A forum for setting up the Gulangyu Island International Research Center was held at Xiamen University, Fujian province, on Wednesday. Officials from Fujian province and Xiamen city and experts from Xiamen University, Xiamen Social Sciences Association and Xiamen Academy of Social Sciences attended the forum.

A forum for setting up Gulangyu Island International Research Center.

The research center is being set up by the School of Humanities at Xiamen University, Xiamen Social Sciences Association and Xiamen Academy of Social Sciences. It sets an example for cooperation between local government and colleges.

The research center will focus on four areas of work:

Collect information about Gulangyu Island at home and overseas to enrich the Gulangyu Document Center.

Build an international Gulangyu research network to get more overseas scholars involved.

Do studies with academic value, for example, publish two to four research journals about Gulangyu every year.

Build a resource network about Gulangyu, and collect information from local people.

The Gulangyu International Research Center works on both theoretical research to promote the study of Gulangyu and practical research to solve problems and get results.

Gulangyu Island is an important cultural brand not only for Xiamen, but also for Fujian province. Moreover, research into Gulangyu is important to the study of contact history between China and foreign countries. From the middle of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century, Gulangyu Island, a melting pot at the beginning of globalization, was an international modern area with numerous tycoons and big fortunes. Participants at the forum expect Gulangyu to regain its prosperity in spiritual and material culture.

As President Xi Jinping said in 1985, when he was deputy mayor of Xiamen, Gulangyu Island, which combines nature with culture, is a treasure for China, and it is worthy of integrated planning for building and protection.