Research Workshop

Confucius Institute at Newcastle University Hosts Successful Research Workshop

The Confucius Institute at Newcastle University, in collaboration with Newcastle University's Centre for Heritage and Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), recently organized a successful research workshop on "The Commemoration and Heritagisation of Colonial Occupation in Contemporary China." Led by Professor John Pendlebury from Newcastle University's Centre for Heritage and Dr. Yiwen Wang from XJTLU, the workshop promotes communication between scholars who share research interests in China’s colonial heritage and its conservation.

The two-day workshop, started on June 21, 2023, brought together esteemed experts and scholars from Newcastle University, the University of Liverpool, XJTLU, and Tongji University. The workshop was honoured by the presence of both directors of the Confucius Institute, Ruojuan Zheng and Dr. Andrew Law, who delivered the opening speech and a keynote presentation.

On the first day, the workshop was open to academic staffs and postgraduate students from Newcastle University. Eight speakers addressed the four main themes：deploying colonial heritage in urban development， interpreting colonial prisons as heritage， negotiating remembrance through the colonial prison and shaping local identities from the colonial past. Each theme comprised two sessions, covering the conservation of colonial heritage in cities such as Shanghai, Qingdao, Xiamen, and Dalian.

During the internal meeting on the second day, participants engaged in discussions regarding future collaborations. It was decided to publish a special issue on China’s colonial heritage and its reuse in the journal Built Heritage (BH). This initial proposal received endorsement from the executive editor of BH, Prof Plácido González (Tongji), who also presented at the workshop and will contribute a paper to the proposed special issue.

In addition, the attendees had the opportunity to visit significant sites such as the Northern Fleet Sailor Cemetery in St. John's Cemetery, further deepening their understanding of the historical connections between Newcastle and China.

Professor Pendlebury and Dr. Wang expressed their gratitude to the Confucius Institute at Newcastle University for their invaluable support.