Chinese Academics Research Articles

Linguistic challenges of writing papers in English for scholarly publication: Perceptions of Chinese academics in science and engineering.

This study investigates the linguistic challenges encountered by Chinese academics in science and engineering when writing for English-language scholarly publications. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research draws on survey responses from 732 participants and insights from semi-structured interviews with 13 interviewees. Sentence construction emerged as the most significant challenge, followed by issues with vocabulary selection, cohesive devices, coherence, and grammar, with notable variation across academic ranks. Common strategies to address these challenges include utilizing online tools, seeking peer support, and employing professional editing services. The findings offer actionable recommendations for tailored academic writing training, institutional support, and the integration of advanced technological tools, aiming to enhance publication success rates among non-native English-speaking scholars.

An ethical framework for human genomic enhancement in China.

Human genomic enhancement, or HGE, which improves human traits by introducing genetic and epigenetic changes, has garnered a lot of attention in light of the astounding advancement in genome editing techniques, such as CRISPR-Cas9, in recent years. This study combines doctrinal and empirical analysis methods to examine bioethical issues of HGE in China. The literature currently in publication on these issues indicates that the majority of Chinese academics and the general public are enthusiastic about the present and potential future applications of genome editing techniques within the parameters of appropriate ethical guidelines; regrettably, no workable ethical governance framework has been put forth so far. Considering this, this study offers a more comprehensive discussion of ethical policy on HGE and develops a robust ethical framework that addresses three related issues about HGE: (1) approaching the precautionary principle as an overarching benchmark; (2) producing a multi-stakeholder collaborative governance model to promote stakeholder engagement and dialogue; and (3) establishing regional ethics review centers to have an independent review process. This is done in an effort to address ethical concerns and further inform policymaking on HGE in China.

Suicides in China's scientific community: A call for a public health response.

Suicides in China's scientific community: A call for a public health response.

A Corpus-based Study of Research Trend of Chinese Academic Translation Project (2010-2023)

As an important project funded by the National Social Science Foundation of China, the “Chinese Academic Translation” project has made great contributions to promoting the international dissemination of Chinese academic achievements and enhancing the influence of Chinese academics in the international academic community. This paper analyses the development dynamics of the “Chinese Academic Translation” project over the years by using corpus and statistical research methods. From a macro-perspective, the analyses mainly include the number of funded projects, the subjects of funded projects, language version of funded projects, and the topics of funded projects in “Chinese Academic Translation” project; from a micro-perspective, the analyses mainly cover work unit of initiators, multiple duplicate projects and funding distribution. The results of the research show that the current “Chinese Academic Translation” project needs to enhance the awareness of national translation of Chinese academic achievements, balance the imbalance in the development of subjects in the project, orient the translation of the target language, and cooperating with experts at home and abroad in selecting and choosing innovative topics.

Navigating vulnerabilities: an autoethnography of a female Chinese PhD returnee’s job-seeking journey in an age of uncertainty

ABSTRACT As a Chinese woman returnee and aspiring academic, this autoethnography examines my job interview experiences in Chinese academia from August 2023 to April 2024. Drawing on Judith Butler’s seminal work, Giving an Account of Oneself (2001), I explore narratives that illuminate the evolving contours of self-perception. These narratives trace my journey of personal growth and emotional shifts, highlighting feelings of marginalization, emotional violence, and the navigation of my vulnerabilities, while resonating with the broader emotional turns in higher education. In this autoethnography, I aim to uncover broader socio-cultural dynamics and delve into the complex reasons behind the vulnerable emotions I faced during the interview process. Inspired by Butler, I advocate for establishing a more ethical academic space for PhD holders amidst the current climate of uncertainty. This work will resonate with those who have completed studies overseas and returned to their home countries, as well as with academics navigating the competitive job market and gendered systems. My analysis of these lived experiences sheds light on the challenges of the competitive PhD job market within Chinese academia, offering valuable insights for women PhD returnees, early-career women academics, and policymakers in Chinese Higher Education Institutions (CHEIs).

A Three-Dimensional Group Dynamics Framework Behind the U.S. Capitol Hill Insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021

As a product of deepening economic, social and political polarization in the United States, the Capitol Hill insurrection happened on Jan. 6 has brought unprecedented challenges to American political traditions and institutional operations. Compared to Chinese academia, foreign academics have conducted more systematic research on its background, but the group dynamics underlying the event still needs to be further explored. In this regard, this paper takes Trump’s speeches on the day of the Capitol Hill insurrection and the interviews of those arrested as objects, and uses social psychological analysis to explore the group dynamics mechanism behind the 2021 Capitol Hill insurrection. Through the paper, it is found that the discursive interactions between Trump and his supporters embody the group dynamics mechanism of empathic projection and emotional resonance, thus completing the process of contagion of threat perception, mobilization of identity, rationalization of behavior, and ultimately transforming the peaceful protests into a group violence event.

Mobility and knowledge production in changing global science: evidence from a three-cohort bibliometric database of Chinese academics

Mobility and knowledge production in changing global science: evidence from a three-cohort bibliometric database of Chinese academics

Knowledge Archaeological Research on Discourse of Hospital Issues in Chinese Health Communication

Health communication research, originating from Western academic traditions, has long been a blend of various academic discourses. In the context of Chinese academia, these studies have undergone theoretical transfer and adaptation, completing the migration of discourse fields and subsequently rejuvenating theoretical vigor. Against this background, this research, utilizing the framework of knowledge archaeology, conducts an academic historical review of the discourse system in Chinese health communication research. The research shows that in the evolution of discourse, hospital topics have gradually shifted from a loss of focus to a refocused attention, reflecting the challenges and achievements encountered in the gradual construction of an independent knowledge system within Chinese health communication research. To construct a health communication research knowledge system with local characteristics, it is crucial to enhance the focus on local issues and transcend disciplinary boundaries.

A Turn-Taking Perspective on the Gender Difference and Power Relations

The difference of power relations caused by gender difference is a very common phenomenon in society, which has a profound impact on the way of communication between the two sexes in daily life and the harmony and unity of society.Since 1997, several Chinese academics have studied this subject in great detail; however, their study has not yet produced a cohesive theory explaining the particular gender concerns that arise in everyday conversations. Thus, this study gathers the entire corpus of three groups of research objects and examines their various power relations under particular gender issues using the conversational research analysis approach.. Finally, it is found that the research subjects will develop variables during the study, that is, they are driven by interest and influenced by the demands that women want to express, which can analyze the differences in power relations, and then achieve the purpose of amicable communication between the sexes.

Study on the Translation of Four-Character Structures in Tao Hua Yuan Ji from the Perspective of Embodied-Cognitive Linguistics

Tao Hua Yuan Ji, as a representative prose of ancient Jiangxi literature, its English translation has attracted much attention from Chinese academia. There are single translation version research and comparative studies of multiple versions all with different perspectives, but little attention is paid to the version of American Sinologist Hightower. The rich expressions of four-character structures is one of the noticeable features of the original text of Tao Hua Yuan Ji, but at present, there lacks study of its English translation, especially in-depth cognitive analysis. Therefore, starting from the Embodied-Cognitive Linguistics, guided by its kernel principle “Reality-Cognition-language”, this paper explores the choices of Hightower’s translation of four-character structures from the three levels of language, cognition and reality, and analyzes the translation-induced cognitive processes and their pragmatic effects when the rendition takes place on different levels. It is found that among the 33 four-character structures in the original text, Hightower chose 23 on the level of language, mainly using complete literal translation and the method of combining literal and liberal translation, and 10 on the levels of cognition and reality, adopting complete liberal translation and contextual liberal translation. Hightower’s three-level choices of the translation of the four-character structures in Tao Hua Yuan Ji reflects the cognitive bases of embodied-cognition, namely universality, distinctness and deficiency.

Evolution of Chinese Researchers' Views on the National Interests (from the 1990s till Present)

This paper aims to contribute to this relatively under-studied field in China by analyzing the development of the Chinese academia’s definition of national interest. It wasn’t until the early 1990s the concept of national interest grew more popular and garnered the attention of the Chinese academia. During his regime in the 1990s, Jiang Zemin continued to adopt Deng Xiaoping’s policy of prioritizing economic development. But during the Hu Jintao era, Beijing began shifting from Deng and Jiang’s policy of “hide and bide” to the new peaceful development policy, of which forming a stronger diplomatic presence and influence is an important part. As such, some scholars began to argue for the importance for security interests and increasing China’s diplomatic influence, which was later confirmed by the Chinese government to be its national interest through official document. In the Xi Jinping era, new changes in the international arena prompted Xi to call for diplomacy with Chinese characteristics. Two paths laid out in front of Chinese scholars. One was a complete introspection which consisted of searching for China’s national interest purely from its history and from opinions of significant Chinese figures, combining elements of traditional Chinese philosophy. The other was to continue learning from the best practices of other great nations. The theories of Russia scholar Kortunov caught the attention of the Chinese academia. An analysis of the development of China’s national interest theories reveals that China went through discussions on public interest and economic interest, before shifting the narrative back to security and nationalism.

Dual-use research assessment in emerging medical biotechnology: An ethical perspective from China.

Emerging medical biotechnology, with its dual-use nature, presents both unprecedented opportunities and challenges for human society. As we benefit from technological innovation, it is crucial for Chinese academics and policymakers to effectively identify and address potential risks. However, the current framework for evaluating dual-use research faces multiple challenges, including difficulties in identifying dual-use issues, a lack of consideration for broader impacts in assessments, and a lack of consensus on balancing benefits and risks. Furthermore, inadequacies in the review mechanism, such as uneven progress among institutions, insufficient review capabilities, and lacking specialized knowledge among assessment personnel, hamper the effectiveness of evaluation efforts. This article aims to explore these challenges and propose practical recommendations for strengthening the evaluation and governance mechanisms of dual-use research. By effectively mitigating the risks associated with dual-use research, it facilitates the promotion of responsible scientific progress in emerging medical biotechnologies in China and internationally.

John Dewey's Aesthetic Legacy in China

Abstract Modern China's acceptance of Dewey's legacy of aesthetic thought is divided into three main periods. In 1906–49, Dewey's Art as Experience was noticed, but due to the fact that China was more concerned with the social realities and national crisis at that time, its aesthetic thought appeared as an accessory to Dewey's social philosophy and educational thought, and its rich significance was properly realized only within the practice of aesthetic education. From 1949 to 1978, Dewey's aesthetics was effectively suppressed through China's ideological storms. From 1978 to the present, benefitting through China's policies of reform and opening, Dewey's aesthetics gradually gained the attention of Chinese academics and found expression in considerable research that develops the book's legacy in distinctive forms of contemporary Chinese aesthetics: life aesthetics, somaesthetics, and ecological aesthetics.

Musical Festival as a Modern Art Project

Studying the organization of music festivals is not just an immersion into the world of music, but a comprehensive approach that provides valuable knowledge and skills applicable in different areas of life. Organizing a festival is a large-scale project that requires the ability to plan, coordinate, manage resources (financial, human, technical) and risks. Organizing a festival involves attracting an audience, creating brand awareness of the festival, managing advertising - these are tasks that require deep knowledge of marketing tools. Interaction with artists, volunteers, technical staff, sponsors, media - this is the art of communication, diplomacy, conflict management. Studying the organization of festivals allows to immerse in the real world of event management, feel the dynamics of work in conditions of tight deadlines and increased responsibility. All these factors make the study of the organization of festivals relevant and timely. The goal of the study is theoretically substantiated and develop the project of a festival as a modern art project. In connection with the goal, the following tasks were identifying: 1) to consider the features of art management in the art of music; 2) to identify the essence of the festival, analyze its main characteristics; 3) to highlight the main stages and study the technological features of the implementation of music festivals; 4) to describe the experience in organizing international music festivals; 5) to develop an original project for a festival. The object is festivals of musical art. The subject is organizational and technological aspects of the implementation of music festivals as modern art projects. The scientific work is based on the scientific work is based on cultural, activity-based and systemic approaches. In the process of selecting methodological tools for empirical research, methods of non-participant observation, modeling, analysis, synthesis, and structural-functional method were used. On the basis of systematically elaborating the meaning, professional connotation, and domestic and international development of art project, we will further elaborate the importance of the discipline of arts management in the development of the country as well as in the field of culture and arts according to the needs of the development of the times. Music festivals have been developed in China for nearly 20 years, but Chinese academics have paid little attention to music festivals, and the literature related to music festivals is still minimal, especially in the context of art project, which lacks corresponding theoretical support. This study not only expands the boundaries of art management theory, but also deepens the theory to a certain extent. The thesis consists of an introduction, an abstract, a main part consisting of two chapters, a conclusion, a bibliography, an appendix. The total volume of the thesis is 81 pages, of which 68 pages are occupied by the main text, a list of bibliographic sources (70 units) and appendix.

Creative‐Becoming Holism: Reflections on and Development of Creative Holism in the Case of Science Education

ABSTRACTCreative holism has garnered significant scholarly interest in China since its introduction into Chinese academia in the mid‐2000s. Building on and contributing to the ongoing dialogue between ‘East and West’ systems thinking, in this article, we propose ‘Creative‐Becoming Holism’ as an attempt to advance creative holism. Our theoretical construal emphasises the dynamic process of generation and evolution as central to holism, which we consider to be the foundation of systems thinking. We justify this theoretical stance by drawing from the research on the mechanism of emergence in complexity sciences, the preoccupation with creative evolution and processual generation in traditional Chinese thought, and the reflections on the intellectual trajectory of applied systems thinking. We believe the notion of ‘becoming’ offers a fresh perspective on the nature of holism, under which creativity can be seen as a local rule of interactions within the system as a processual, dynamic whole. Moreover, ‘becoming’ also prompts us to move towards a generative view of holism where the whole is granted with ontological and epistemological primacy instead of being construed as a mere collection of system elements. Creative‐Becoming Holism provides a methodological framework for dealing with complex social systems. To highlight its application prowess, we then explore how Creative‐Becoming Holism can address critical challenges in science education, including cultivating Ideas of Big Science Education (STESE), fostering Engineering Habits of Mind and understanding Nature of Science (NOS).

Problematizing the onto-epistemic return in ‘building Chinese education’ as a decolonial involution

ABSTRACT Decolonial studies, initiated by Southern scholars, scrutinize the coloniality of power, knowledge, and being as a constitutive condition of Western modernity, and explicate otherwise suppressed non-Western onto-epistemes. This paper examines Chinese academia's ‘building Chinese education’ as a decolonial, ‘self-awakening’, effort against the Euro-centric global structure of knowledge (re)production. Reading into 334 journal articles published between 2004 and 2023 and housed in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database, we first pinpoint a state-academia governing matrix that imbricates Chinese intellectuals as establishment and participative scholars. We next untangle three interpellations that scaffold the Chinese education construction discourses: (a) East-indigenization and West-globalization, (b) tradition-past and modernity-present, and (c) theory and practice. In so doing, we explicate eugenic disordering, representational signification, and theorycide as onto-epistemic flashpoints confronting Chinese academia's self-awakening efforts against Western modernity-coloniality. Zooming in on China, this case study complicates the knotty negotiation between cultural relativistic indigenization and globalization as a decolonial involution.

Knowledge sharing among academics in higher education: a qualitative approach

Purpose Higher education institutions are the contemporary embodiment of knowledge-intensive organizations. The role of knowledge sharing among academics in enhancing teaching, research and innovation performance cannot be overlooked. However, a paucity of studies were devoted to uncovering the influencing factors of knowledge sharing among academics in China. This study aims to dig into the factors that influence academics’ knowledge-sharing behaviors in the context of Chinese higher education. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 academics from universities across various regions in China by using a combination of convenience, snowball and purposive sampling methods. Thematic analysis was used where data sets were examined according to the initial categorization of factors based on a review of the literature while new factors were searched based on frequency of re-occurrence. Findings Perceived loss of power and time and effort significantly hinder knowledge sharing whereas expected self-development and association are major catalysts of knowledge sharing. The organizational climate in higher education is featured by competition and individualism, which is not conducive to knowledge sharing while affiliation and trust are essential for cultivating a pro-sharing environment. Technological tools are perceived as user-friendly and useful in facilitating knowledge sharing, but doubts were raised about the effectiveness of online knowledge sharing compared to face-to-face communication. Originality/value Deviating from the conventional quantitative approach, this study provides novelty insights on this topic by revealing some less-investigated factors of knowledge sharing among Chinese academics by taking the qualitative approach.

The Chinese idea of a university in flux: academic freedom and institutional autonomy under entrepreneurial reforms in the GBA

ABSTRACT The complexity of the idea of a university has been intensified globally as more universities pursue entrepreneurship. For modern universities in China as latecomers, contemporary entrepreneurial reforms are implemented against a backdrop of ongoing interactions between Chinese and Western ideas of a university, with the Western established as the formal system and the Chinese functioning informally yet powerfully. Through 71 semi-structured interviews at four universities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, this study explores how academic freedom and institutional autonomy are perceived by Chinese academics under entrepreneurial reforms. The study has two major findings through Clark’s analytical framework of academic, government, and market forces: (1) A novel form of statist academic freedom is emerging, merging traditional Chinese scholarly values with state-driven entrepreneurial demands; (2) The adapted triple helix model in China emphasises competition and excellence, shaped by a unique blend of state influence and market dynamics. It offers a nuanced perspective on academic freedom and institutional autonomy amidst entrepreneurial reforms in China, highlighting a compatibility with Chinese idea of a university and a response to global entrepreneurial pressures.

The rise of open innovation in Chinese academia: a systematic review of the literature

The recent open innovation (OI) literature underscores the importance of understanding how OI is implemented across diverse institutional contexts. China has captivated OI scholars, representing a distinctive business environment that challenges established theories and frameworks. Building on translation theory, this study systematically reviews how scholars affiliated with Chinese institutions have conceptualized the concept of OI. We used a systematic approach to analyze a final sample of 202 articles, unveiling insights into themes, approaches, and implications. Our primary findings highlight a concentration on themes such as external knowledge search for enhancing firms' performance, the escalating role of innovation ecosystems, and the significance of local business, traditional Chinese culture, and innovation policies in shaping these dynamics. In contrast to recent trends in the broader international OI literature, concepts such as the role of users, universities, platforms, and social innovation are not extensively explored. Lastly, we suggest various avenues for future research to enrich OI scholarship.

Georg Lukács in China: Vom ideologischen Feind zum Zeitgenossen

abstract: The article aims to demonstrate the history of the reception of Georg Lukács in China since 1935 and its role in shaping modern Chinese philosophical and literary theories. While Lukács was attacked as one of the greatest ideological enemies in the period marked by Soviet dogma, his humanitarian realism and undogmatic understanding of Marxism offered a theoretical way out of the Soviet system since the beginning of the reform and opening policy of 1978. In the twenty-first century, he is envisioned by Chinese academia as a contemporary while his theories are indigenized to analyze new forms of capitalism.