The School of Chinese at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) successfully hosted the 10th World Conference of the World Association for Chinese Studies (WACS10) from 12 to 14 August 2026 at HKU’s Centennial Campus. As the first WACS conference ever held in Asia, the event marked a significant milestone for the Association and brought together approximately 200 invited scholars from 23 countries and regions across six continents, highlighting Hong Kong’s role as a global hub for academic exchange and intercultural dialogue.
The conference opened with addresses by distinguished academic leaders, including Professor Martin Woesler, President of the World Association for Chinese Studies, Distinguished Professor of Hunan Normal University, Director of the Center for International Sinology, and Academician of the European Academy of Sciences and Art, Salzburg; Professor David Pomfret, Dean of the Faculty of Arts at HKU; and Professor Richard V. N. Simmons, Head (Interim) of HKU’s School of Chinese. The conference was jointly organised with Whitecliffe Mediadesign University, Berlin, whose Chancellor, Martin Adam, delivered a video greeting. Members of the WACS Executive Board also convened in Hong Kong and online for the Association’s Board Meeting and Election, underscoring the importance of this anniversary conference.
Founded in Germany in 2016, the World Association for Chinese Studies has developed into one of the world's leading scholarly networks dedicated to Chinese Studies, connecting approximately 2,000 members from more than 48 countries. Previous conferences have been held across Europe and China, including in Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Belgium, the United Kingdom and France. The selection of Hong Kong as the host city for the tenth conference reflected the increasingly global nature of Chinese Studies and the city’s unique position as a meeting point between Chinese and international cultures.
The conference generated strong international interest, receiving more than 350 abstract submissions, all of which underwent a rigorous triple double-blind peer-review process. Approximately 200 scholars were invited to present their research in a programme comprising 51 parallel sessions over three days. Participants engaged in discussions covering a wide range of topics, including literature, language, history, philosophy, culture, digital humanities, translation studies, education, and contemporary developments in the Chinese-speaking world.
One of the highlights of the opening ceremony was the presentation of approximately 30 Young Scholar Awards in Chinese Studies 2026, recognising outstanding emerging researchers from around the world.
The conference featured keynote lectures by Professor Lin Shaoyang of the University of Macau and Professor Zhang Longxi, an internationally renowned scholar of comparative literature and East-West cross-cultural studies, Harvard-Yenching Scholar, Academician of the Royal Swedish Academy and Distinguished Professor at Hunan Normal University. Participants also paid tribute to the keynote of Professor Colin P. Mackerras of Griffith University, who was unable to attend due to hospitalisation.
A number of special events enriched the conference programme. Among the most notable was the International Academic Symposium on Xuemo’s Literature: Bridging Cultures Through Words, dedicated to the work of Xuemo (Chen Kaihong), one of China’s most internationally translated contemporary authors. Other highlights included the Roundtable: Jointly Writing a History of Sinology, the 25th International Conference on Chinese Classical Fiction, Drama Literature and Digitisation, and the Founding Meeting of the Chinese Culture Alliance. Together, these events showcased the diversity, creativity and international relevance of contemporary Chinese Studies.
The organisers also expressed their gratitude to volunteers and supporters from Mainland China and Europe who travelled to Hong Kong despite transport disruptions caused by Typhoon Dolphin in East China, as well as to colleagues of the School of Chinese and the 14 student helpers from HKU's Faculty of Arts. Their dedication and contributions to conference operations, logistics, technical support, participant services, and hospitality were instrumental in ensuring the smooth running and overall success of WACS10.
港大舉辦世界漢學研究會第十屆世界漢學論壇
香港大學（港大）中文學院於2026年8月12日至14日，在港大百週年校園成功主辦了世界漢學研究會第十屆世界漢學論壇 (WACS10)。作為該會首次在亞洲舉辦的會議，此次活動標誌著研究會的一個重要里程碑，匯聚了來自六大洲23個國家和地區約200名受邀學者，彰顯了香港作為學術交流與跨文化對話全球樞紐的角色。
會議開幕式由多名學術領袖致辭，包括世界漢學研究會會長、湖南師範大學特聘教授、國際漢學中心主任及歐洲科學與藝術院院士（薩爾茨堡）吴漠汀教授；港大文學院院長龐德威教授；以及港大中文學院暫任系主任史皓元教授。本次會議與柏林Whitecliffe Mediadesign大學合辦，該校校長Martin Adam透過影片致意。世界漢學研究會執行委員會成員亦齊聚香港並線上參與了研究會的董事會會議及選舉，凸顯了此次週年論壇的重要性。
世界漢學研究會於2016年在德國成立，已發展成為全球領先的漢學研究學術網絡之一，聯繫著來自超過48個國家約2,000名會員。過往的會議曾在歐洲和中國多地舉行，包括德國、波蘭、捷克、比利時、英國及法國。選擇香港作為第十屆論壇的主辦城市，反映了漢學研究日益全球化的性質，以及香港作為中西文化交匯點的獨特地位。
會議引起了強烈的國際興趣，收到超過350份摘要投稿，所有投稿均經過嚴格的三重雙盲同儕審查程序。約200名學者獲邀在為期三天、包含51場平行分組論壇中發表研究成果。與會者就廣泛議題展開討論，包括文學、語言、歷史、哲學、文化、數字人文、翻譯研究、教育以及華語世界的當代發展。
開幕式的亮點之一是頒發了約30項「2026年青年漢學學者獎」，以表彰來自全球的優秀新興研究者。
會議特邀澳門大學的林少陽教授以及國際知名比較文學與東西方跨文化研究學者、哈佛燕京學人、瑞典皇家科學院院士、湖南師範大學特聘教授張隆溪教授發表主題演講。與會者亦向因住院而無法出席的格里菲斯大學馬克林教授的主題演講致敬。
一系列特別活動豐富了大會議程。其中最引人注目的是「雪漠文學國際學術研討會:以文字溝通中西」，該研討會致力於探討中國當代作品被翻譯最多的作家之一——雪漠（陳開紅）的作品。其他亮點包括「圓桌會議：共同書寫一部漢學史」、「第25屆中國古典小說、戲劇文學與數字化國際會議」以及「交匯之會:WACS 10「中華文化聯盟」成立儀式」。這些活動共同展示了當代漢學研究的多元性、創造力與國際關聯性。
主辦單位亦特別感謝來自中國內地及歐洲的義工與支援人員，儘管受華東地區颱風「白海豚」影響而出現交通延誤，他們仍克服困難前來香港協助大會籌辦。此外，香港大學中文學院的同事，以及來自文學院的 14 位學生義工，亦為大會的順利舉行作出重要貢獻。他們在大會運作、後勤統籌、技術支援、與會者服務及接待工作等方面所展現的專業精神與投入，對世界漢學大會第十屆年會的圓滿成功發揮了關鍵作用。
