2023 Sasakawa Cup National University Japanese Knowledge Contest Held at Renmin University of China
DATE： 2023-11-04
The Sasakawa Cup National University Japanese Knowledge Contest was held at Renmin University of China from November 4th to 5th, 2023.
Zhang Donggang, Party Secretary of Renmin University of China, delivered a speech during the opening ceremony. He pointed out that China and Japan share profound historical and cultural links. Since the normalization of Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations, the two countries have been learning from each other, supporting the development of each other, and achieving fruitful results in exchanges and cooperation in various fields, which has made important contributions to the advancement of human civilization. Renmin University of China has always placed great emphasis on teaching and research on Japanese language, literature, and culture. Renmin University of China actively carries out exchanges and cooperation with Japan, cultivating a large number of Chinese-Japanese bilinguals with both patriotism and an international perspective, and laying solid foundation for peaceful and friendly cooperation between China and Japan in education, academia, and culture. Zhang said that the contest will provide a platform for students majoring in Japanese from various universities across the country to compete on the same stage, to learn from each other, and to make progress together. He hoped that the contest may enhance young students' cognition and understanding of Chinese and Japanese cultures, consolidate consensus on Sino-Japanese educational cooperation, promote the exchange and mutual learning of civilizations, and advance educational and cultural exchanges between the two countries towards broader areas, deeper levels, and higher quality so as to form powerful momentum for creating a beautiful vision for Sino-Japanese relations and the development of a community with a shared future for mankind.
The president of the Japan Science Society, Masayuki Takahashi, stated that the Japan Science Society is one of the oldest public service organizations in Japan, established with the approval of the Japanese Minister of Education. Since its inception, it has been committed to the popularization of scientific knowledge and the promotion of scientific research. To promote international exchange and cooperation in education, the Japan Science Society has for many years donated Japanese books to universities with Japanese programs in China and other Asian countries. The contest is held with the aim to enhance the understanding of Japanese knowledge among Japanese learners in various countries and to encourage people from different countries to know more about each other. In the future, the Society will also organize contests for Japanese youth and strive to promote the stable development of bilateral relations through visiting scholar exchanges, scientific research cooperation, and training programs.
At the final contest, more than 300 contestants from nearly a hundred universities across over 20 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities nationwide, including Peking University, Zhejiang University, Nanjing University, and Jilin University, gathered together. After two days of intense contest, the contest produced 1 grand prize winner, 5 first-place winners, 7 second-place winners, and 12 third-place winners in individual categories, as well as 1 grand prize, 2 first-place prizes, 8 second-place prizes, and 14 third-place prizes in team categories. Among them, Huang Xuhong from Henan Normal University and the team from Tianjin Foreign Studies University won the individual and team grand prizes, respectively. The winners of the individual grand prize and first place will be invited by the Japan Science Association to visitJapan.
At the closing ceremony, the chairman of the Nippon Foundation, Yohei Sasakawa, encouraged the participating students to maintain their passion for learning in their respective research fields, to be bold in innovating and advancing, and to continuously reach new scientific heights. The Nippon Foundation and the Japan Science Society will, as always, pay close attention to and support young researchers in conducting scientific research, and assist in promoting exchanges and cooperation between different countries across various fields.
Before the final contest, Zhang Donggang held a meeting with Yohei Sasakawa and Masayuki Takahashi. The two sides had in-depth exchanges on building a platform for youth exchanges between China and Japan to promote cultural exchange and cooperation between the two countries, and to innovate patterns for joint student-training program.
The Sasakawa Cup National Japanese Knowledge Contest is an important event initiated by the Japan Science Society in 2004, sponsored by the Nippon Foundation. It aims to stimulate the enthusiasm of Chinese students to learn Japanese, to bear the responsibility of advancing Sino-Japanese friendship and to promote cultural exchanges between China and Japan. The scale of the contest has been continuously expanding, gradually developing from the municipal and provincial level to the regional level and finally to the national level in 2011, receiving widespread attention and great support from teachers and students from Japanese department at universities across China.