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The 15th Edgar Snow Symposium takes place at PKU
Oct 25, 2012

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Peking University, Oct. 15, 2012: On October 10, the opening ceremony of the 15th Edgar Snow symposium, themed “People-to-People Exchange: Innovation, Friendship, Harmony”, took place at Zhongguanyuan Global Village, Peking University (PKU). Present are a 100-strong audience, including leaders from related departments of China, the officials from the city of Kansas, presidents of the University of Missouri, staff from Edgar Snow Memorial Foundation (ESMF) in the US, international friends in China, scholars, diplomats, teachers and students of PKU.

 

The Edgar Snow Symposium is held every two years, co-hosted by ESMF, China Society for People’s Friendship Studies (PFS), and China Edgar Snow Research Center, PKU. The Kansas City of Missouri, which is Edgar Snow’s hometown, and Beijing, China take turns to host the event.

 

 

The symposium this year is very special, for 2012 is the 40th anniversary of the historic visit of former US President Nixon to China in 1972, the 33th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-US diplomatic relations, and also the 40th year since Edgar Snow passed away. More than 70 years ago, Edgar Snow showed the whole world what China really looked like, attracting the world’s attention to China; 40 years ago, Edgar Snow acted as a messenger of the US ice-breaking trip to China. In China, Edgar Snow is regarded as a bridge of communication between China and the US; in the US, the works of Edgar Snow are important documents through which the government gets to know about China.

 

Li Yansong, Vice-President of PKU and Dean of China Edgar Snow Research Center hosted the opening ceremony. President of PFS, former Chinese Ambassador to Germany Ma Canrong, and President of ESMF Jim Hill gave welcoming remarks before keynote speeches.

 

Zhou WenZhong, former China Ambassador to the US (2005-2010), Secretary-General at Boao Forum for Asia, and Vice-President at China-US People's Friendship Association, once attended the 12th Edgar Snow Symposium held in Kansas on October 18, 2006. In his keynote speech during the opening ceremony, Zhou Wenzhong spoke highly of the major contributions which Snow spared no effort to make to the mutual understanding and friendship between people of China and the US. “With the successive effort made by the governments of the two nations and the support of people from all circles, Sino-US relation has endured and progressed, and has never been as close as today. It has grown into one of the most important, dynamic and potential bilateral relations. While the US is a developed country and China is a developing country, they will be able to explore and find an even better way of co-existing and developing together. This is surely what Snow would hope for," said he.

 

PKU President Zhou Qifeng pointed out in his speech that the life of Edgar Snow was associated with promoting Chinese culture and improving Sino-US relations, and was tightly connected with PKU where he once worked, which makes it special to hold the symposium on PKU campus.

 

Following the keynote speech, several special announcements were made:

 

Announcement of Journalism Center in Yan’an and special relationship with Kansas City;

 

Announcement of Friendship City between Yan'an and Kansas City (with a Video message from Kansas City Mayor Sly James);

 

Announcement of Edgar Snow UMKC/Saint Luke’s Summer Residency Internship Program starting 2013;

 

Introduction of Chinese conservatory presidents and initial recipient of UMKC/China Music Program exchange.

 

In addition, scholars of PKU and presidents of University of Missouri gave speeches to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Edgar Snow's Passing. Prior to a welcome luncheon hosted by Li Yansong, short videos were played in memory of Huang Hua, founder of PFS, and Mary Dwight Dimond, founder of ESMF.

 

The symposium lasted three days from October 10 to October 12, featuring four panel discussions: A Strategic Opportunity for Higher Education Collaboration, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Waste/Polluted Water Treatment and The Nature Conservancy , Outcome-based research and the value of traditional Chinese medicine. And students representatives from University of Missouri interacted with PKU students in activities held on the last day.

 

 

Extended Reading

 

Edgar Snow and PKU

 

At the beginning of 1934, Edgar Snow was invited to taught journalism at Yenching University (separated and incorporated into PKU and Tsinghua University, THU in 1952, and its campus became where PKU campus locates today) as a correspondent in China for Daily News of New York City. He was well-received and popular among the students.

 

At the end of October, 1936, after returning from Northern Shanxi Soviet Area, Edgar Snow shared what he saw and heard with the students of PKU, THU and Yenching University. It was at PKU that Edgar Snow finished writing Red Star Over China.

 

After the new China was founded, Edgar Snow went back to PKU in June, 1960 to visit old friends and acquaintances, which lasted 5 months.

 

In the book Red China Today:The Other Side of the River published in 1963, Edgar Snow wrote that once a most important cradle for the Chinese Communist Party, PKU turned into an ambitious dream school for students and researchers of arts and sciences.

 

In 1964, Edgar Snow visited China once again, meeting the professors and students at PKU.

 

Edgar Snow and the teachers and students of PKU had developed profound friendship. On October 19th, 1973, half of Edgar Snow’s remains were buried alongside the Weiming Lake, according to his will.

 

After his death, people memorize Edgar Snow in different ways. His tomb is frequently visited; academic articles are constantly written about him; national memorial events and academic activities have been held many times at PKU. And China Edgar Snow Research Centre has become an important window for cultural communication between China and the US. Nowadays, PKUers follow the footsteps of Edgar Snow and go on showing the latest development and progress of China to the world, promoting understanding between peoples and making contribution to world peace and friendship.

 

 

The tomb of Edgar Snow on PKU campus, alongside Weiming Lake (Source: Wikipedia)

 

Edgar Snow

 

Edgar Snow, (July 17, 1905 in Kansas City, Missouri – February 15, 1972 in Geneva) was an American journalist known for his books and articles on Communism in China and the Chinese Communist revolution. He is believed to be the first foreign journalist to interview the Chinese Communist Party in Northern Shanxi Soviet Area and report to the world objectively. His most famous work, Red Star Over China , unveiling the fact of the Chinese Communist revolution, had tremendous influences throughout the world. 

 

ESMF


Mary Clark Dimond, the late wife of Dr. E. Grey Dimond (creator of the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine six-year baccalaureate/doctor of medicine degree), who was a good friend of Edgar Snow, founded the fund in honor of him. Now called the Edgar Snow Memorial Foundation, the organization hosts a number of opportunities to bridge the US and China, including the Snow Symposium, held biennially in Kansas City and China. The EMSF is an affiliate constituent organization of the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), which holds the Edgar Snow Archives.

 

The vision of ESMF is to advance the legacy of Edgar Snow by cultivating deeper and enduring relationships between the peoples of the US and China through cultural, economic and educational collaboration. 

 

 

 

Written by: Gao Hongfei, Meng Yiran

Edited by: Chen Long

Source: PKU News (Chinese)

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