On October 12th, in the golden autumn, the campus of Qujing Normal University welcomed over 140 experts and scholars from China and abroad. The 9th Academic Annual Conference of the Network Literature Branch of the Chinese Literary and Art Theory Society and the Southeast Asia Forum on China's "Online Literature Going Global" took place, with more than 80 universities, research institutions, and academic journals' experts, scholars, and graduate students gathering with the faculty and students of Qujing Normal University to discuss the internationalization of Chinese online literature.
The academic conference, themed "Actively Serving and Integrating into the National Development Strategy, Promoting the Development of Chinese Network Literature, Telling Good Chinese Stories, and Spreading the Chinese Voice," was hosted by the Network Literature Branch of the Chinese Literary and Art Theory Society and Qujing Normal University. It was co-organized by the School of Humanities at Qujing Normal University, the Network Literature Research Institute at Central South University, the Yunnan Writers Association, the Qujing Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and the Yunnan Network Literature Research Center. International experts and scholars attended from countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Belgium.
Wang Guiyi, Secretary of the Party Committee of Qujing Normal University, delivered a welcome speech at the opening ceremony, followed by speeches from Miao Kaihe, Deputy Director of the Yunnan Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Wu Jing, Deputy Mayor of Qujing City, and Ouyang Youquan, President of the Network Literature Research Branch of the Chinese Literary and Art Theory Society. The opening ceremony was chaired by Guo Lihong, a member of the Party Committee and Vice President of Qujing Normal University. Vice President of the National University of Laos, Meesay Sokcharoen, and Director of the ASEAN International Center in Laos, Sisomphone Luangkhattaphoumy, also attended the opening ceremony.
In his welcome speech, Wang Guiyi extended a warm welcome to the attending leaders, guests, and domestic and international experts and scholars, and introduced the university's situation. He stated that in recent years, the university has actively responded to the national "Belt and Road" initiative and the strategy of Chinese culture "going global," continuously strengthening exchanges and cooperation with Southeast Asian universities and cultural institutions. Enhancing international communication capabilities is a significant strategic deployment by the Party and the state to build a strong cultural nation and is a key measure to accelerate the construction of a strategic communication system with distinct Chinese characteristics and to comprehensively improve international communication efficiency. Network literature must undertake new cultural missions in the new era, insisting on improving quality as the lifeline and accelerating the process of mainstreaming and refinement. This academic conference provides us with an important platform to deeply discuss the development trends of network literature, exchange research results, and promote the internationalization of Chinese online literature. We will further promote continuous innovation and development in network literature research and practice, and build a broader platform for the internationalization of Chinese online literature in Southeast Asia, promoting cultural exchange and integration between China and Southeast Asia, and making a positive contribution to the construction of the "Belt and Road" and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
Miao Kaihe, Deputy Director of the Yunnan Federation of Literary and Art Circles, said in his speech that Chinese online literature, as a genre of Chinese literature, going global to Southeast Asia, is an opportunity of the times and a cultural mission. Against the backdrop of globalization, Chinese online literature, with its unique charm, provides a new window for the world to understand Chinese culture. Through online literature, readers in the Southeast Asian region can gain a deeper understanding of China's history, culture, values, and lifestyle, enhancing their knowledge and understanding of China. At the same time, Chinese online literature can also absorb cultural elements from the Southeast Asian region, enrich its connotations, and achieve cultural exchange and integration. We need to strengthen cooperation and exchange with the Southeast Asian region, focus on the translation and promotion of online literature, and make due contributions to promoting the prosperity and development of Chinese online literature in the Southeast Asian region and to fostering cultural exchange and cooperation between China and Southeast Asia.
On behalf of the Qujing Municipal Party Committee and the municipal government, Deputy Mayor Wu Jing extended a warm welcome and sincere greetings to the guests who had come from afar. She said that online literature, with distinct Chinese cultural characteristics, has built a new bridge for cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries and has become a new window for the world to understand Chinese culture. The Qujing Municipal Party Committee and the municipal government place great emphasis on the construction of the cultural industry and international exchange and cooperation. Qujing has a foundation, conditions, and advantages in promoting the internationalization of digital cultural creativity and online literature. The Qujing Municipal Party Committee and the municipal government will continue to strengthen policy support and intellectual property protection, regulate market order, and continuously improve infrastructure construction to create a favorable environment for the creation and dissemination of online literature. We hope that the literary community will continue to innovate, create more high-quality online literature works, and better disseminate Chinese culture and the spirit of the Chinese nation; we hope that related enterprises will actively expand overseas markets, strengthen international cooperation, and explore new routes for internationalization; we hope that readers will actively participate and help excellent online literature works to spread overseas.
Ouyang Youquan, President of the Network Literature Research Branch of the Chinese Literary and Art Theory Society, said in his speech that China is a major country in online literature and also a strong country in the internationalization of online literature. A large number of outstanding online literature works tell good Chinese stories and spread the Chinese voice, becoming a bright literary card that China presents to the world in the era of civilized exchange and mutual learning. This academic conference is of great significance for Yunnan to further strengthen cooperation with the network literature industry in South Asia and Southeast Asia, promote the development of the digital cultural and creative industry, and enhance cultural exchanges; it will also provide new opportunities for Qujing's digital cultural creativity to internationalize, effectively promoting the construction of a digital cultural creativity internationalization base in Qujing and Yunnan Province, and providing new driving forces for new formats such as digital cultural tourism, digital cultural relics, digital performing arts, and the transformation of online literature IP in Qujing City and Yunnan Province.
Guo Lihong, a member of the Party Committee and Vice President of Qujing Normal University, expressed hope during the opening ceremony that experts and scholars attending the conference would work together and strive for fruitful results, making a positive contribution to the development of related fields.
The opening ceremony was also attended by the Vice President and Secretary-General of the Network Literature Research Branch of the Chinese Literary and Art Theory Society, representatives from the Yunnan Writers Association, Qujing City Education Sports Bureau, Qujing City Social Sciences Federation, Qujing Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and the Foreign Affairs Office of Qujing Municipal People's Government, as well as media journalists from the province and city, and heads of the Propaganda Department, Science and Technology Office, International Cooperation and Exchange Office, and the School of Humanities at Qujing Normal University.
Following the opening ceremony, experts and scholars from domestic universities and research institutions such as Xiamen University, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Peking University, Hangzhou Normal University, and Capital Normal University, as well as from universities and research institutions in Laos and Thailand, delivered keynote speeches. In the afternoon, four sub-forums were held focusing on "Research on the Global Dissemination of Network Literature," "Research on the Dissemination of Network Literature in Southeast Asia and the Empowerment of Network Literature Dissemination by Artificial Intelligence," "Cross-border Distribution of Network Literature IP Value," and "Research on the Genre and Ontology of Network Literature."