On September 12, 2018, the second lecture session of the Latin America and China , jointly sponsored by the Fudan Development Institute and the School of Foreign Literature of Fudan University, was successfully held at the Fudan Development Institute. The theme of the lecture was The Magical Latin America: A Wide World for Sino-foreign Exchanges. The lecturer was given by Lu Jingsheng, professor of Western Languages and tutor of doctoral students in Shanghai International Studies University. He is vice-chairman of the Foreign Language Teaching Steering Committee of the Ministry of Education, director of the Spanish Sub-Committee and member of the Foreign Communication Institute of the Royal Spanish College. More than sixty students and teachers from Fudan University, including Cheng Yiyang, chairman of Spanish Department of Fudan University, lecturer of Monterrey University of Science and Technology of Mexico, visiting scholar Daniel Lemus of Fudan Development Research Institute and Fudan University, were present.
Picture 1：Professor Lu Jingsheng is explaining Latin American diplomacy, culture and literature for teachers and students in Fudan University.
In the lecture, Professor Lu introduced the origin of Latin American names and the geographical division of the Americas from the perspective of etymology. The Maya, Inca and Aztec civilizations in the Americas are explained. The migration routes of the early Americans, the advantages of the products in various parts of the Americas, and the modern culture, literature, education and so on are introduced. Professor Lu pointed out that Latin America is so far away that at present, the vast majority of Chinese people have a limited understanding of Latin America. But the actual data shows that some leading countries in Latin America, such as Mexico and Argentina, have quite high per capita GDP. Since “the Belt and Road initiative was put forward, eight countries in Latin America has signed up with China to jointly deepen cooperation and exchanges, so as to achieve a better vision of the joint development of Sino-Latin American.
After the meeting, Professor Lu gave guidance on the language learning methods to the Spanish major student in Fudan University, especially the key and difficult points in pronunciation. Then professor explained the practice methods patiently and introduced the future career planning.
Picture 2: Fudan teachers and students listen carefully to Professor Lu's advice.
There are three rounds of lectures on Latin America and China, with 2-3 sessions each, inviting well-known experts and scholars from Latin America. The third lecture of the first round will be held at the think tank building of Handan campus of Fudan University at 14:30 September on the theme of Latin American Communication in a Global South Perspective. The lecturer will be given by Zhang Zhihua, Associate Professor of Journalism School of China Media University, Director of Latin American Communication Research Center of China Media University, with major research areas of the political economy of communication, Latin American dissemination, and platform economy.
Translation: ZHU Min