A symposium focusing on the "Practice and Development of the 'Expression-Driven' Teaching Theory in International Chinese Education" was recently convened at Tianjin Normal University (TNU). This event was a key segment of the larger Seminar on China's Independent Knowledge System and TNU's 2025 Humanities and Social Sciences Academic Annual Forum.

The conference was jointly hosted by TNU's Ministry-University Co-constructed International Chinese Education Development Research Institute, its Journal Publishing Center, and the Tianjin Linguistic Society, with the Editorial Department of the Journal of TNU (Social Science Edition) and TNU's Research Center for the International Communication of Chinese Language and Culture serving as organizers.It attracted nearly 200 participants, including scholars from 39 domestic and international institutions such as Beijing Normal University, Capital Normal University, Beijing Language and Culture University, Shandong University, TNU, University of International Business and Economics, Nankai University, Tianjin University, Sichuan University, Wuhan University, Lanzhou University, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Central China Normal University, Northeast Normal University, Shaanxi Normal University, Northwest Normal University, South China Normal University, Shanghai Normal University, University of California, Santa Barbara (USA), Hebei University, Henan University, Yunnan University, China University of Petroleum (East China), China Medical University, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin Foreign Studies University, Tianjin University of Technology and Education, Liaoning Normal University, Shenyang Normal University, and Yunnan Normal University. Professor Zhong Yinghua, chair of the International Society for Chinese Language Teaching, addressed the opening ceremony.

The symposium established a high-level platform for academic dialogue among theorists and practitioners, fostering deeper development and practical application of the "Expression-Driven" teaching methodology. Experts concluded that the event should mark a fresh chapter in applying and promoting this theory. The goals are twofold: firstly, to strategically enhance the quality of International Chinese Education by providing a robust methodological framework for teachers; and secondly, to utilize international collaboration to make the theory truly beneficial for learners. This involves focusing on language acquisition principles, overcoming practical teaching challenges, and ultimately improving the efficacy of Chinese language instruction worldwide.

By Jierui He