Chengmai, Hainan: Inauguration of “Dongpo Lecture Hall” Marks New Cultural Chapter

Chengmai County, known for its historical connection to Su Shi (Su Dongpo), preserves a wealth of precious cultural heritage and represents deep roots for the culture of Su Dongpo. On July 24th, the inaugural event of the “Dongpo Lecture Hall” in Chengmai was held at the Jinjiang Theatre in Chengmai. This event aims to promote excellent traditional Chinese culture and strengthen cultural confidence. Meanwhile, the unique cultural connotations of Chengmai and new approaches to benefit the public through culture will be explored in a more profound and active way.

Sheng Yongjun, Secretary of the Chengmai County Party Committee, delivered an important speech. He emphasized that Chengmai has highly valued cultural development in recent years. The establishment of the “Dongpo Lecture Hall” represents a milestone in the development of Chengmai’s cultural undertakings. Chengmai will leverage the culture that Su Dongpo brought to the local people to drive the county’s growth, strengthen its cultural cohesion, expand its overseas influence and enhance its productivity. Setting sight on these aims, Chengmai will initiate various cultural activities and establish the Dongpo Study to promote local cultural construction. Besides, the county will play multiple roles in helping to create a distinctive local cultural brand. These efforts will continuously improve the county’s cultural soft power, encourage public participation, and achieve Chengmai’s development goals.

At the event, a grand unveiling ceremony for the “Dongpo Lecture Hall” of Chengmai was held. Secretary Sheng Yongjun and Chairman Li Gongyu, among others, jointly unveiled the plaque for the “Dongpo Lecture Hall,” marking its official inauguration. The “Dongpo Lecture Hall,” sponsored by the Publicity Department of the Chengmai County Committee of the CPC, is named after the literary great Su Dongpo in the Northern Song Dynasty. This cultural lecture hall stands for a concrete action to respond to the initiative of building a “Chengmai county of avid readers.” By inviting experts and scholars focusing on various fields to deliver a series of public lectures, it aims to communicate and disseminate Su Shi’s wisdom to the public, study fine traditional Chinese culture, and arouse people’s passion for reading. Through these efforts, it will cultivate spiritual civilization and foster cultural confidence, thus evolving into a distinctive cultural communication platform for Chengmai.

The event featured a lecture by renowned scholar and writer Professor Liu Chuanming. On behalf of the Chengmai County Party Committee and the county government, Wang Guangjun, a member of the Standing Committee of the Chengmai County Party Committee and Minister of its Publicity Department, presented Professor Liu Chuanming with a certificate of appointment as Cultural Development Advisor for Chengmai County. This marks Professor Liu Chuanming’s official role as a cultural development advisor for Chengmai County, contributing his wisdom and strength to the county’s cultural undertakings.

Professor Liu Chuanming delivered the inaugural lecture of the “Dongpo Lecture Hall” with the theme “The World in Dongpo’s Eyes and Dongpo in the World Stage.” He introduced Su Dongpo’s life and achievements, elaborating on the essence and value of Dongpo’s spirit. The lecture offered the audience a rich feast of knowledge about Su Dongpo, making them feel as though they were engaging in a dialogue with Dongpo beyond the limitation of time and space. Professor Liu emphasized that Su Dongpo remains an integral part of Hainan’s regional culture. Therefore, He advocated for three principles in studying the culture of Dongpo: prioritizing academic research, ensuring academic safety, and fostering academic imagination, with the aim of establishing Chengmai as an academic stronghold for the culture of Dongpo.

This inaugural event of the “Dongpo Lecture Hall” represents not only a cultural feast but also a significant milestone in the development of Chengmai’s cultural endeavors. It signifies a solid step forward in inheriting and promoting fine traditional Chinese culture and advancing the prosperity of cultural undertakings in Chengmai. On the other hand, it also reflects the Chengmai County Party Committee and the county government’s concern for the cultural lives of its citizens.

In the future, Chengmai County will take the “Chengmai Dongpo” cultural brand as a platform to create an international gateway through which the county is able to deepen cultural exchanges between Chengmai and the world. By fostering an open, inclusive, efficient, and convenient business environment, the county aims to attract more young talent, enriching the cultural essence and providing robust spiritual motivation for the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port and Chengmai’s high-quality development. The “Dongpo Lecture Hall” is expected to spread Su Shi’s life wisdom beyond the county and promote the initiative of building a “Chengmai county of avid readers.”