Upon the centennial celebration of Ocean University of China (OUC), the Fifth International Children’s Literature Symposium was held from October 22 to 24 in Qingdao. It was hosted by OUC and the Chinese and Foreign Children’s Literature Research Branch, Chinese Comparative Literature Association, organized by the International Research Center for Children’s Literature at OUC, College of Liberal Arts, Journalism and Communication, and College of Foreign Languages, and co-organized by the Foreign Children’s Literature Committee, Chinese and Foreign Comparative Language and Culture Association. Yang Maochun, Vice Chair of the OUC Council, attended the event and delivered a speech at the opening ceremony.

Opening remarks were also given by Professor Xiu Bin, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Journalism and Communication, Professor Matthew Grenby, Vice-Chancellor of Newcastle University, and Professor Cao Wenxuan of Peking University. Professor Zhu Ziqiang, Dean of the Xingyuan Academy and Director of the International Research Center for Children’s Literature, presided over the opening ceremony. Scholars from nearly 50 universities and research institutions were invited to attend the symposium.

The symposium, themed “New Perspectives in the Historical Study of Children’s Literature,” featured keynote speeches from renowned children’s literature scholars, including Emeritus Professor Kimberley Reynolds from Newcastle University, Professor Cao Wenxuan from Peking University, and Emeritus Professor Claudia Nelson from Texas A&M University.

The symposium also featured five sub-forums, where over 60 emerging and established scholars in children’s literature from both China and abroad shared their latest research outcomes.