On April 25, 2024, the 16th lecture of the Song Zexing Lecture Series by Overseas Noted Scholars was held in the Choi Koon Shum Academic Lecture Hall of the Puhe Campus Office Building. Professor Qian Chengdan, a renowned historian and Boya Chair Professor at Peking University, as well as the founding dean of the Institute of Area Studies of Peking University, was invited to give an academic report titled ‘Head to the West! - A Further Observation of the American Westward Movement’. The conference was hosted by Liaoning University, organized by the Faculty of Economics and Faculty of History, and co-organized by the School of International Economics and International Relations and the History School. Nearly 500 representatives, including students and teachers, attended and represented the Faculty of Economics and the Faculty of History. The report was chaired by Professor Li Shuyun, Deputy Director of the Academic Committee of Liaoning University.
Professor Yu Miaojie, a representative of the 14th National People's Congress, a member of the International Economic Society, Vice Secretary of the Party Committee and President of Liaoning University attended the report and delivered a welcoming speech. In his speech, President Yu Miaojie expressed a sincere welcome and heartfelt gratitude to Professor Qian for taking time out of his busy schedule to come to Liaoning University to pass on his valuable experience and for agreeing to be appointed as a lifelong honorary professor at Liaoning University. He also solemnly introduced Professor Qian to the attending teachers and students and gave a detailed description of Professor Qian’s academic career at renowned universities both domestically and internationally, as well as his outstanding achievements in various fields such as world history, British history, comparative modern history and Western cultural history, and especially his outstanding contributions to promoting the establishment and development of regional national studies as a first-class discipline.
At the report meeting, Professor Qian led the attending teachers and students to think dialectically about the American ‘Westward Movement’ with a broad perspective that transcends time and space, and embraces both profound philosophical thinking and a rational critical spirit. The entire report connected history and the present, showing a magnificent historical picture of the ‘Westward Movement Strategy’. Professor Qian broke away from the narrow traditional interpretive framework of the ‘westward movement’ and creatively linked seemingly isolated events in American history, such as the Spanish-American War, Pacific War, and the ANZUS, to construct a broader historical interpretive framework. He divided it into three stages. The first stage is expanding territory from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast. The second stage is continuing westward to seize sea power in Pacific Ocean and achieving complete control over the Pacific, also continuing to advance westward towards the East Asian territory to shape the third stage of the current Asia Pacific pattern. His ideas inspired the attending teachers and students to learn from history and pay attention to reality.
Professor Liu Wenge, Dean of the School of International Economics and International Relations and Professor Wang Tiejun, Deputy Director of Daily Work in charge of the Department of History and Dean of the School of History spoke highly of Professor Qian’s report and shared their respective learning experiences. Dean Liu Wenge stated that Professor Qian has provided a new macro historical analysis perspective for the development of interdisciplinary studies, deeply inspiring subsequent research in related disciplines such as international politics and regional ethnography. Dean Wang Tiejun pointed out that Professor Qian's lecture has greatly expanded the research boundaries and connotations of American and world history. The deepening of interdisciplinary research such as history and international politics will undoubtedly become an important trend for future development.
At the end of the meeting, President Yu Miaojie presented Professor Qian with a commemorative plaque of the Song Zexing Lecture Series of Liaoning University and an appointment letter as a lifetime honorary professor. Secretary Zhang Hongjie of the History Department presented a souvenir to Professor Qian, Vice Director of the Economics Department Professor Huo Weidong presented a school hat to Professor Qian, Vice Director of the Economics Department Professor Wang Weiguang wore the school emblem for Professor Qian, and Vice President of the China Russia Far East Cooperation and Development Research Institute Associate Professor Yin Ruyu presented Professor Qian with the Liaoning University Think Tank Report 2023. Vice Dean of the History School Professor Jin Yue presented flowers to Professor Qian, and the attending guests took a group photo to commemorate.
Qian Chengdan biography
Qian Chengdan is the founding dean of the Institute of Area Studies of Peking University, as well as a postdoctoral supervisor and Peking University Boya Chair Professor. He is a PhD of History, Honorary Doctor of Literature from the University of Coventry in the United Kingdom and Correspondent Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He is also a member of the Expert Evaluation Group of the National Social Science Fund, Member of the Expert Committee of the National Textbook Commission, Member of the Social Science Committee of the Ministry of Education, Academic Member of the Chinese Academy of History, Member and Convener of the History Discipline Evaluation Group of the 4th to 6th Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council.
Professor Qian’s main works include Between Tradition and Transformation, The Industrial Revolution and the British Working Class, and The Land of the West. He is the editor in chief of Outline of New World History, The Process of World Modernization (10 volumes), General History of Britain (6 volumes), and History of the British Empire (8 volumes). He also served as an academic director for the 12-episode television documentary The Rise of Great Powers’ on CCTV.
