A team of eight academic staff led by Professor Si Chung-mou, Head of the Department of Chinese Language Studies (CHL), and Chair Professor Zhu Qingzhi, Director of the newly established Center for Research on Chinese Language and Education (CRCLE), paid a visit to partner universities in Beijing from 17 to 18 October 2019. The partner institutions included the Faculty of Arts and the Research Center for Folklore, Classics and Chinese Characters at Beijing Normal University (BNU), the Research Institute of International Chinese Language Education and the Editorial Office of Chinese Teaching in the World at Beijing Language and Culture University, and the Department of Chinese Language and Literature and the Center for Chinese Linguistics at Peking University (PKU).

The delegates conducted substantial discussions with the partner institutions about Chinese linguistics, Chinese language education, teaching Chinese as an international language, and the intelligent application of traditional research. The trip fulfilled several missions with the respective partner institutions, including the implementation of an annual reciprocal visit between the CHL and the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at PKU. Further plans comprise a potential joint issue by EdUHK’s International Journal of Chinese Language Education and BLCU’s Chinese Teaching in the World, and an agreement with BNU on the co-organisation of the 4^th International Conference on Chinese Language Education. The delegates met the People’s Education Press (PEP) and agreed to promote comparative analyses of Chinese textbooks in Hong Kong and mainland China.

In the meantime, the delegates invited Professor Wen Rumin from PKU, Professor Wang Ning from BNU, and Professor Xu Yong from the Association for Yan Huang Culture of China to be honorary advisors for the Composition Competition themed ‘Respect Teachers and Honour Their Teaching: Life Education in the Greater Bay Area’. The competition is jointly organised by the Centre for Religious and Spirituality Education in the Faculty of Education and Human Development and the CHL, in the Faculty of Humanities at EdUHK.

The visit showcased the academic achievements and research capabilities of the CHL and further strengthened its collaboration and communication on Chinese linguistics and Chinese language education with some of its renowned partners.