CCES, Lingnan University and China Institute of Overseas Chinese jointly held the Hong Kong Launching Ceremony & Academic Seminar for the Series of Historical Narrative of Overseas Chinese along the Belt and Road (Hereinafter referred to as the “Series”) in Lingnan University on March 2, 2019. The activity was co-sponsored by Guangdong Education Publishing House, Nanyang Technological University Belt and Road Research Center and Guangdong Society of Overseas Chinese History, and supported by China Friendship Foundation for Peace and Development and Guangdong Province Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese.
Prof. Leonard K CHENG, President of Lingnan University and Yang Chunhua, Director of the Cultural Department, Guangdong Province Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese made the opening speeches for the activity. Prof. Liu Guanglin, Dean of the Department of History, Lingnan University hosted the opening ceremony. In his speech, Prof. Leonard CHENG first extended a welcome to the guests and his congratulation on the publication of the Series. He pointed out: Lingnan University and overseas Chinese share a very deep historical origin, and overseas Chinese take advantages of them to serve as an important bridge and bond between China and the world. Director Yang Chunhua extended his greetings to the authors, editors and publishing house of the Series, pointing out, the Belt and Road is one that China has kept consulting, building and sharing with other countries, overseas Chinese are major power in building the Belt and Road, and enhancing survey on situations of overseas Chinese and lifting the research level are important tasks that All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese is duty-bound.
In the launching ceremony of the Series, Prof. Long Denggao, Director of CCES, and Prof. Zhang Yinglong from the Academy of Overseas Chinese Studies In Jinan University made speeches on behalf of the Series. Prof. Long Denggao pointed out: the history of overseas Chinese along the Belt and Road is the history about how Chinese moved towards, integrated them into, changed and made their contributions to the world. The Series fully highlights historical contributions of overseas Chinese, carries on their striving spirits, and publicizes their roles in exchange between China and other countries in the world, so it is of important social and practical significance. Meanwhile, he also gave introduction to the information on publication of the Business Ties and the Way of Business—Collected Works of International Chinese Entrepreneurs Studies. Prof. Zhang Yinglong compared the Series and other books concerned, and indicated that the book, suiting both refined and popular tastes and easy to understand, demonstrating the historical vein of the development of overseas Chinese on the basis of their characteristics in different historical periods, will be accepted by more readers. After their speeches, relevant leaders and the guests jointly unveiled the Series and posed for a group photo.
The academic seminar was chaired by Xing Jinghua, Vice Director of CCES. The authors of the Series made the speech Overseas Chinese and Cultural Exchange between China and Foreign Countries centering on the Historical Narrative of Overseas Chinese in Malaysia on behalf of Hu Bo, Chairman of Guangdong Zhongshan Federation of Social Sciences, and presented 4 roles of overseas Chinese to develop, drive, safeguard and enjoy benefit through the exchange from the perspective what they had learned from the writing. Lin Gan, Vice Director of Guangzhou Overseas Chinese Society , shared his research achievements in writing the Historical Narrative of Overseas Chinese in Singapore, and made the speech On Tensions of Chinese Culture from the Inheritance of Folk Custom by Chinese in Singapore, and introduced serial stories how leaders and businessmen of overseas Chinese from Guangdong rose and got rich. Zhou Yunshui, Associate Research Fellow from the Hakka Research Department of Jiaying University in Meizhou, Guangdong gave an introduction to the writing thought of the series of Historical Narrative of Overseas Chinese in South Asia, namely expounding the uniqueness in status identity of overseas Chinese in India under influences by multiple religious regions by comparing them with overseas Chinese in other countries.
Prof. Liu Zhipeng, Director of the Hong Kong and South China Historical Research Programme, Lingnan University, delivered the speech The Position of Hong Kong in the History of Overseas Chinese, elaborating the role of Hong Kong as an important bridge between overseas Chinese and countries in the world from the historical background of three aspects of free port, coolie trade and Tung Wah Coffin Home, and the history of hardships and miseries written in blood and tears of Chinese workers going abroad with the dream of getting rich. Prof. Zhou Jianbo from the School of Economics, Peking University, with the speech Overseas Chinese Entrepreneurs and the Development of China’s Economy: Based on the Perspective of Innovation, pointed out overseas Chinese are the mother of the economic development of China and important power in the introduction of technologies, funds, management practices and systems into China, undertake important functions of economy, management and institutional output of China, and play important roles of platform and innovation. Prof. Lee Pui-tak from the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, University of Hong Kong, with the speech Role of Hong Kong in Funds Flow and Management under the Belt and Road Initiative, explored the role of Hong Kong as a hub of people, finance, material and information circulation in the Asia–Pacific Region before the Pacific War and as a center of capital for overseas Chinese entrepreneurs after the Pacific War, till today’s new role in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao economic cooperation and in the Belt and Road Initiative. Prof. Luo Yongsheng, Vice-Dean of the Department of History, Hong Kong Shue Yan University, on the basis of analyzing national policy background of the Belt and Road, pointed out that cultural exchange and the bond of peace have become the new positioning for the development of the Belt and Road.
Zhang Lei, Assistant Professor of the Department of History, Lingnan University, with the speech Overseas Chinese and Lingnan University: 1888-1951, gave an introduction to historical changes of Lingnan University and its origin relating to overseas Chinese, and revealed main motives that overseas Chinese donate money to Lingnan University from the dimensions of “place identity”, “national identity” and “international identity”. Research Fellow Ma Sirui from the Nanyang Centre for Public Administration, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, centering on the theme of “China Unicom and Leadership”, described the development goal and strategy of the Nanyang Center for Public Administration and Nanyang Technological University Belt and Road Research Center. Mr. Lian Junwei from Indonesia New Times International Co., Ltd. presented the history of hardships of overseas Chinese in Indonesia, their comprehension of life and their feeling for the ancestral home hard to part with according to his personal experiences and vivid stories.
The Series of Historical Narrative of Overseas Chinese along the Belt and Road is a large-sized thematic publishing project planned by Guangdong Education Publishing House, a key national book publishing project in the 13th Five-Year Plan and a project by national publishing fund. The first batch series consists of 6 volumes, namely The Historical Narrative of Overseas Chinese in Thailand, The Historical Narrative of Overseas Chinese in Myanmar, The Historical Narrative of Overseas Chinese in Singapore, The Historical Narrative of Overseas Chinese in Indonesia, The Historical Narrative of Overseas Chinese in Russia, Central Asia and Eastern Europe and The Historical Narrative of Overseas Chinese in Malaysia. The Series, with Prof. Long Denggao, Director of CCES, Prof. Zhang Yinglong from the Academy of Overseas Chinese Studies In Jinan University, and Zhang Xiuming, Vice Director of the China Institute of Overseas Chinese as the editors-in-chief, tells relevant history in manner of literature and narrates stories that China has kept “consulting, building and sharing” with countries along the Belt and Road for thousands of years supported by rich historical materials and academic research achievements about overseas Chinese in relevant countries.
“Telling stories of overseas Chinese to boost the Belt and Road Initiative”, the Series of Historical Narrative of Overseas Chinese along the Belt and Road, excellent both in illustration and in presentation, presents colorful stories of overseas Chinese on the basis of the academic research achievements, in a style suiting both refined and popular tastes, and with historical pictures, to let more readers understand the historical ties between overseas Chinese and the Belt and Road Initiative, being of important significance for compacting the foundation for the Initiative.
(By Xing Jinghua, CCES)
