IBSS Organises W.E. Leader Mindfulness Summit Successfully

In November 2011, the concept of "Mindfulness" was first introduced to Mainland of China by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, who is known as the "Father of Mindfulness". In recent years, as a contemporary approach to reducing stress and healing the mind and body, the concept of Mindfulness has gained more and more followers and practitioners. To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the concept’s introduction, the XJTLU Mindfulness Center held a two-day "W.E. Leader Mindfulness Summit" at the International Business School (IBSS) of XJTLU on the 11th and 12th November 2023. More than 300 students, teachers, guests, and Mindfulness practitioners attended the summit to celebrate the development of Mindfulness in Mainland of China and to promote the widespread application of Mindfulness in personal life and society.

The theme of the event is "Meet Again", in which a series of keynote speeches, round-table forums and parallel workshops were held. The roundtable forums were centered around four themes: mindfulness and offline space, mindfulness and technology, corporate mindfulness and mindfulness and education, inviting more than 20 experts and scholars from local and abroad, as well as mindfulness practitioners, to explore the importance of mindfulness in mental health and life balance, bringing a wealth of academic and practical experience to the participants.

The summit opened with a fabulous musical performance by Mr. Yiping Weng, Founder of Little Nature Music Healing, who conveyed emotions through music, making the audience feel the serenity of nature in an immersive way and experience the spiritual healing effect of mindful music.

Mr Yiping Weng

Afterward, Prof. Hefei Wang, Associate Dean of Academic Partnerships at the XJTLU International Business School (IBSS), warmly welcomed the participants on behalf of IBSS.

She said that mindfulness is not only applicable to personal life but also helpful to develop students' emotional intelligence as well as to improve the professional competence of educators in the education field. IBSS is the first business school in the world to set up a Mindfulness Centre, and has adopted MINDFUL as one of the core values because we recognise that mindfulness helps IBSS to prepare students become global citizens equipped with high values, the ability to change, and a high sense of responsibility. The practice of mindfulness not only contributes to personal development but also promotes social harmony and development on a larger scale.

Prof. Heifei Wang

The curator of the summit is Dr. Li Pan, Director of the XJTLU Mindfulness Center and founder of the W.E.leader project. Speaking about the background of the establishment of the XJTLU Mindfulness Center, she said that Mindfulness is the combination of traditional Eastern culture and modern Western science. The vision of the W.E.Leader is to support the development of the Mindfulness industry in China through IBSS’s unique perspective, and ultimately help the Chinese to lead a better and more socially responsible life, promoting the integration of the East and West. 'WE' actually has three meanings: integration of East and West, wisdom Seekers, and replacing the ego with the thinking of the big ego. In addition, Dr. Li Pan introduced the 10th-anniversary book of the Mindfulness to the audience.

Dr. Li Pan

In the following speech, Dr. Huiqi Tong, Clinical Associate Professor of Stanford Center for Integrative Medicine, and Director of the Mindfulness Project, and co-founder of "The Mindfulness Way to College", further combined the current situation of the students, encouraged that Mindfulness is one of the most efficient ways to give support to majority of people in the community with low cost yet high efficiency. Mindfulness is the core of educational excellence, and the practice of mindfulness can bring the efficacy of 5C, namely Concentration, Calm, Clarity, Creativity, and Compassion.

She stated, “If we can nurture our emotional relationships, practice intimacy, and sort out our relationships with our parents and those around us, and at the same time continue to map out the aspirations, interests, and passions in our academics, and gradually develop a professional identity, these are two important life tasks in the early adulthood years."

Dr. Huiqi Tong

In the session on mindfulness and offline space, Ms. Lanzhen Ming, one of the first MBSR instructors in China in 2016 and general practitioner, Mr. Chaoyang Zhou, Chairman of Dali Abandoned Bowl Mindfulness Research Centre and Chairman (external) of XJTLU Mindfulness Center, and Ms. Dan Li, co-founder of Wuhan Qixin Mindfulness Stress Reduction Centre and Mindfulness Yoga Training Instructor at the Centre for Behavioural Health Teaching and Research of The University of Hong Kong, shared their own experiences about mindfulness and their exploration in the field of mindfulness.

According to Dr. LanZhen Ming, the practice of mindfulness improves awareness, i.e. wisdom. She said that Mindfulness can be used in a variety of fields. “As a general practitioner, I have also introduced the concept of medicine. Practising mindfulness helps the practitioner to treat better and also enables the patient to get deeper treatment.” She also emphasised that mindfulness in medicine is centred on 'health' rather than 'disease' and applies to a wide range of people.

During the roundtable discussion, Ms. Dan Li emphasised that offline spaces help bring people closer together and experience more genuine and warm moments. The space has a certain field, endowed with creativity and aesthetics. Mindfulness is not knowledge, but experience and precipitation. Mr. Chaoyang Zhou also suggested that changes in the environment also naturally affect psychological feelings, but the cost of time and money are also much higher. Both online and offline spaces have their advantages in practising mindfulness.

Mindfulness and offline space seminar

The summit provided a platform for the exchange of ideas for mindfulness followers and practitioners. They expressed that through the event, they were able to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the practice and application of mindfulness. Additionally, they were able to practice mindfulness better to manage emotions and stress, enhance sense of inner peace and well-being, improve physical and mental health, and build up positive relationships, which ultimately contributes to the harmony and development of society.

Various activities

XJTLU W.E. Leader Centre for Mindfulness was established in 2021, and its predecessor is the Mindfulness Programme, which started in 2018 and is supported by the XJTLU International Business School Suzhou Special Fund, “Mindfulness Used to Improve Physical and Mental Health and Leadership”. As the first university in the world to establish a Centre for Mindfulness with its roots in a business school, XJTLU will continue to play a leading role in contributing to the promotion and development of Mindfulness in Mainland of China.