From Sep. 4 to 5, an international symposium concerning comparative studies on cyber culture was held in Changchun, Jilin Province. Scholars discussed such issues as inheritance, communication and mutual learning among cultures in the internet age.

In the internet age, the world is facing a conflict between old institutions and a new digital revolution, which is accelerating mutual learning and integration among different cultures. Cyberspace has provided unprecedented possibilities for the collision, interaction and integration of human civilizations.

Lu Jianming, a professor from the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Peking University, said that cultural communication is interactive. Countries all hope to communicate their own culture and need to take in the cultural essences of other countries. The main way of communicating Chinese culture lies in governmental and nongovernmental cultural exchanges to strengthen foreign people’s understanding and knowledge of Chinese culture. Chinese-language education remains a crucial channel for the communication of Chinese culture. Through the introduction and interpretation done by translators and experts in China studies, Chinese culture can communicate itself globally.

Sun Huixin, a professor from the School of Liberal Arts at Dalian University, said that universities shoulder the responsibilities of cultural inheritance and innovation, as well as improving college students’ appreciation of liberal arts. In the age of “Internet Plus,” cyber culture has undergone an unprecedented boom, confronting traditional Chinese culture with fiercer challenges. Universities should proactively embrace the Internet Plus age, apply internet-based thinking into traditional culture education, establish new internet-based platforms for such education, and push onward through the joint efforts of families, universities and society. Universities should also develop curricula and resources suitable for today’s students, reform teaching methods, and formulate a new model of “internet plus traditional cultural education.”

With the progress of information technology, cultural issues facing human beings have become more and more similar, and no single country or nation can address them on their own. Hu Weige, a professor from the School of Cyber Security at Changchun University, said that we should utilize the internet to strengthen cultural communication, push ahead with the combining of science and liberal arts, and advance the harmony of mankind and nature.

Zhang Pengpeng, a professor from Beijing Language and Culture University, said that protecting the safety of Chinese culture should start from inheriting traditional Chinese culture. Confidence in Chinese characters forms the foundation of cultural confidence. In the information age, we should develop the study of Chinese characters by utilizing the internet, so as to revive Chinese culture.