In order to further deepen educational cooperation between Wuhan University and topuniversities in the UK and Ireland, as well as to promote mutual understanding and cross-cultural communication between both sides, Wuhan University Vice PresidentHe Lian led a delegation to visit the UK and Ireland from November 14 to 21. The delegation visited the London School of Economics and Political Science, University College London, the University of Manchester and University College Dublin, signedagreements, attended the 8th Sino-UK Higher Education Humanities Alliance Summitand visited the Chinese embassy in the UK as well as the Chinese consulate in Manchester.

After arriving in London, the delegation visited the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), where it met with Vice President Emma McCoy and formallysigned an agreement to collaborate on summer camps. He Lian spoke highly of the summer school attached to LSE, considering its positive effect on enhancing the international outlook and communication abilities of WHU students. She also looked forward to strengthening teacher and student exchanges with LSE, promotingcommunication and understanding between young people from both institutions, and jointly cultivating future research leaders and industry experts. Emma McCoy said she was pleased to see the formal establishment of the partnership between the two institutions and hoped to strengthen cooperation with WHU on innovation, entrepreneurship and cultural interchange.

WHU and LSE officially sign a cooperation agreement on summer camps

WHU and LSE hold a meeting

From November 15-16, the delegation attended the 8th Sino-UK Higher Education Humanities Alliance Summit (the Alliance) held at LSE. At the concurrently heldExecutive Council of the Alliance, He Lian pointed out that WHU attaches great importance to the development and promotion of the Alliance, and is committed tocarrying out multidimensional and extensive academic exchanges through academicinnovation. In the past year, Wuhan University carried out exchanges and dialogues with more than ten universities, including University College London, the LondonSchool of Economics and Political Science, the University of Exeter, the University of Bristol and Durham University. It not only established long-term and stable joint training programs for students in science and engineering disciplines, like remote sensing, geomatics and life sciences, but also achieved promising results fromcooperation in the humanities, such as history, journalism, and art and design, showing a development trend featuring a deep intersection of liberal arts and science, as well as a Sino-foreign alliance tackling key challenges. In the future, WHU will continue to exchange teachers and students, focus on key disciplines, approach Sino-foreign cooperation pragmatically, and strengthen staff exchanges in order to enhance the development of the Alliance.

He Lian speaks at the 2024 Sino-UK Higher Education Humanities AllianceExecutive Council

During the summit, He Lian had a meeting with Professor Li Li, assistant vice president of the University of Exeter, where they discussed the strengthening ofteacher and student exchanges, academic cooperation and the establishment of a joint research center in the field of humanities and social sciences under the framework of the Alliance.

Wuhan University and the University of Exeter exchange gifts

On the morning of November 18, the delegation visited the University of Manchester for in-depth discussions with Vice President Fiona Devine as well as professors and the principal of the Faculty of Humanities. He Lian said that the University of Manchester was an important partner of Wuhan University, and that the student exchange program between the two universities had built a bridge of communication for students studying humanities and social sciences. She hoped that both schools would take this as a basis for cooperation in a wider range of fields, such as regional studies, archaeology and law. Fiona Devine said that the University of Manchester was working on its 10-year strategic plan and is committed to maintaining its global leadership in teaching and research. She was looking forward to promotingcooperation with WHU in wider fields and at a higher level.

Wuhan University and the University of Manchester exchange gifts

Wuhan University and the University of Manchester hold a meeting

On the morning of November 19, the delegation visited University College Dublin, Ireland, where they met with Dolores O'Riordan, vice-president and the head of the Humanities Department and professors, and formally signed an agreement on self-funded study abroad of students. Both sides reviewed the previous cooperation between the two universities and discussed the development of joint undergraduateand postgraduate programs as well as joint master's training programs in fields such as library and information science, archaeology, economics, politics, and law. After the meeting, the delegation visited the UCD Confucius Institute to learn more about the operation and management of European Confucius Institutes.

Wuhan University signs an agreement on self-funded study abroad of students with University College Dublin

This visit is an important initiative for WHU to continuously strengthen its cooperation with the UK and Ireland and deepen exchanges between China and other countries in the area of humanities. In the future, WHU will continue to optimize its network of international partnerships, step up efforts to cultivate international talents and international scientific research cooperation, and strive to achieve a new pattern of education development through high-level openness. Officials from the School of Foreign Languages and Literature, the School of Information Management, the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Office of Interational Affairswere part of this delegation.

Photographed by Luo Jing, Hu Sijia

Rewritten by Li Mingqian

Edited by Zhao Jifan