Professor Qiuling Chao receives award at World Chinese Language Conference

Professor Qiuling Chao, Vice President for Student Affairs and Information at XJTLU, won the Outstanding Contribution Award at the 2023 World Chinese Language Conference held by China’s Ministry of Education in Beijing in December. The award was given to only 28 individuals worldwide.

The conference also recognised the University’s successful tech-empowered language teaching practices, which were included in the conference publication “Typical Case Studies on the 35th Anniversary International Society for Chinese Language Teaching”.

Furthermore, papers published by the Chinese Division of XJTLU’s Modern Language Centre (MLC) in the Journal of Macau University of Science and Technology were commended at the conference.

Professor Qiuling Chao

In her speech, Professor Chao emphasised the relationship between language and culture.

“Languages carry culture. Promoting Chinese across the world, telling our own stories well, and spreading the Chinese culture worldwide are the responsibilities of every one of us,” she said.

She also provided insights on establishing a comprehensive system for international Chinese language education, from introductory courses to postgraduate programmes.

Since 2009, Professor Chao has been dedicated to promoting international Chinese education – the teaching and learning of Chinese language, culture, and related subjects outside of China. She has made significant contributions to fostering professionals in international Chinese teaching and research, including playing a key role in establishing the XJTLU Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK) Test Centre.

International students study for Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK) at XJTLU

She said: “In the new era, international Chinese language education is developing rapidly and presenting great opportunities. As a joint-venture university co-founded by institutions in China and the UK, XJTLU provides a platform for international students to learn Chinese and understand China. The University serves as a bridge for language and cultural exchanges between China and other countries.

“For students coming to China for the first time, learning Chinese at XJTLU offers a unique experience. Not only do they immerse themselves in an authentic Chinese environment, but also they benefit from an international atmosphere,” she said. “This immersion facilitates a faster, more direct, and more realistic understanding of the language, resulting in an enhanced learning experience.”

Professor Chao also highlighted the importance of digitalisation and informatisation by sharing examples from the XJTLU Learning Mall and an international Chinese education think tank.

She said that XJTLU will leverage its resources to create a higher-level platform to train more international Chinese language educators, attract more students and university delegations to China, and ultimately elevate the University’s international Chinese language teaching standards and global influence. These resources including the School of Languages, the Chinese Culture Teaching Centre, the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the XJTLU Learning Mall.

By Luyun Shi
Translated by Xiangyin Han
Edited by Precious Chibeze and Xinmin Han and Tamara Kaup
Photos courtesy of Professor Qiuling Chao and XJTLU’s School of Languages