Chen Pingyuan. I'm not strictly an expert in tides, I can only be regarded as an amateur. It's just a mistake, or a coincidence, that he became the first president of the Jinan Da**zhou Cultural Research Institute. In order to live up to the expectations of leaders, colleagues and even parents and fellow villagers, I had to learn while walking and rush forward. What follows is not my personal academic achievements, but what this up-and-coming academic institution has done in the past two years and how far it can go.
Since September 2021, the Jinan University ** State Cultural Research Institute was officially established, and it has only been two years and two months now. For an academic institution, the time is too short to build a shelf, and it is not yet the season to talk about the harvest. It's just that at the moment, it seems that because of the support of many real experts in Chaoxue, as well as the support of the Ji University, everything is still going well. Here is a brief statement of our work assumptions, hoping to get the guidance of many parties.
At the beginning of the agreement with Jida, during the four-year term, in addition to the big truth on paper, I selfishly thought that if the following three small goals could be achieved, it would be worth the trip.
First, let Chaoxue have visibility in the national academic circles;Second, the research on Chaozhou at Jiji University has been recognized in Guangdong and the Chaoshan regionThird, to make Teochew studies attractive to young scholars and therefore sustainable.
Based on these three small goals, in addition to daily affairs, I have done or am doing the following four things with more effort.
First, with the sincere cooperation with various Chaozhou research institutions in the province, and more importantly, with the strong support of the Guangdong Provincial Federation of Social Sciences and the University of Jizhou, the "Chaozhou Cultural Research Project" has been set up in the Guangdong Provincial Philosophy and Social Science Plan, with a total of 19 projects in 2022, including 3 key projectsIn 2023, a total of 22 projects will be approved, including 1 key project. In addition, this year, the Jida Chaozhou Cultural Research Institute has been added as a social science research base in Guangdong Province.
These two things have been appreciated by many scholars and leaders, who believe that they have done a good job and are very good for improving the reputation of the Institute of Tide Research. But I have to admit that it's not my credit, I just don't hold back. Because of my early debut and long-term insistence on independent research, I don't think much of the "planning knowledge" of the humanities and never take the initiative to apply for project funding.
However, as an academic organizer, I cannot be stubborn and have to take care of the interests and interests of young scholars. I really didn't expect that three times recently, scholars and leaders in other parts of the province were seriously consulted, asking why "Chaoxue" could be treated like this, and also expressed a certain degree of "envy, jealousy, and hatred". It can be seen that I am indeed an afterthought.
Second, with the help of the review of the "Lifetime Achievement Award of Chaoxue" and the "Outstanding Achievement Award of Chaoxue", while commending the advanced, it effectively communicated the academic community and the public.
Compared with similar awards, the Chaoxue Award has a serious review, standardized operation, and more importantly, it has received the enthusiastic attention of the mainstream ** in Guangdong, so the effect is better than I expected.
The only regret is that there is some anticlimacy for the promotion of award-winning scholars and books. This is probably a common problem in all awards - you can't build momentum without the help of news**, and the biggest feature of the media is that it is time-sensitive. It is impossible for the audience to follow the same topic for a long time, let alone an academic topic.
In March this year, at the award ceremony of the first "Lifetime Achievement Award of Chaoxue" and "Outstanding Achievement Award of Chaoxue" of Jinan University, my speech was entitled ""Local": Learning, Thoughts and Feelings". Later, when ** was published, the words "local" in the title were deleted, as well as the slightly ridiculous words in the text. In fact, it was originally harmless, "Chaoxue" was originally "local knowledge", and there is no need to taboo its marginality, and there is no need to say it so lofty.
Of course, our goal is not humble, and the so-called "local knowledge", if done well, can also have a national and even global impact. That is, the last paragraph of my speech: "I hope that in another 30 years, our 'Chaoxue' will have a similar summary report, which will not only provide the academic community with rich documentation, meticulous fieldwork, and many in-depth research works, but also 'establish new research categories and perspectives on Chinese history, society and culture.'" ”
Third, such academic ambitions must have corresponding standards and standards for future students to learn from and follow.
This is why we have made so much effort to invite 20 famous scholars with expertise to work together to compile the 10-volume "Collection of Chaoxue". From the standpoint of academic history, the research results of Teochew Studies at home and abroad from the late Qing Dynasty are carefully selected, which are divided into ten topics, including language, literature, history, drama, overseas Chinese and overseas Teochew, education, thought, art (including architecture), folk customs (including food), and literature collation, each of which is a separate book, which is launched by the prestigious Commercial Press at one time, which is not only a kind of knowledge accumulation, but also an academic commendation, and a spiritual benchmark.
If this matter is done well, it will be able to clear the turbidity, and it will play a role in clearing the source of the study style and direction of tide studies in the next 30 years. But things are still moving forward, and we can't talk too much.
Fourth, the goal of the Jida Chaozhou Cultural Research Institute is not only to produce academic achievements, but also to further expand channels and widely disseminate Chaozhou culture.
This includes holding a series of lectures on "Chaozhou Tide Studies", operating "Chaozhou Tide Studies"** funding the publication of Chaozhou intangible cultural heritage books, and participating in or hosting the "Chaozhou Cultural Forum".
The only thing worth mentioning is that I think it is a great thing that the Teochew business community and Teochew researchers at home and abroad have recently called for the establishment of the "International Teochew Festival". Considering that Jinan University has always been good at writing "overseas Chinese" articles, and has its own special channels and contacts, it seems that Jinan University Chao Research Institute can move according to the times, take advantage of the trend, and do some work within its ability to help promote this matter.
At present, it seems that the Jida Chaozhou Cultural Research Institute has a good start, if it can be operated step by step, over time, after three or five years, it will still be able to become a microclimate.
As for myself, I regret that although I return to Chaoshan every year, I mainly give lectures at universities, and not necessarily involve Chaoxue. Even if you add the two or three professional ** articles written before, they can't form a formation. Experts who are really engaged in the study of tide science, as soon as they see my posture, they understand that they are indeed amateurs, but their spirit is commendable, and their psychological quality is also good.
As a scholar, this state is not ideal, but it is difficult to change it. After all, there is a specialization in the art industry, and I still honestly call myself on the edge, only responsible for waving the flag and shouting. That kind of role is more suitable for me.
This article is excerpted from the author's speech at the opening ceremony of the second "Chaozhou Cultural Forum" held at Jinan University on November 25, 2023).