On October 22, 2020, Holistic Education·Boya Forum of SIS kicked off with the first lecture delivered at Xuesi Hall, Chongwu Building, Yanta Campus. Liu Quanguo, Deputy Dean of SIS, as well as some teachers and first year undergraduates were at the forum, which was hosted by Lyu Minhong, Head of the English Department.
At the beginning, Prof.Liu Quanguo pointed out that Holistic Education·Boya Forum, guided by the philosophy of five-sphere holistic education of foreign language learners, is of great significance to innovating the talent training system of SIS. In Prof. Liu's point, five-sphere holistic education is designed to foster well-rounded foreign language learners with extensive knowledge, multilingual proficiency, educational abilities, international vision, and scientific research attainments. He believes the future of students is closely related to their range of knowledge, vision, and aspiration. In accordance to this, a series of reforms have been made in aspects of talent training model, curriculum system, and international exchanges, aiming to provide a platform for students to learn knowledge, communicate with others, and improve themselves. He suggested students take toot in China, develop a global perspective, and cultivate themselves to erudite foreign language talents with extensive and profound knowledge.
Later, Dr. Zhang Xiaodong delivered a lecture entitled Photography to the Soul—Cultural Exchanges Caught on Camera, the first one of the Boya lecture series. Dr. Zhang Xiaodong, member of the China Photographers Association and the Royal Photographic Society, has held a couple of exhibitions including Beautiful Nature and Living in Cuba. Through elaborating the relationships between camera and thoughts, as well as photography and expression, culture, and languages, he gave a vivid presentation on his works. We see the tranquility of Iceland, the loneliness of Africa, the enthusiasm of Cuba, and the simplicity of remote mountainous areas in China. In his view, photography is a representation of a society, a status, and a spirit, reflecting the orientation of culture, education, and values as well as social etiquette and civility. Photography is a supplement to the language in promoting global communication. Besides, photography helps people discover the beauty in life behind each scene and the story behind each piece of picture. With his own life and journey experiences, Dr. Zhang combines works with the real life in a way that enables students to better grasp the artistic charm of photography.
The lecture came to a successful close.
(Translated by Yang Dongmin & Guo Lanfang)
