The First Symposium on "Chinese and Multilingual Education" was successfully held at PolyU on 28 April 2026, bringing together more than 180 distinguished scholars and participants to explore the future of Chinese language pedagogy.
Themes discussed ranged from applied Chinese studies to comparative studies on how native Japanese and alphabetic language speakers recognize Chinese characters. Innovative classroom practices, such as utilizing AI to enhance non-Chinese speaking students' listening assessments and the use of multimedia in teaching classical poetry were explored. Scholars also tackled the complexities of languages teaching characterized by spoken-written diglossia.
The symposium also served as a special event in honor of Professor Chan Shui-duen’s 38 years of unwavering dedication to Chinese language education. The final segment began with a tribute session to Professor Chan Shui-duen focusing on biliteracy and trilingualism in Chinese education, followed by Professor Chan’s Valedictory Lecture. Drawing from her nearly four decades of experience, her presentation provided masterful insights on the challenges facing non-Chinese speaking students with practical recommendations. The event concluded with a forum on the legacy of Chinese education at PolyU, offering inspirations for the next generation of educators.
