Affiliations with Overseas Research Institutes

Affiliate Research Institutes

1. East China Normal University

This institute is a comprehensive university in Shanghai, founded in 1951 through the merger of several universities in the city. The phenomenal growth of the International College of Chinese Studies inspired scholars from across the globe to enroll at the institute to pursue Chinese language and culture. Its graduate programs are renowned for Chinese cultural studies, and students throughout the country compete for enrollment. The Research Center for Chinese Folk-Custom Protection and Development headed by Professor Chen Qinjian, a leading figure in the field known for his broad-ranging research, has been nurturing young researchers. Quite a few such academics wrote outstanding doctoral dissertations. Due to the nature of the institute, it has been a major force in promoting international academic activities and collaborations. Researchers at this research center have been actively interacting with their Japanese counterparts, not to mention participants in our program.

2. Beijing Normal University

This comprehensive university is located in Beijing. The institute serves as a focal point for the study of Chinese literature. Under the leadership of prominent faculty members such as Professor Jingwen Zhong, a pioneer of Chinese folklore, and Professor Qi Gong, a well-known calligrapher, the university has been vigorously engaging in academic activities. In particular, the Division of Folk Literature established by Professor Jingwen Zhong has won recognition as a research base for Chinese folklore studies in the country. Many scholars have obtained doctoral degrees through the program and built successful careers. After the professor passed away in 2002, the department was subdivided into several specialized areas. Our program has worked together with the Institute of Folklore and Cultural Anthropology directed by Liu Tie Liang. Fieldwork conducted by the organization has reaped great rewards as proven through the publication of several issues of Chinese Folk Culture: Beijin Edition in each district of the city.

3. Zhejiang Gongshang University

This university was established in 1911 as “Hangzhou Business School.” It was elevated to university status and renamed “Hangzhou University of Commerce” in 1980. In 2004, it then became a comprehensive university with six departments centering around the economics of management, and the name was again changed to “Zhejiang Gongshang University.” Our program has built intimate links with the College of Japanese Language and Culture and the Institute for Japanese Culture Studies.

The institute originally belonged to Zhejiang University (formerly Hangzhou University), but most researchers transferred to Zhejiang Gongshang University in response to the latter’s reestablishment as a comprehensive university in 2004. Since then, the institute has raised its standing in Japanese studies in the Jiangnan region.

Heading the research center are two “Mr. Wang”s. One is Yong Wang, a prominent academic specializing in the history of Japan-China relations, mainly in the Tang Dynasty. The other is Bapoing Wang, an accomplished scholar in modern philology. During the winter years of China’s academic world in the 1980s, these two experts devoted their efforts to promoting Japanese studies. Besides their own research activities, they now strive to train young researchers. Such apprentice scholars have turned into distinguished researchers taking an active part in various areas beyond their specialties, from classical Japanese culture to modern pop culture. In order to track how Japanese cultural studies are developing in China, we should continue to pay close attention to the Institute for Japanese Culture Studies as well as Zhejiang Gongshang University itself.

4. Sun Yat-Sen University

This is a historical comprehensive university in Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, China, established by Dr. Sun Yat-sen in 1924. School buildings stand amidst luscious trees and green lawns in spacious campuses. The department of Chinese literature has a long history and occupies an important position in the university. The Center of Research in Chinese Verbal and Non-material Heritage, founded on Chinese literature, has come under the spotlight. It was designated by the Ministry of Education as a key research hub for humanities and social sciences, which coincides with Japan’s 21st Century COE Program. Government subsidies allowed the research center to conduct extensive research activities. Their three main research themes are traditional dramas, oral literature and folklore, and protective measures for non-material heritage. These studies are lead by Professor Kang Baocheng, Professor Ye Chun-Sheng and Professor Gao Xiao-Kang, respectively. Since our affiliation with the institute in 2005, we have frequently exchanged visits. Our staff members had an opportunity to participate in a symposium organized by the university.

5. The University of Hong Kong

China, now a world economic power, has existed under a socialist system. While seeking unification with Taiwan, the nation is practicing the “One Country, Two Systems” policy in Hong Kong. In the Special Administrative Region, this university and the Chinese University of Hong Kong are the most prestigious higher education institutions. The University of Hong Kong, originally founded as the Hong Kong College of Medicine in 1877, is the oldest university in the region. This preeminent institution provides a variety of study programs in the field of liberal arts such as literature, education, humanities and sociology, in addition to medicine and engineering. The Center of Asian Studies and Faculty of Arts, Japanese Studies has become the most successful research center with high academic standards. Thanks to the efforts of our Graduate School of Foreign Languages, Course of Chinese Language and Culture, we have established an affiliation with this scholarly center. We have been actively exchanging academic information and resources through symposiums and other means.

6. Yonsei University

South Korean academia is dominated by Seoul National University and two private institutions – Yonsei University and Korea University. Yonsei University was first established as Severance Medical School at the end of the Joseon Dynasty in 1885. Since the 1970s, it has been striving to expand and develop disciplines in the liberal arts. The Yonsei University Museum, which was opened in 1928, is regarded as a pioneer of university museums and is notable for its rich collection of traditional cultural materials and extensive research on the subject. In 1988, a new wing was opened in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the university’s foundation. It has nine new permanent exhibition halls including a university history room, folk culture room and pottery and china room. Furthermore, activities at the Institute of Korean Studies, a leading research center for Confucianism and classics of the Joseon Dynasty, have attracted public attention, and the center’s research project entitled “Turmoil in Traditional Korean Society around the Port-opening Period and the Pursuit of Modernization” was designated as one of the main programs supported by the Korea Research Foundation. “The Journal of Korean Studies” published by the institute has earned a Level A rating from the grant organization. Our program has been enjoying information and personal exchanges with the University Museum, the Institute of Korean Studies and the College of Humanities and Arts.

7. The University of British Columbia

This comprehensive university is located in Vancouver, a major coastal city along Canada’s Pacific Ocean coastline. The Department of Asian Studies established in 1961 forms an important and valued part of the university. The Institute of Asian Research is a leading research center not only in Canada but also in North America. It was founded in 1978 and now houses five regional research centers in Japan, China and South Korea, among others. Scholars enroll in the institute to explore the history, literature, sociology and language of each region of Asia, not to mention Japan. Its broad and extensive research on Japanese classical literature and culture is about to raise it to the top as a research center for Japanese cultural studies in North America. The Nitobe Memorial Garden, dedicated to the memory of Dr. Inazo Nitobe, reflects its close ties with Japan. Scholars from this research institute participated in our second and third international symposiums and stimulated a lively discussion. Likewise, two of our program members took part in the university’s symposium entitled “Travel Culture in Japan.”

8. The University of Sao Paulo

The Center for Japanese Studies occupies an entire building with three stories above the ground and one below, standing inside the vast campus of the university which has its own administrative infrastructure. The building provides research rooms, lecture rooms, a library and an exhibition space. Revered cultural anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss once attended this university. It has a long history of cultural anthropology studies, and houses a fascinating museum of folklore on campus. The lush greenery around the research center adds a sophisticated atmosphere. It was established by pioneers of Japanese studies in Brazil including Professor Teiichi Suzuki and Professor Takashi Maekawa, and is now run by a total of seven professors and associate professors and a few other staff members under the direction of Professor Junko Oda. This research center has played a central role in Japanese cultural studies throughout Brazil, and offers lectures in Japanese graduate studies. The institute originally intended to pursue Japanese language and literature, but now the research subject has been broadened to Japanese culture since experts in cultural anthropology have joined.


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