The 9th Congress and the 2020 Annual Academic Symposium of China Ethnic Literature Society was held ceremoniously in Hohhot from 12th to 14th of December 2020. The annual event was endorsed by China Ethnic Literature Society and Inner Mongolia University and organized by the School of Literature, Journalism & Communication of IMU. 240 or so scholars from 30 provinces/autonomous regions/municipalities all over the country got together, either online or in person at the meeting, and held discussions on issues including studies of epics and oral traditions, studies of the literature of ancient Chinese ethnic minorities, studies of cross-disciplinary and folk literature, studies of modern and contemporary literature of Chinese ethnic minorities during the 3-day meeting.
The opening ceremony was chaired by Qiao Wang, secretary of the CPC Committee of the School of Literature, Journalism and Communication of IMU.
In his speech at the opening ceremony, Cogjin, chairman of China Ethnic Literature Society and director of Institute of Ethnic Literature of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, gave full recognition of the achievements of the society in its development over the years and expressed his high expectations of the future of this academic community.
The opening ceremony
Zhu Bingwen, secretary of the CPC Committee of IUM, extended his warm welcome to all the experts and scholars present at the meeting and affirmatively remarked that the annual meeting was both an event supportive of the academic exchanges in the field of ethnic literature in China and a concrete action of the participants in implementing General Secretary Xi Jinping’s instruction of “creating a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation to work jointly” by means of literary studies.
Zhu Bingwen, secretary of CPC Committee of IMU, delivering his speech
In his speech, Prof. Wei Yonggui, dean of the School of Literature, Journalism and Communication of IUM, made a retrospect of the history of the school, and gave an introduction to the key constructions of the school in aspects including theory of literature and art, language and literature of ethnic minorities in China, linguistics and applied linguistics, ancient Chinese literature, comparative literature and world literature. He remarked that the discipline of Chinese Language and Literature was blessed with excellent academic traditions and strong research basis and was the cradle of writers of ethnic minorities in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. A sound academic accumulation in studies of literature of ethnic minorities in China, epics and oral traditions has been achieved, and distinctive features and orientations of studies has been formed over the years. Given the unparalleled ethnic historical and cultural resources of Inner Mongolia and the nourishment of our blood by the grassland culture, personages with the ideal of devoting themselves to the cause of the studies of ethnic literature were expected to make concerted efforts in paying attention to, developing and making use of the resources, speak freely at the academic symposium and actively take part in the communications.
The symposium
Cogjin, chairman of China Ethnic Literature Society and director of Institute of Ethnic Literature of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, gave a keynote speech following the opening ceremony. He emphasized that the creation of ethnic literature in China had been flourishing and made significant achievements over the past years. With the support of the Party and the Government to the creation and researches of ethnic literature all along, an academic path integrating field research with text studies had been opened up, dialogues were conducted with the international academic frontiers, and a fundamental layout of the discipline of ethnic literature had been created with the studies of Chinese epics and the relationship among literature of the ethnic groups in China as the two pillars, covering the literary studies, literary history, literary theories, literary criticism and database construction of the oral and written literature of all the ethnic minorities in China. The development of the discipline of ethnic literature was face with rare historic opportunities at the moment. We should spare no efforts in our academic endeavors and live up to the expectations of the great era as there was still a long way ahead of us and arduous tasks to be accomplished.
Cogjin, chairman of China Ethnic Literature Society and director of Institute of Ethnic Literature of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, giving the keynote speech
Group discussions were held subsequently. More than 240 theses with extensive sources and a wide range of topics were submitted at the symposium. Heated discussions were conducted both online and offline.
The symposium
The closing ceremony of the 9th Congress and the 2020 Annual Academic Symposium of China Ethnic Literature Society, chaired by Wu Xiaodong, vice chairman of China Ethnic Literature Society, was held in the morning of December 14. Achievements of the annual meeting were recognized, and emphasis was laid at the meeting to give top priority to studying and interpreting Xi Jiping’s thought of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, keeping strengthening comprehensive studies, monographic studies and case studies of literature of all the ethnic groups and integrating more proactively the cause of ethnic literature into the magnificent cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics. Election for the new leading body of the society was held subsequently.
Wu Xiaodong, vice chairman of China Ethnic Literature Society, chairing the closing ceremony
The annual meeting provides an important platform for the scholars from 90 organizations nationwide to communicate expertise and an essential opportunity for the development of ethnic literature in China in the new era. The exchanges and nourishment of literature are an essential aspect in the communications, exchanges and integration among different ethnic groups, and ethnic literature plays an irreplaceable role in strengthening the consciousness of the community of the Chinese nation and enhancing the cohesive and centripetal force of the Chinese nation. Ethnic literature workers should focus their attention on the important spirits of the Party on strengthening the inheritance and development of excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation, adhere to Xi Jinping’s thought of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era as the guideline, stick to reflecting the interests of the people, take the people as their foundation, carry forward the theme of the new era, promote the high-quality development the literary works, start up pioneering and strategic researches, intensively integrate the Chinese characteristics with features of ethnic minorities, and make new contributions to enhancing cultural confidence, developing the cultural heritage of the Chinese nation and strengthening the consciousness of the community of the Chinese nation.
