A seminar themed “Exchange & Discussion on International Communication and International Community Development in Hongkou District” was recently held at the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum. Experts, scholars, volunteer representatives and sub-district delegates gathered to conduct in-depth discussions on international cultural exchanges in Hongkou.
Wu Qiang, Member of the Standing Committee of the Hongkou District Party Committee and Director of the Publicity Department, attended the event. He awarded certificates of Hongkou District International Communication Advisors to Yang Jiemian, Director of the Academic Advisory Committee at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, and Tong Shijun, Chancellor of New York University Shanghai and Professor of Philosophy at East China Normal University. Huang Wei, Deputy President of Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, and Zhao Zixiang, specialist in country studies and international communication, received certificates as guiding experts for Hongkou District’s International Communication Volunteer Team.
The event opened with a highlight video showcasing the district’s international communication volunteers, documenting their outreach journeys. The volunteers have been active across landmarks including memorial halls, traditional alleyways, sports venues and riverside walkways.
Hongkou District set up its International Communication Volunteer Team in June this year, assembling a multilingual cohort of young talents with global outlooks. Adopting international perspectives and youthful, engaging communication styles, the volunteers share Hongkou’s stories, interpret its profound cultural heritage and present the district’s unique image to the world.
Three volunteer representatives delivered sharing sessions in Spanish and English, recounting their experiences in volunteer outreach. Hailing from Hongkou Convergence Media Center, Shanghai Jingwu Sports Federation and the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum respectively, the volunteers leverage their foreign language proficiency to boost international cultural exchanges despite their different professional backgrounds.
Grassroots communities form the foundation and source of vitality for international communication. Each sub-district in Hongkou has built distinctive brands integrating international communication with local community life tailored to its own characteristics. Representatives from Quyang Road Sub-district, Jiaxing Road Sub-district and North Bund Sub-district took the stage one after another to share vivid, inclusive and innovative practices in developing international communities, demonstrating how grassroots efforts have laid a solid foundation for cross-border communication.
During the guest speech session, Yang Jiemian put forward recommendations on advancing international communication from four dimensions: audience targeting, content planning, language competency and communication strategies. He stressed that international communication requires a broad vision and should embed the philosophy that “the people’s city is built for the people”. High-quality bilingual materials should be developed to upgrade the level of cross-cultural exchange. He also noted that advance preparation is essential to avoid stiff literal translation; communicators should adopt expressions familiar to overseas target audiences to strike cross-cultural resonance.
Tong Shijun elaborated on core principles of cross-cultural exchange. He pointed out that vivid storytelling makes external communication content more accessible and persuasive. Communicators must fully acknowledge the divergent thinking patterns of domestic and overseas audiences, practice empathy, avoid rigid expression and deliver information accurately.