Peking University, March 28, 2022: Peking University (PKU) held its first digital humanities exhibition at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship on the morning of March 17, 2022. honorary chairman of the China Association for Science and Technology, vice principal Wang Bo and many other esteemed guests attended the opening ceremony. The ceremony was presided over by Peking University’s Social Sciences Department head, Qiang Shigong.

 

Wang Bo delivered a speech on behalf of Peking University. In his speech, he stated that the first digital humanities exhibition was a very special exhibition indeed, because this particular new and upcoming academic field is foreseen to have dynamic prospects ahead. The vitality of this field originates from the combination of two of the major academic players—technology (digital) and humanities—enabling it to obtain a broader development platform, and simultaneously enabling PKU to lead the trend of the times. An interdisciplinary academic event like this one demonstrates Peking University’s profound accumulation of knowledge in the humanities and scientific fields, while also opening up a new field for the interdisciplinary development that Peking University has promoted for decades. Wang Bo also expressed his wishes for PKU humanities scholars to actively embrace the arrival of the digital age and realize the true meaning of the digital humanities, which will ultimately aid in the unveiling of new research methods and fields. PKU has named 2022 “The Year of Digital Humanities”, advocating such a new approach to education and academics.
 

Deputy Director of the National Library, Zhang Zhiqing expressed his joy in returning to his alma mater, and delivered praise on the development of a new liberal arts system with digital humanities as its starting point. He believes that the digital humanities is a people-oriented field that adopts new ways of thinking and technology or methods to establish digital platforms, carry out academic research, innovate educational paradigms and reshape the humanistic spirit. Zhang concludes that while this change brought about the interdisciplinary integration of the humanities, it also sounded the horn for the revitalization of ancient books.
 

Dean of Peking University’s Institute of Frontier Interdisciplinary Studies, Han Qide applauded the many exceptional pieces in the exhibition, also recognizing the wide range of topics covered as a clear demonstration of PKU’s strength in the digital humanities sector. The pieces showcased come from over 20 departments on campus, ranging from the liberal arts to engineering. Themes include classical literature, historical geography, and social sciences computing, displaying PKU’s potential in  interdisciplinary and original innovation.  He expressed his confidence in the digital humanities to become a new jumping-off point for humanities branch out from, because humanities is a field that is intertwined with both digital and information technology sectors. He concluded by encouraging both students and teachers to endeavor in their academic research and successfully contribute to their respective fields.


Director of Peking University’s Digital Humanities Research Center and professor in the Department of Information Management, Wang Jun, then went on to give a formal introduction to the digital humanities exhibition and expressed his thanks to everyone involved for their support.


Wang Bo presented vice president of the Bytedance’s Beijing branch, Li Tao, with a certificate for his donation on behalf of Peking University, thanking him for his continuous support for the development in the digital humanities field.

 

After the opening ceremony, the Digital Humanities Symposium was chaired by Xiang Yong, vice minister of the Department of Social Sciences of Peking University and professor of the School of Arts.  Zhu Qingsheng, director of Peking University Vision and Image Research Center and professor of the Department of History and other distinguished guests gave keynote speeches on various topics such as "Visualization in Digital Humanities" and "Digital Humanities as Information Infrastructure".


This exhibition hosted by Peking University was organized by both the Digital Humanities Research Center and the School of Intelligence’s Visualization and Visual Analysis Laboratory, co-organized by the School of Art, the Visual and Image Research Center, the Institute of Artificial Intelligence and the Department of Information Management, and sponsored by the Bytedance Public Welfare Organization. The exhibition is stationed at the Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, and is open to all faculty members and students from March 17 to April 10.

Written by: Chaeyu Kim
Edited by: Li Wanqi
Source: PKU News (Chinese)