Sponsored by Research Center For Switzerland of Guizhou Normal University, China-ASEAN-Switzerland Upland Culture and Multicultural Exchange Forum kicked off in Guiyang on August 2, as an important part of the 9th China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week. More than 30 scholars and specialists from China and other countries include Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, America and Switzerland participated in the Forum to share their opinions on the theme ofUpland Culture and Social Development. Mr. Li Jianjun, President of Guizhou Normal University and vice-presidents of GZNU, Mr. Xu Xiaoguang and Mr. Zhao Shouying also attended the Forum.

The keynote speeches of the Forum were made by Prof. Naran Bilik,Changjiang Scholar and professor of Fudan University,Prof. Katherine Bowie, professor of University of Wisconsin-Madison, Prof. Peter Bölsterli, professor of Zürcher Hochschule der Künste, and Prof. HUANG Shu-min, academician of Academia Sinica.

Prof. Naran Bilik’s speech focused on exploring the intersubjectivity in intangible cultural heritage and the social engagement of anthropology, and he believed, it was the duty of the whole scholarly community, including the scholars of anthropology, to explore, deconstruct and reconstruct the intangible cultural heritage, to help the public understand the intangible cultural heritage and its ecological system, as well as to build a bridge connecting the tradition and the modern, in the context of globalization.

Speech by Professor Naran Bilik

Prof. Katherine Bowie shared her research onEthnic Diversity among the Followers of Kruba Srivichai, the Saint of Northern Thailand.

Speech by Professor Katherine Bowie

Prof. Peter Bölsterli took Vrin Town as an example to explain his research on theRevitalization by Architecture---The Revitalization of the Cultural and Economic identity in Vrin - Role model for Transformation Pathways of Urban and Rural Communities.

Speech by Professor Peter Boelsterli

Prof. HUANG Shu-min shared his fieldwork and research on the villages in northern Thailand in recent years and gave a speech of Transfer of Hill Farming Technology Across Ethnic Boundaries in Northern Thailand.

Speech by Professor Huang Shumin

Followed by two panel sessions:Research and Practice of Upland Social Development and The Understanding of Upland Culture and Multiculture,the keynote speech session ended with warm applauses. And then all scholars were free to participate in which panel they were interested in.

Guests are all ears

Speech by Mr. Guo Rui, Deputy Director of Research Center for Switzerland

Speeches by guests

Mr. Xu highly appreciated all scholars for their wonderful speeches, which were also valuable gifts to GZNU, and warmly welcomed every guest to visit GZNU, sharing academic achievements, giving different opinions and cooperating on the basis of mutual benefits and a win-win result. This was not only an academic forum but also a bridge of friendship, he added in his remarks.

Remarks by Mr. Xu Xiaoguang, vice-president of GZNU

It is reported that the Forum features its multi-country, multi-area, multi-field and multi-discipline. Firstly, it gathers scholars from China, Switzerland and ASEAN countries to discuss the theme of Upland Culture and Multiculture. Secondly, the theme of the Forum combines the concepts of culture, ecology and development, which contributes to an overall and systematic way to discuss the problems in the upland society. Moreover, it provides huge potential and great opportunities to the industry-university-research cooperation with scholars from Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Switzerland, America and Taiwan.

(Photos/Publicity Department)

(Editor: Deng Long)