The School of International Education successfully held its 39th International Education Forum on the morning of May 27th. The forum featured a special lecture by Professor Eyup Saritas, a renowned Turkish Sinologist, who delivered an academic lecture on the theme of “Turkish Sinology Research and Its Trends.”The lecture was hosted by Guo Hanning, Assistant Dean of the school, with participation from faculty members and postgraduate students majoring in International Chinese Education.
During the lecture, Professor Eyup Saritas systematically outlined the development of Sinology research in Turkey. He noted that Turkish Sinology studies began in the 18th century, initially focusing on history, literary translation, and philosophical thought. In the 1930s, Turkish scholars began to focus on Xinjiang archaeology influenced by German Sinology. However, due to insufficient local research capacity, the Sinology research in Turkey once heavily relied on German and English Sinological works. After the 1970s, Turkish Sinology Research endured slow development stage. Until the 21st century, Turkish Sinology research entered a period of rapid development, with deepening educational exchanges between China and Turkey, particularly the opening of Chinese government scholarship programs for international students. During this stage, there is a significant increasement in local academic output.
Professor Eyup Saritas emphasized that high-quality Sinology research must be built upon the direct study of source materials from the target country. He candidly acknowledged that early Turkish research was limited by reliance on second-hand translated materials, which hindered academic depth. However, Turkish scholars who take research on China in recent years are gradually changing this situation. During the Q&A session, participating faculty and students engaged in in-depth discussions with the Professor Eyup Saritas on the current status, challenges, and future trends of Sinology research in Turkey.
The success of this forum not only provided our faculty and students with a valuable opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of Turkish Sinology research but also established a platform to promote academic exchange between China and Turkey. Insightful sharing by Professor Eyup Saritas allowed us to see the evolutive trajectory of Sinology studies within different cultural contexts and offered important cross-cultural perspectives for research in International Chinese Education. Such profound academic dialogue is a vital driving force for promoting mutual learning among civilizations and fostering academic innovation.
The School of International Education remains committed to building an open and diverse academic exchange platform. Moving forward, we will continue to deepen the brand of the International Education Forum, focusing on expanding domestic and international academic collaboration networks, inviting more renowned scholars from home and abroad to share cutting-edge research achievements, and promoting the establishment of regular exchange mechanisms. Simultaneously, the school will leverage this high-quality platform to continuously enhance the international vision and cross-cultural research capabilities of our faculty and students. Through conducting high-quality international academic exchange activities, we will persistently elevate the school's level of internationalized education, injecting new momentum into the development of International Chinese Education. The school will continue to serve as a bridge, making greater contributions to promoting the international dissemination of Chinese culture and facilitating mutual learning among world civilizations.
