The Department of Chinese and the Chinese Language Center of the Office of Continuing Education at Tamkang University co-hosted the “2024 International Conference on Chinese Teaching and Material Development in the Digital Age.” The event was held on May 23, starting at 9 a.m. in room HC306 of the Hsu Shou-Chlien International Conference Center. Scholars and experts from the United States, the United Kingdom, South Korea, and Taiwan are invited to participate. The conference includes 2 keynote speeches and 11 paper presentations, with an afternoon forum on “The Current Status and Prospects of Chinese Teaching in Taiwan.”

Vice President for Academic Affairs Hui-Huang Hsu delivered a speech at the opening ceremony, encouraging using digital resources in Chinese language courses and teaching to keep up with current development trends and not fall behind. Dean of the College of Liberal Arts Huei-Chun Chi stated, “Chinese can become a language that the whole world needs to learn.” The College of Liberal Arts is also promoting the study of digital humanities and hopes to facilitate the exchange of ideas on Chinese teaching and the development of digital teaching materials, working together to make progress.

The conference includes 2 keynote speeches. Professor Maeng Joo Oeck from the Korean University of Foreign Studies, South Korea, gave the first speech, titled “The Limitations of Correspondence in Intercultural Communication.” He used examples of similar vocabulary in Korean and Chinese to explore how different contexts in intercultural environments can lead to other meanings. For instance, the word “技巧” (technique) has a negative connotation in Korean, whereas it has a positive sense in Chinese. The second keynote speech was delivered online by Duo Luan, Head of Chinese Language in the Department of Asian Studies at the University of Edinburgh and a partner in Tamkang University's Taiwan Huayu BEST Program. The topic was “Development and Design of Localized Chinese Language Teaching Programs Overseas,” using the UK as an example to share the current state of overseas teaching.

The paper presentations discussed various topics, including the continuation of localized Chinese teaching programs, intercultural perspectives, research on elderly learners, applications of digital technology, teaching material design, and grammar and vocabulary instruction. This conference provides a broad platform for exchanging Chinese teaching and material development ideas.

Dr. Te-Fen Ou, professor and director of the Department of Teaching Chinese as a Second Language at Chung Yuan Christian University (CYCU). Panelists included alum Dr. Yufen Chang, Director of the Chinese Flagship Program at the University of Minnesota; Dr. Hsiang-Hua Chou, Director of Chinese Language Center at Tamkang University; Dr. Chi-Yi Hsieh, Director of the Graduate Institute of Teaching Chinese as a Second/Foreign Language at National Kaohsiung Normal University; and Dr. Peng Ni-Se, Professor and Dean of the College of Humanities and Education at CYCU. They discussed various topics together. The Chair of the Department of Chinese, Dr. Shan-Pei Yin, stated that this conference provides a rich academic exchange platform for Chinese teaching and material development, bringing forward-looking and practical insights to the participants.