On June 27–28, the “International Symposium on British History, Modernization, and Area Studies from the Perspective of Civilizational Mutual Learning” was held at the Shenzhen University (SZU) Yuehai Campus. Hosted by the Department of History at SZU, this landmark event marked the first world history-specific academic conference ever held by the university.

The symposium was headlined by Prof. Qian Chengdan, a distinguished Boya Chair Professor from Peking University, and brought together approximately 70 leading scholars from nearly 50 prestigious universities and research institutions, including Tsinghua University, Nanjing University, Nankai University, Beijing Normal University, and East China Normal University.

Prof. Qian delivered the keynote speech, setting a rigorous academic tone for the event. The conference featured 14 parallel sessions that closely examined the theme of “civilizational mutual learning,” with topics covering British history, the history of the British Empire, modernization studies, and regional and country-specific studies. The discussions demonstrated both a profound grounding in historical tradition and a keen awareness of cutting-edge scholarly trends.