Australian scholars push to rekindle interest in China

A performer plays a pipa (four-stringed Chinese lute) at the Chinese Garden of Friendship in Sydney, Australia, on May 15. Musicians from the China Conservatory of Music staged a Chinese folk music performance titled Pipa Ballad: Strings through the Seasons. MA PING/XINHUA

Connecting people

There has been a boom in Australian Studies in China in recent years, said Wang Guanglin, a professor at the Australian Studies Centre at the Shanghai International Studies University.

However, Australian Studies started relatively late in China compared with study of the United Kingdom and the United States.

The popularity of Australian Studies is the result of several factors, Wang said. Australia is located in Asia and has close proximity to China, and it is in the antipodean country's economic interests to be on good terms with China.

Another reason is overseas students are profitable for Australia's education sector, despite grumblings from some locals their impact has contributed to the rise in property prices and other commodities.

The Australian Studies Center has established very good relations with their counterparts in Australia, he said. "The ties are beautiful, and they can help increase understanding and reduce potential conflicts between the two sides," Wang said.

His center has organized the translation of classic Australian novels into Chinese, and participated in events such as talks between the Chinese author Mo Yan, who was awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize in literature, and South African-Australian novelist and essayist J.M. Coetzee.

Angela Lehmann, chair of the Foundation for Australian Studies in China, said Australian Studies programs have become a "strong network" for research and teaching in the Chinese university sector. These studies have expanded since the 1980s with support from the Australia-China Council and the foundation.

"Good academic relations exist between Australian and Chinese figures, and the research, publications and translations emerging in China have been increasingly significant over recent years," Dr Lehmann told China Daily.

"These centers have wide-ranging interests from Australian and comparative literature and cultural studies to economics and trade, political systems, environmental studies, gender, indigenous studies, social sciences and more.

"Some centers offer courses and programs, and others are more focused on research activities and public events."

There are an estimated 250 scholars in China currently involved in teaching and doing research on Australia, and many more students taking part in undergraduate or postgraduate courses linked to Australian Studies.

"The popularity has been driven by the experience of leading scholars who spent time in Australia, who came back to China and developed courses to teach and build a new generation of scholars with an interest in Australia," Lehmann said.

"Initially, the focus of many Australian Studies centers was on literature and translation, as English Studies departments often were linked to those with an interest in Australia.

"Now we are seeing the diversification of disciplines that these scholars are engaging with. The community has grown in terms of numbers, but also in breadth — more scholars (are) studying a wider range of topics."

Lehmann said Australian Studies enable students in China to learn and engage with Australia.

"Many of these students may not otherwise have the opportunity to learn about Australia. Many will go on to study in Australia or engage with Australia throughout their careers," she added.

"Supporting a scholarly community in Australia has formed an important people-to-people bridge that has been built over many years.

"This bridge has been proven to withstand the challenges of the pandemic and bilateral tensions and continues to grow and prosper," she said.