On July 19, 2025, the academic seminar on "International Dissemination of Dunhuang Culture and Internationalization of Dunhuang Studies" was held on Xianlin Campus of Nanjing University. The seminar was hosted by the School of Foreign Studies, NJU, and co-organized by the Base for International Discourse Innovation of the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration, the Japanese Culture Center of the Japan Foundation in Beijing, the Institute of Modern Chinese Civilization at Nanjing University, and the editorial department of Nanjing University Japanese Studies. Experts and scholars from institutions such as the Dunhuang Academy, Fudan University, Xinhua News Agency engaged in in-depth exchanges on the cross-cultural dissemination of Dunhuang studies and the construction of international research platforms.

At the opening ceremony, He Ning, Dean of the School of Foreign Studies, Nanjing University, stated in his address that Dunhuang culture, as an important symbol of Chinese civilization, has a special significance for dissemination in the international academic community and public cultural vision, becoming a key node connecting the past and present as well as China and the world. NJU will continue to serve the national cultural strategy through high-level academic activities. Akino Noda, Director of the Japanese Culture Center of the Japan Foundation in Beijing, reviewed the deep-rooted history of Sino-Japanese cooperation in Dunhuang studies and looked forward to the prospects of deepening exchanges in the future.

In the academic report session, Xia Shengping, Research Librarian from Information Center of Dunhuang Academy, Zhang Xiaoyan, Professor from Center for Research on Chinese Excavated Classics and Paleography of Fudan University, and Gendun Asar, Associate Research Librarian from Center for Buddhist Studies of Dunhuang Academy, delivered excellent presentations.

Liu Dongbo, Assistant Professor at the School of Foreign Studies, Nanjing University, pointed out that Chinese scholars have demonstrated academic spirit and cultural responsibility in the protection and research of cultural relics, which has facilitated the in-depth resonance of academic research between China and Japan and strongly promoted the internationalization of Dunhuang studies.

In the roundtable forum, scholars such as Li Na, Ph.D. from the National Theatre of China, Shen Qingqing from the China Social Sciences Press, Fan Yaqiu from Lanzhou University, and Bai Lili from Inner Mongolia University shared their academic insights from different perspectives.

At the closing ceremony, Professor Wang Yihong from the School of Foreign Studies, NJU, summarized that this seminar, has built an integrated academic platform, highlighting the pivotal role of foreign language disciplines in the mutual learning of civilizations. Experts on Dunhuang studies at NJU stated that they will continue to leverage their disciplinary advantages to co-build an international research hub for Dunhuang culture with domestic and foreign institutions, offering Chinese wisdom to global cultural dialogues.

Writer: Yang Yakun

Editor: Zhong Tianjing, Chao Yijia