Jamie Taylor, dean of the School of Psychology and Humanities at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) and Yu Feixia, director of UCLan's Confucius Institute, visited Beijing International Studies University (BISU) on April 16.

Zheng Chengjun, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC BISU Committee and vice president of the university, welcomed the delegation. He reviewed the friendly cooperation between the two universities and recalled that he had led a delegation to visit UCLan in 2023 to renew the agreement to jointly build the Confucius Institute and participate in its 15th anniversary celebration.

Zheng emphasized Taylor's visit as an important manifestation of the expansion of the cooperation between the two universities beyond jointly building the Confucius Institute.

He hoped the two sides to take this opportunity to strengthen exchanges and visits among scholars, and develop a number of representative collaborative research findings in such fields as cognitive linguistics and international and regional studies.

He said that BISU would continue to promote student exchange programs between the two universities and recommend outstanding students from its affiliated high school and its preparatory students for studies at UCLan, emphasizing its willingness to promote cultural exchanges between the two countries based on the Confucius Institute at UCLan.

Zheng (R) meets with UCLan delegation. 

Taylor thanked BISU for its invitation and warm reception. He said that the two universities have a long history of cooperation and friendship, and it is of great significance to continue it.

He spoke positively of the work of the directors of the Confucius Institute and its language teaching and cultural activities. As a visiting scholar, he said he was honored to have the opportunity to introduce his research to BISU faculty and students, and he looked forward to deepening the two universities' cooperation in scientific research.

He stressed that UCLan is willing to cooperate with BISU, saying that it hopes to continue and expand the student exchanges in fields such as language, business administration and international relations based on their respective advantageous disciplines.

A group photo of the attendees of the meeting

After the meeting, BISU faculty continued to discuss talent cultivation projects with UCLan representatives, delving into optimization of the cultivation mechanisms.

The delegation also visited BISU's Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence and Linguistic Cognition. Led by Professor Lei Ming, they learned about various experimental equipment and processes, and discussed academic questions from the perspective of language and psychology with laboratory members.

The two sides reached a consensus on strengthening academic exchanges in language cognition and psychology and deepening their academic cooperation.

Taylor discusses academic questions with members of the laboratory.

Taylor also gave a lecture on sports psychology to BISU students. Analyzing the performance of golfers and the treatment of dentists from a psychological perspective, he displayed the innovative interdisciplinary research results.

His lecture showcased the importance of cross-disciplinary learning and inspired the students to expand their horizons, delve into multi-disciplinary learning, and conduct innovative and valuable research.

Taylor presents his research results to BISU faculty and students.

On April 17, Taylor and his delegation visited the Chinese International Education Foundation. Zhang Junli, deputy secretary-general of the foundation, introduced the basic responsibilities of the foundation and the layout of Confucius Institutes worldwide during her meeting with the delegation.

She praised the Chinese teaching and cultural activities carried out by the Confucius Institute at UCLan, saying that the achievements are inseparable from the cooperation between BISU and UCLan over the years.

She emphasized the willingness of the foundation to support the development of the Confucius Institute and to promote cultural exchanges between the two countries, citing the renewed agreement to jointly build the Confucius Institute signed by the foundation and the two universities.

Taylor thanked the foundation and BISU for their strong support. He introduced the academic exchanges and the progress of cooperation during his visit to BISU, and said that UCLan will continue to support the development of the Confucius Institute.

Yu briefed them on the Chinese degree program and the development of special Traditional Chinese Medicine health activities.

Yuan Yu, deputy director of the International Exchange and Cooperation Office, expressed his gratitude to the foundation for its strong support and guidance to the work of BISU's Confucius Institutes. He said that BISU would continue to provide support for the sustainable and characteristic development of the Confucius Institutes.

The delegation visits the Chinese International Education Foundation.