Language and Cultural Exchange between Bulgaria and China Post the Pandemic– From the Perspective of Teaching Chinese Language and Culture

GUO, Liandong (ldguo@sjtu.edu.cn) 

Liandong Guo, Associate Professor, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), PhD in literature, Fudan University. She was a visiting scholar in Purdue University and Queensland University of Technology. Her research interests are in overseas communication of Chinese modern and contemporary literature and culture and intercultural communication. She has published up to 20 academic articles in CSSCI journals, such as Academic Monthly, Contemporary Writers Review, Literature and Art Forum, Southern Cultural Forum and Fiction Reviews. She led projects funded by the National Social Science Fund of China and Innovation Program of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, also Cultural Specialized projects in Academic Humanities and Social Sciences SJTU. Liandong was the chief-in-charge of the English course of ‘Shanghai and Chinese Traditional Culture’, which was awarded with the title of one of the first model courses of teaching in English for overseas students in Shanghai higher education institutes. She was also the chief-in-charge for ‘Construction and Practice of Elective English Curriculum System of Chinese Culture for Overseas Students” which was the runner-up for 2015 Teaching Achievement Award, SJTU and also won other prizes, such as SJTU Education and Personnel Cultivation Prize, Teaching Competition for Young Teachers and Candle Light Prize. 

Research Overview 

With aggressive waves of COVID-19 sweeping through the world in 2020, the global economy has come to an abrupt halt, meanwhile the progress of the ‘One Road One Belt’ initiative has also been impacted to a certain degree. While the global pandemic has not yet been effectively controlled and the world economy is heading for recession, the Chinese economy has already started to recover and successfully achieved its rebound, particularly the rate of its economic increment for the first three quarters has be revived to be positive, which makes China as the main engine of global economy growth. In this background, how can language and cultural exchange be promoted between China and Bulgaria as well as other countries in the world to stimulate their economic cooperation and mutual development post the pandemic? From the perspective of Chinese language and Chinese cultural teaching, it should not be constrained in the traditional methods and content. With learners’ practical needs in mind, we propose we shall expedite the pace of establishing various Chinese business courses and expand the range of the courses. Besides the establishment of a series of business and Chinese courses, it is necessary to host various business seminars with focus on the status of Chinese economy development based on the current situation. 

Meanwhile, by organizing entrepreneurship competitions and activities for Chinese and international students, cultivate the ones with international vision, and help them with their career development.