On September 20-22, NKU hosted the 2024 annual conference of the Professional Committee for History of Editing and Publishing of the Chinese Association for History of Journalism and Communication (CAHJC) and the Forum on the 40th Anniversary of Establishment of Editing and Publishing Major under the theme of “Publishing Discipline Construction and Talent Cultivation in the New Era”.
The Forum was jointly hosted by CAHJC Professional Committee for History of Editing and Publishing and NKU School of Journalism and Communication, and undertaken by NKU Publishing Research Institute.
The Forum gathered more than 150 experts and scholars from universities including NKU, Renmin University of China, East China Normal University, Nanjing University, Zhejiang University, Ocean University of China, Wuhan University, and Sichuan University, as well as academic journals such as Chinese Editorials, Modern Publishing, China Social Science Excellence, View on Publishing, Research on the History of Publishing in China, Digital Publishing Research, Modern Audio-Video Arts, Chuanbo Yu Banquan (Communication and Copyright), and Journalism Evolution. Topics for the Forum included the development of the publishing industry, publishing discipline construction, and publishing talent cultivation.
On September 21, Liu Binjie, former Secretary of Party Leadership Group and Director-general of the National Press and Publication Administration, Niu Wenli, Deputy Secretary of CPC NKU Committee and Director of NKU Publishing Research Institute, Wu Ping, Chairman of CAHJC Professional Committee for History of Editing and Publishing and former Vice President of Wuhan University, Su Jian, Deputy Secretary of CPC TPMG Committee and General Manager of TPMG, Shi Yue, Second-level Researcher of the Publicity Department of CPC Tianjin Municipal Committee, and Deng Xiaoxu, NKU alumnus and Dean of the Editorial and Publishing Department, School of Journalism and Communication, Shaanxi Normal University, attended the conference and delivered speeches at the opening ceremony.
In his speech titled “The Age of Intelligence: The Perseverance and Innovation of the Chinese Publishing Industry”, Liu Binjie pointed out that with the rapid development of artificial intelligence, the publishing industry has entered a new development phase, with intelligent publishing and integrated publishing gradually coming into the spotlight. Nowadays, artificial intelligence is not only used for content creation, but also widely employed in editorial and publishing processes, which presents great challenges as well as opportunities, urging the publishing industry to re-examine its development direction. Confronted with this changing situation, Liu Binjie emphasized that China’s publishing industry must, first and foremost, adhere to the essential laws, fulfill its basic functions and uphold the value pursuit of the publishingwork. He pointed out that publishing is the process of materializing human spiritual creations and passing them down through a medium over time. This core nature must be accurately captured regardless of the changing forms of publishing. In addition, the publishing industry should also focus on innovation in four areas: high-quality content production, high-quality talent cultivation, development of new technologies, and optimization of the publishing environment. He specifically mentioned that the future of the publishing industry relies on high-quality, multidisciplinary talent who not only possess profound scientific and cultural knowledge, but also understand the evolving dynamics of the publishing industry in the age of intelligent technology. Liu Binjie concluded by stressing that China’s publishing industry must produce works of global influence on the international stage to promote the progress of world civilization. Only with cultural confidence, openness and inclusiveness, can the publishing industry embark on a path of high-quality innovation and development in the intelligent age.
In his speech, Niu Wenli noted that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the 5th anniversary of General Secretary Xi Jinping's inspection of NKU, and the 105th anniversary of the founding of NKU. Alongside these milestones, the major of Editing and Publishing also celebrates its 40th anniversary. In 1984, in response to the national call, NKU established the undergraduate program of “Editing”, becoming part of the first batch of universities to do so. NKU is one of the first three universities in China, alongside Peking University and Fudan University, to develop the publishing discipline, and has been operating this program continuously for 40 years. Over the past 40 years, the Editing major at NKU has cultivated a large number of talents for the industry and academia, and achieved many milestone accomplishments. In 2023, with the strong support of the Publicity Department of CPC Central Committee and the Ministry of Education, the Publicity Department of CPC Tianjin Municipal Committee and NKU jointly established the NKU Publishing Research Institute, which was selected for the National High-quality Construction Program of Publishing Think Tanks. In the same year, NKU was approved as one of the first batch of doctoral degree authorization points in publishing in China, thus taking the lead in developing a comprehensive undergraduate-to-doctoral level talent cultivation system. This shows that NKU has seized the development opportunity and advanced to a new level in publishing discipline construction and publishing talent cultivation. Going forward, NKU will continue to support the publishing discipline to develop under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, to focus on theoretical innovation, talent cultivation, curriculum reform and teaching materials development, as well as industry-university-research collaboration, to contribute to the construction of a socialist cultural power.
Wu Ping pointed out that great changes in China’s publishing industry have taken place during the 40-year development of the editorial and publishing program. Many universities, including NKU and Wuhan University, have been continuously developing their publishing-related disciplines with significant contributions. As the times evolve, we are facing many new challenges, such as recruiting outstanding students from a broader range of source and redefining the direction of master's and doctoral education. These issues require collective attention and solutions from us all and present new research topics for both the academia and the industry. Wu Ping called on all colleagues engaged in the editorial and publishing industry to work together to make due contributions to building China into a publishing powerhouse.
Su Jian shared TPMG’ achievements in the field of integrated publishing in recent years. She said that with the widespread application of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and blockchain, the structure, form, and dissemination methods of the publishing industry have undergone tremendous changes. She called for close cooperation between publishing enterprises and universities to jointly explore new models for the publishing industry and cultivate publishing talent to meet the needs of the new era. She also expressed her expectation for further cooperation between TPMG and NKU to promote mutual development through sharing resources and complementing each other with their respective advantages in the areas of high-quality academic works publication, professional talent cultivation, and digital transformation.
In his speech, Shi Yue said that over the past 40 years, together with universities such as Peking University and Fudan University, NKU has shouldered the historical mission of cultivating high-quality editorial and publishing professionals for the country. The establishment of NKU Publishing Research Institute in July 2023 and its successful inclusion in the National High-quality Construction Program of Publishing Think Tanks supported by National Press and Publication Administration not only represents high recognition of the academic strength and research achievements of NKU School of Journalism and Communication, but also signifies the further consolidation and enhancement of the School’s leading position in the publishing discipline. The new era has presented the publishing industry with new missions and challenges. Shi Yue called on colleagues in the publishing industry to work together to promote the continuous progress of publishing discipline construction and talent cultivation.
Deng Xiaoxu, an alumnus from the Class of 1992 in editorial studies, delivered an affectionate speech. She said that, upon returning to the alma mater and revisiting the Three Questions about Patriotism raised by Zhang Boling, the first president of NKU, she realized that the ardent patriotism has already been in the bloodline of every Nankai graduate as part of the Nankai spirit. She pointed out that the editorial and publishing industry is the foundation of a strong culture, and the Editing and Publishing major aims to cultivate inter-disciplinary talent reserves with a good sense of national identity, international vision, profound learning, and the ability to apply knowledge in practice. At the Forum, she encouraged the students and aspiring editors and publishers to take on the responsibility of inheriting civilization and enlightening wisdom, thereby contributing to the construction of a cultural powerhouse.
The opening ceremony of the Forum was presided over by Ma Changhong, Secretary of the CPC Committee of NKU’s School of Journalism and Communication.
The keynote speech session was presided over by Qi Dexiang, Executive Vice Director of NKU Publishing Research Institute. A number of heavyweight scholars delivered insightful academic presentations.
Zhang Zhiqiang, Executive Vice Director of the Publishing Research Institute, Nanjing University, Zhou Weihua, Professor from the School of Journalism and Communications, Renmin University of China, Wang Guanyi, former Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Committee and Vice President of Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication, Fan Jun, Professor from the School of Chinese Language and Literature, Central China Normal University, Shi Yongqin, Professor from the College of Publishing, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, and Liu Yunfeng, Professor from NKU School of Journalism and Communication, delivered keynote speeches on respective topics of “Discussion on High-Quality Development of Higher Education in Publishing”, “Artificial Intelligence and Knowledge Reconstruction”, “Focusing on the Development Trend of Artificial Intelligence to Explore New Models for Publishing Discipline Construction”, “Review and Prospect: Research on the Construction of Independent Knowledge System in Publishing Studies in the Past Five Years”, “Exploration of the Cultivation of Practical Abilities in Editing and Publishing Education in the Digital Age”, and “Discussion on the Essential Attributes of Publishing, Construction of the Publishing Curriculum System, and Talent Cultivation Models”.
At the closing ceremony of the Forum, representatives from each sub-forum carried out full exchanges and sharing on multiple topics, including innovative development of the publishing industry in the new era, digital and intelligent transformation, history of editing, history of publishing, history of reading, and construction of the publishing discipline and cultivation of publishing professionals.
Chen Peng, Vice Dean of the School of Journalism and Communication, presided over the closing ceremony and summarized the achievements of the Forum. He said that through the exchanges at the Forum, the participants have gained a deeper understanding of the significance of the construction and development of the publishing discipline in the new era for promoting the construction of a strong nation in culture and publishing, and that the cultivation of publishing talents is a key driving force in realizing this goal.
