Peking University, Beijing, Nov. 24, 2008: International Symposium on Sociology was held in Peking University (PKU) from November 29 to 30 to commemorate the thirty-year reform and opening-up in China. The theme of the symposium was “The transformation of society and sociology in China: commemoration of the 30th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up”.  Scholars from PKU, Tsinghua University, Renmin University of China, Beijing Normal University, and Nankai University attended the symposium. Also presented were experts from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macao, and other places in the world. They discussed the development of sociology in China's transformation period by comprehensively sorting out and summarizing the problems in current development of China's society and sociology.

In the opening ceremony, Prof. Zhang Guoyou, Vice-President of PKU, recalled the development of PKU sociology in these thirty years and recognized its advance and achievements. He pointed out that in the thirty years of reform and opening-up, China’s politics, economy, and society have all changed greatly, and China has made important contributions to the world by her fast progress at the same time. So the China's social development model has attracted the sociological academic community’s attention in the world, and will become an important research object for them.

Xiao Qun, Executive Vice-Director of Office of Humanities & Social Sciences PKU, expressed in his speech that the two missions of this symposium were summarizing the experience by recalling the history and giving forecasts of the social problems China might face in the future. He also said that the characteristics of the sociology needed comprehensively interdisciplinary study by related scholars.

Then Pref. Walder, from Stanford University, gave a lecture on "Communist Neo-Traditionalism: Thirty Years On". Prof. Li Peilin, Director of Institute of Sociology of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, gave a lively introduction of the four major changes in the social policies during the reform and opening-up period in his lecture, and he also put forward the challenges the Chinese society will face in the future development. Mr. Richard Koo, President of K.C. Group International, Inc. also gave an excellent lecture to comprehensively interpret the fair principle in taxation.

The symposium was supported by PKU Xu Tianxiu Sociology foundation which was also one of the organizers. Ms. Woo-Xu Jinming, Chairman of Woo Education Foundation, who is also the sponsor of the PKU Xu Tianxiu Sociology foundation, told the stories about her father Xu Tianxiu and herself on the charitable affairs. She hoped that there will be more people in PKU devoting to the research of China Problems and they could make more contributions to the development of the China’s society. Then on behalf of PKU and the Department of Sociology of PKU, Prof. Zhang Guoyou and Prof. Xie Lizhong, Director of Department of Sociology, gave her gifts to express the sincere thanks for her donation to the development of PKU.

Mr. Xu Tianxiu is a distinguished social activist and educator. In 1921, he founded the first institute of sociology in China and served as the president. As her daughter, Ms. Woo-Xu Jinming has inherited her father’s eagerness on philanthropy. She has donated to build elementary schools in Ganxu and Guizhou, set up education foundations, and helped the orphans. In 2007, she donated to found the PKU Xu Tianxiu Sociology foundation in order to support the sociology teaching and research.

Edited By: Seren

Translated By: Su Juan

Source: PKU News (Chinese)