On the evening of December 6, the 16th Luminaries Lecture in Humanities & Social Sciences was held at the auditorium of the Social Sciences Complex, Hainan University. Professor Zheng Jiajian, President of Fujian Normal University, delivered a report titled “New Frontiers in Modern Chinese Literary Studies”.

The event was attended by Zhang Jiyou, Executive Vice Chairman of the HNU Council and chaired by Li Buhong, Chairman of the HNU Council and Vice President of the University

On the evening of December 6, the 16th Luminaries Lecture in Humanities & Social Sciences is held at the auditorium of the Social Sciences Complex, Hainan University.

Professor Zheng Jiajian, grounded in the contemporary landscape of modern Chinese literary studies and synthesizing both disciplinary dilemmas and his personal research expertise, analyzed the defining characteristics of modern Chinese literature while proposing targeted research directions and methodologies. He identified three root causes for the contemporary predicaments in China’s humanities and social sciences research: the scacity of novel research materials, the lack of focused, cutting-edge intellectual topics to steer scholarly discourse, and the still-evolving construction of an autonomous knowledge framework—factors collectively contributing to methodological discontinuities.

To address these bottlenecks, Professor Zheng emphasized that literary research must return to historical contexts, providing multidimensional interpretations of the core traits and research priorities in modern Chinese literature. He stated that:

1. Integrate literature’s intrinsic connection with the reality, moving beyond a purely aesthetic approach toward multifaceted analysis.

2. Center on the authors’ concerns for the times and the world, correlating the authors with in-depth analysis of the texts.

3. Avoid mechanical applications of Western tragedy theories and ground tragic interpretation in indigenous ethical and cultural conflicts.

4. Combine endogenous inheritance of tradition with exogenous Western influences and synthesize the two in research.

5. Leverage pluralistic literary ecosystems to comprehend the socio-cultural soil nurturing diverse developments.

6. Bridge modern and contemporary literary studies by examining the “unfinished” nature of modern literature.

7. Trace the dynamic evolution of modern Chinese to uncover the value of its various linguistic forms.

On the evening of December 6, the 16th Luminaries Lecture in Humanities & Social Sciences is held at the auditorium of the Social Sciences Complex, Hainan University. Zheng Jiajian is delivering a lecture.

The lecture hall was filled with a vibrant academic atmosphere, where faculty members and students enthusiastically raising questions on topics such as the enduring relevance of classical literature and the value of close textual reading. Professor Zheng Jiajian addressed the questions with patience and insight.

On the evening of December 6, the 16th Luminaries Lecture in Humanities & Social Sciences is held at the auditorium of the Social Sciences Complex, Hainan University. A representative from the faculty and the student body is raising her questions.

Representatives of faculty and students from Haidian, Danzhou, Mission Hills (including Chengxi teaching site), and Yazhou campuses of Hainan University, together with leaders of relevant university departments and units, attended the lecture both online and in person.

Translated by Li Weishen

Proofread by Shen Fei