The 2019 Academic Conference of the Chinese Association for History of Journalism and Mass Communication (CAHJC), an annual meeting celebrated by the Chinese scholars of journalism, opened at Beijing Conference Center on November 16.

The 2019 Academic Conference of CAHJC

Themed “Global View of Chinese Scholarship: Journalistic and Communication Studies in the All-Media Era”, the conference was a grand gathering of nearly a thousand scholars from journalism and communication schools at home and abroad, and a cherished occasion when the future of the discipline took shape in the sharing of cutting-edge thoughts and sparkles of professional enlightenments. At the conference, Renmin University of China was chosen again to be the chair of CAHJC, 15 years after the association’s establishment.

Distinguished scholars attended the opening ceremony and gave keynote speeches, including: Professor Liu Wei, the president of Renmin University of China; Professor Liu Binjie, Consultant of CAHJC, member of the Education, Science, Culture and Public Health Committee and dean of School of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University; Professor Hu Baijing, executive dean of School of Journalism and Communication, Renmin University; Chen Changfeng, chair of CAHJC and deputy dean of School of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University. The opening ceremony was hosted by Professor Zhou Yong, secretary of party committee at School of Journalism and Communication, Renmin University.

Opening Speech: To the Future Built upon the Achievements of the Past

On behalf of Renmin University of China, Liu Wei extended warm welcome to the guests and thanked those who supported Renmin university. He spoke highly of the accomplishments of CAHJC since its establishment 30 years ago, and paid tribute to Professor Fang Hanqi, Professor Zhao Yuming, Professor Cheng Manli and Professor Chen Changfeng for their significant contributions to CAHJC.

Liu also gave a brief introduction of Renmin University and its School of Journalism and Communication. He described the 30-year-progression of CAHJC and 60-year-development of journalistic studies in Renmin University as an epitome of China’s rejuvenation and progress. He hoped scholars of journalism can have a global view as well as a historical mind, so they could demonstrate the uniqueness of Chinese academic style and promote the global dialogue of journalism and communication researches to a higher level. Liu also said that Renmin University of China would always support the work of CAHJC and as its chair, the university would continue to facilitate the disciplinary innovation and talent cultivation, while the leaders and members of CAHJC were expected to be enthusiastically involved and make greater contributions to the Chinese style discipline of journalism and communication.

Professor Liu Binjie congratulated election of CAHJC’s chair, thanked the scholars who made contributions to the discipline of journalism, and on behalf of the School of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University, extended his gratitude for the support of relevant authorities and the academic world.

He noted that the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) had not only made plans for China’s governance in the coming 15 years, but also laid out a blueprint for the future work of the journalistic field. Addressing the improvements to be made in the 15 years, he pointed out three directions for CAHJC: first, establish an education system that fits the construction of all-media and cultivates top-notch journalistic talents; second, focus more on the research of new technology-enabled phenomena that emerged in the field of journalism and communication; third, establish a global discourse system that centers on the philosophy and social science system with Chinese characteristics.

On behalf of the new chair of CAHJC, Professor Hu Baijing also extended gratitude to the attending guests and paid tributes to seniors and contribution-makers of CAHJC. He expressed his feelings with the summary remark of “CAHJC itself wrote a history of journalism”.

He said the education of journalism and communication is at a critical juncture of reform and development, and shifting toward the new era of technological reform and globalization has become an urging requirement. An ecological and outstanding academic system with Chinese characteristics needs to be established to cultivate journalistic talents and better suit the university governance of the new era. With the strength of a specialized discipline, he hopes to bring together the courage, wisdom and virtue of journalists to accomplish the above-mentioned tasks, caring and enhancing the overall spirit and individual destiny of human civilization. “We are walking together on a wide road and heading toward a right direction,” he said.

Chen Changfeng, the former chair of CAHJC expressed her thanks to School of Journalism and Communication, Renmin University, Liu Wei, the president of Renmin University, as well as the scholars at home and abroad. She noted that through the 30 years since CAHJC’s establishment, and with the joint efforts of its pioneers and generations of scholars, the association has become a close-knit community, a spiritual home and academic platform for Chinese scholars of journalism and communication.

Before leaving the position, Chen shared her psychological journey and story of personal growth through the 27 years with CAHJC. “The association has facilitated my academic development. I met many teachers and friends here, and I cherished the experience so much that I feel almost reluctant to leave it.” Before the conference, she and Professor Wang Runze visited the CAHJC’s creator, Mr. Fang Hanqi. She conveyed Mr. Fang’s expectations to attending guests, and hopes the CAHJC a very bright future under the leadership of Professor Wang Runze. Finally, she once again thanked those who supported her work during the five years and wish the conference a success.

Professor Zhou Yong hosts the ceremony

Although Mr. Fang Hanqi, the celebrated scholar of Chinese history of journalism, the creator of CAHJC and honorary Level I professor of Renmin University, didn’t attend the conference, he sent a congratulatory letter (the letter was read by Professor Deng Shaogen): 

I wish this year’s conference a success! Wish the academic communication fruitful results! Wish CAHJC a smooth term-shifting! I will give a thumb up to the excellent work done by the last committee headed by Changfeng, and I also have high hopes for the next committee! I wish everyone at the conference a rewarding experience and very good health!

Mr. Fang Hanqi

After the opening ceremony, the 5th Representative Conference and Council Meeting of CAHJC began. Professor Deng Shaogen, co-secretary general of CAHJC, delivered the work report of the 5th Council of the CAHJC, and discussed and approved the list of the new executive directors. Professor Chen Changfeng, president of CAHJC and executive dean of the School of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University, host the conference.

Professor Deng Shaogen reported that in the past five years, under the guidance of Chen changfeng, CAHJC successfully carried out the following work: (1)building communicational service platform connecting China and abroad via Internet; (2)improving management system by standardizing the name of sub-association and the administration of organizations; (3)establishing the National Prize of Journalism and Communication to stimulate academic development; (4)organizing academic conferences and building a academic platform for Journalism and Communication; (5)enhancing international communication and thus expanding our global influence; and (6) publishing the journal Journalism Evolution.

Keynote Speech: To Integrate the World through Global View

Several prestigious professors and scholars from all over the nation delivered their speech.

Wu Junting, Consultant of CAHJC and professor of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, shared his proceeding and experience of writing the textbook The History of Chinese Journalism and Communication, which not only shows the difficulty and persistence of the former scholars in compiling textbooks, but also provides guidance and reference for the later scholars.

Cheng Manli, the honorary chairman of CAHJC and Dean of the National Institute of Strategic Communication, Peking University, reported her viewpoints about the importance of Leninism to Marxist view of news.

Dan, researches of the State Council and professor of Fudan University, proposed his points of constructing the academic discourse system of Journalism and Communication with Chinese characteristics.

Wang Runze, the vice Chairman of CAHJC and professor of Renmin University of China, shared her study on the journalism and communication scholarship in the Republic of China.

Thematic Forums: To Explore the Truth by Brainstorming

On the first day of the conference, Deans Forum 2019 was also held with deans from 70 educational and research institution attended discussing eight topics.

Twenty-four panels of the 22 research committees were also held on the same time.

Editor/Meiyu Zou