conference. Professor Wu Xiaofeng, Vice Director of Language and Culture Center of Jiangsu University attended this conference with teacher Qiao Fang.

The seminar comprises the opening ceremony, keynote speeches, and parallel sessions. The brief opening ceremony was presided over by Professor Xu Xingwu, Dean of the School of Liberal Arts, Nanjing University, and an opening speech was delivered by Professor Mo Lifeng, President of Jiangsu Society for Ancient Chinese Literature. The leading scholar in ancient Chinese literature summed up the development of and the achievements that had been made in ancient Chinese literary research in Jiangsu province, noted the significance and necessity of the establishing of this society, and expressed his blessing to the successful convening of the first meeting.

The keynote speech was given by Professor Liu Hong, Dean of the School of Liberal Arts, Yangzhou University and Vice President of Jiangsu Society for Ancient Chinese Literature. Professor Chen Shulu of Nanjing Normal University, Professor Zhou Jianzhong of Nantong University, Professor Zhang Qiang of Hauiyin Teachers College, Professor Li Changji of Jiangsu Normal University, and President Jiang Xiaoqing of the Phoenix Press delivered their lectures respectively titled “Cooperation and Communication for Common Development”, “The Songs of Chu and Chinese Literature”, “Reflections on the Use that Can be Made of Ancient Chinese Literature in Contemporary Society”, “Some Theoretical Issues in the Research of Regional Culture”, and “Publication of Collected Works by Literary Men in Jiangsu Province and a Synthesis on the Literature Development and Inheritance in Jiangsu Province”.

This seminar consisted of 3 parallel sessions respectively called “Academic Research”, “Talent Cultivation”, and “Young Scholars”. Participants would attend the discussion of any parallel session according to their speciality and the focus of their interest. Scholars were actively involved in the free discussion centered on the conference theme of “Amalgamation and Innovation” by resorting to their own experiences of and puzzles on academic research.

After the seminar was concluded, Deputy Dean Wu Xiaofeng of the Language and Culture Center of Jiangsu University attended this Council Meeting of Jiangsu Society for Ancient Chinese Literature. This meeting was both a meeting of “Amalgamation and Innovation”, and a meeting of “Cooperation for Common Development”. Delegates said that they had found a warm home for their academic research. This conference concluded with complete success.