Currently, China has shown a strong stance towards advocating for global solidarity and strengthening its engagement with global society, which is evident by the state’s policy of the “Belt and Road Initiative” along with President Xi’s proposal for building a “Community of Shared Future for Mankind”. Meanwhile, the Chinese government strives to maintain its national identity and cultural heritage. China’s struggles with this issue reflect the fact that Chinese culture and Confucian values are an important point of reference when framing global citizenship understanding.
This webinar consists of two presentations, from Doctoral researchers at IOE, which will explore this challenge of combining a global and a Chinese perspective in relation to notions of citizenship in two different educational contexts.
Ziyuan Wang’s presentation explores the impact of Chinese students’ study abroad experiences in the UK on their understanding and practice of global citizenship, thereby forming global citizens with Chinese characteristics. In addition, her research examines the connection between the Chinese version of global citizenship and Confucian culture, highlighting the important role Confucianism plays in shaping this perspective.
Enze Guo’s presentation explores the reframing of Global Citizenship (GC) through the lens of Confucian values and Chinese characteristics, focusing on how university EFL teachers in China perceive GC. Drawing on qualitative research findings, it examines how Confucian values, and Chinese characteristics influence English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers’ understanding of GC. The study also considers how Chinese cultural and educational contexts shape these perspectives.