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The signing and awarding ceremony for the co-establishment of a Practical Teaching Base was held by Liberal Arts College and Dazu Rock Carvings Research Institute on the afternoon of April 11, 2024. This marks the formal commencement of a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two academies. Liu Xiangao, Vice Dean of Dazu Rock Carvings Research Institute, and Li Guangyi, Vice Dean of Liberal Arts College, signed the contract on behalf of both institutes.

Jia Yunjian, Deputy Director of Office of Development and Planning at the Chongqing University; Mi Defang, Director of the Research Centre of Dazuology at the Dazu Rock Carvings Research Institute; Li Zhengyuan, Director of the Publicity and Promotion Centre; Huang Nengqian, Deputy Director of the Office of Scientific Research Management; Zeng Zuoling, Secretary of the Party Committee of Liberal Arts College; Jiang Xuefeng, Deputy Secretary of Liberal Arts College; Tang Jie, Vice Dean of Liberal Arts College; as well as representatives of the Departments of Chinese Language Literature, History, and Philosophy, and about 30 other people witnessed the signing ceremony and attended the relevant cooperation and exchange forums.

Dazu Rock Carving Cliff Statue Group is currently the only World Heritage Site in Chongqing, along with Yungang Grottoes (Shanxi), Longmen Grottoes (Henan), and Mogao Grottoes (Gansu). The Dazu Rock Carvings Research Institute is responsible for this heritage’s protection, research, management. In recent years, the Institute has been actively expanding disciplinary cooperation, promoting ‘multi-disciplinary co-ordination’ research and public cultural dissemination.

As the main unit of basic liberal arts at Chongqing University, the Liberal Arts College encompasses three primary disciplines: Chinese Language and Literature, History, and Philosophy. With nearly 70 full-time faculty members, it adopts the time-honored traditions of classical academy (shuyuan) education and the classic reading mode to cultivate comprehensive and outstanding talents in basic liberal arts. The College has been garnering attention for its strengths in the development of disciplines and basic research, as well as in the popularization of humanities and social services. At present, the College is following the overall deployment of the university’s construction and devising strategic visions for the centenary of Chongqing University.

The two institutes have a good cultural origin and cooperation foundation, the establishment of a strategic partnership will help to complement each other’s strengths, and mutual empowerment. Through platform construction, project promotion, academic seminars, public communication, and other methods, it will explore the path of cultural heritage value excavation and adaptive use, comprehensively assisting the Dazu Rock Carvings Research Institute and Chongqing University in the high-quality development of basic liberal arts. Based on the unique cultural resources and the academic results of indomitable spirit, we will study and export Dazu culture at a new height for promoting the construction of “Ba Shu Cultural Tourism Corridor” in Chengdu-Chongqing Twin Cities Economic Circle Park to serve the national strategy of cultural power.

In the symposium, representatives and scholars from both sides engaged in discussions and exchanges on cooperation paths and programs related to the academic research of “Dazuology”. Topics included multidisciplinary collaboration, building a scientific research platform, promoting mutual visits of scholars, and the development of public cultural products. These discussions led to the formation of a multi-dimensional substantive framework and concrete proposals.

Before the signing ceremony, both sides also attended the opening ceremony of “A New Account of Tales of the Rock——Dazu Rock Carvings on Campus Special Exhibition” in Siqun Square. The exhibition, co-sponsored by both parties, adheres to the concept of “let the cultural relics come alive”. It aims to promote an understanding of world cultural heritage among our teachers and students, enhancing the integration of culture and landscape on campus. This initiative helps in significantly embedding literary traditions, continuing traditional culture, and telling China’s stories.