The University of Nottingham has received a unique donation of books about Chinese culture from Jilin University, one of China’s leading and largest universities.
The books, which were donated to the School for Contemporary Chinese Studies at The University of Nottingham’s Jubilee Campus, provide a modern and comprehensive study of Chinese culture and history.
An all-round strategic partnership
The donation of books was made during a visit by Jilin University’s Chairman, Professor Dewen Chen, who said: “It is a great honour to visit The University of Nottingham. Apart from the current existing collaborations in the field of Engineering and Science, I am also looking forward in collaborating further in Humanities and Social Sciences, in order to promote all-round strategic partnerships.”
Professor Shujie Yao, Head of School of Contemporary Chinese Studies at The University of Nottingham, added: “It was my great pleasure to welcome the Jilin University Delegation led by Professor Chen Dewen to the School of Contemporary Chinese Studies.
"The donation of books signifies a very friendly relationship between The University of Nottingham, one of the top 100 world universities, and Jilin University, one of the top 10 Chinese universities, which has been nurtured by the extensive exchange activities between many senior members of staff at the two universities.
"This will help to strengthen the foundations between our institutions, enabling researchers from both universities to generate greater impact in both China and the UK.”
Joint research centre
The link with Jilin University goes back to 2009, when The University of Nottingham set up a joint research centre with Jilin in the area of biomimetics. Biomimetics is the study which looks at plants and animals in the natural world for examples of ‘good design’ that can be used to tackle the challenges of 21st century engineering.
Speaking about the book donation and the wider collaboration with Jilin University, Professor Chris Rudd, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of The University of Nottingham, said: “We have an excellent collaboration with Jilin and are very honoured to receive these very special books form them. Our close relationship with Jilin includes a major collaboration in the automotive sector with the Chinese car manufacturer, FAW. In addition, we have also seen the start of other exciting collaborations in the food security and energy sectors.”
For more information about The University of Nottingham’s work in Asia, contact the Asia Business Centre on AsiaBusiness@nottingham.ac.uk
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More information is available from Nick King, Marketing Projects Manager, Business Engagement and Innovation Services, University of Nottingham, on +44 (0)115 823 2184, nicholas.king@nottingham.ac.uk
Photo shows, left to right: Dr Debin Liu, Director, Division of International Relations and Dean, School of International Studies (Jilin University); Professor Dewen Chen, Chairman of Jilin University; Professor Chris Rudd, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, University of Nottingham and Professor Shujie Yao, Head of School of Contemporary Chinese Studies, University of Nottingham.
Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham has 42,000 students at award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It was ‘one of the first to embrace a truly international approach to higher education’, according to the Sunday Times University Guide 2013. It is also one of the most popular universities among graduate employers, one of the world’s greenest universities, and winner of the Times Higher Education Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Development’. It is ranked in the UK’s Top 10 and the World’s Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong and the QS World Rankings.
More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise. The University aims to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health. The University won a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education for its research into global food security.