91

Introduction of Major Institutions
A Brief Introduction toResearch Center for the Civilizationof Chinese Characters of Zhengzhou University (ZZU)
LI Yunfu*

As the cradle of Chinese civilization and the hometown of Chinesecharacters, Henan province not only has rich Chinese character resources, butalso has a long tradition of Chinese character research. In order to preserve
the culture of the Central Plains and carry forward the civilization of Chinesecharacters, Zhengzhou University has introduced an innovative team led byChangjiang Scholar professor Li Yun-fu. On September 26, 2016, theResearch Center for the Civilization of Chinese Characters of ZZU wasformally established, with Professor Li Yun-fu as the director. Since its
establishment, the center has made remarkable achievements in teambuilding, platform construction, international exchange, scientific researchachievements, hosting conferences and academic lectures, talent training andmany other aspects.

Photo taken at the founding ceremony	  * LI Yunfu 李運富 is Professor and Director of Research Center for the Civilization ofChinese Characters of Zhengzhou University

92

Journal of Cultural Interaction in East Asia Vol. 10 2019

1. Research Area

Research Center for the Civilization of Chinese Characters of ZZU has
four main research directions.
(1) Theory and History of Chinese Characters
The research contents are as follows: The Three-Planes Theory of Chinese
Graphology, among which function of Chinese characters is the mainemphasis of our research; the evolution history of Chinese characters font,
function of Chinese characters, and of Chinese characters recording specificwords and phrases.
(2) Ancient Writing and Traditional Culture
The research contents are as follows: Ancient writing materials including
oracle bone and bronze inscriptions, bamboo slips and stele inscriptions, aswell as the historical and cultural elements involved in the above materials.
(3) The spread of Chinese Characters and Overseas Chinese Characters
The research contents are as follows: The spread, variation phenomenon
and current situation of Chinese characters in ethnic minority areas and all
around the world, , quasi Chinese characters, as well as the comparison
between Chinese characters and non-Chinese characters.
(4) Shuo Wen Jie Zi and Education of Chinese Characters
The research contents are as follows: Shuo Wen Jie Zi and related research,study of six categories of Chinese characters, education of Chinese charactersin primary and secondary schools, international Chinese characters education,etc.

2. Theoretical Features

Research Center for the Civilization of Chinese Characters of ZZU ischaracterized by “The Three-Planes Theory of Chinese Characters”, advocating that Chinese characters have three properties of their own: shape,constitution and function. Accordingly, three branches of Chinese charactersresearch should be established, that is, the study of Chinese graphic shape,
the study of Chinese graphic constitution and the study of Chinese graphic
function, thus, it forms a new system of three-dimensional Chinese characters
study. The study of Chinese graphic function is one of the three planes ofChinese characters, but it has been neglected for a long time. In recent years,
the team led by professor Li Yun-fu has done a lot of work in this field, withrelevant achievements including “New Perspective on Theory of ChineseCharacters” (Beijing Normal University Press, 2012), “Research on Function

A Brief Introduction to Research Center for the Civilization of Chinese Characters of Zhengzhou University (ZZU) 93of Chinese Characters, Theory and Application” and “Research on Functionof Chinese Characters, Investigation on the Phenomenon” (China SocialScience Press, 2016).
At the same time, Research Center for the Civilization of Chinese
Characters of ZZU actively advocates the “Cross-Cultural Chinese CharacterResearch”, and emphasizes that the study of Chinese characters should havea cross-cultural perspective in addition to its own cultural perspective. The“Cross-Cultural Chinese Character Research” has two meanings: one istreating cross-culture as a method and perspective of research, in other words,
studying Chinese characters from a cross-cultural perspective; the other istreating “cross-cultural Chinese character” as an object of the research, that isto say, studying Chinese characters in different cultural contexts. Relevant
achievements include “A Study on Cross-Cultural Chinese Characters”(Journal of Beijing Normal University (Social Sciences), 2018(1)), “CrossCultural Vision and Chinese Character Research” ( Social Sciences AcademicPress, 2018), etc.

3. Research Team

Research Center for the Civilization of Chinese Characters of ZZU now
has 19 full-time researchers, including Professor Li Yun-fu, Huang Xi-quan,Zhang Su-feng, He Hua-zhen, Wu Guo-sheng, Qi Hang-fu, Zhang Qing-song,Yu Shao-hong and Wang Jing (including 6 specially invited professors ofZhengzhou University); associate professors Wen Min, Liu Feng-hua, HeQing, Miao Li-juan, Liu Qiu-rui, Zhang Xin-jun, etc; besides, the center
employed Hong De-rong, He Yu-hua, Wang Kai-bo, Niu Zhen and otherlecturers. In September 2016, the first academic committee was established,
Research Center for the Civilization of Chinese Characters of ZZU hired anumber of visiting researchers from abroad, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan,
as well as plenty of part-time researchers from Chinese mainland.
Research Center for the Civilization of Chinese Characters of ZZU
participates actively in the development of Historical and Cultural Heritage inCentral Plain against the background of “Double First-rate” construction. The
application of first-level doctoral degree in “Chinese Language andLiterature” was approved successfully, and was confirmed as key discipline ofHenan first-level discipline. The “Theory and History of Chinese Characters”
team was selected as the philosophy and social science innovation team in
Henan institutions of higher learning. The “Chinese Character Inheritance andEducation Research Center” jointly built by Research Center for Civilizationof Chinese Characters of ZZU, the National Language Commission and theEducation Department of Henan Province was passed by expert evaluation
and will be put into construction soon.

94

Journal of Cultural Interaction in East Asia Vol. 10 2019

4. Academic Achievements

In order to timely launch the research results obtained by the membersof the center, the center has successively edited and published the “Chinesecharacter civilization research” series. The series include the conference
anthologies organized by the center or center members (including part-timeworkers). Up till today, several anthologies have been published, such as
Studies on Han Books in East Asia and Han Nan Ancient Dictionaries inVietnam edited by He Hua-zhen and Ruan Jun-qiang, and Studies on CrossCultural Perspectives and Chinese Characters edited by Li Yun-fu. The seriesof books on the study of Chinese character civilization includes monographs,
co-authors, data collation, reference books, thematic series and teachingmaterials by members of the center (including part-time workers). For
example, Notes on the Chu Bamboo Slips in the Shanghai Museum edited byYu Shao-hong, He Hua-zhen’s Research on the Spread of Popular Form ofCharacters Abroad, Liang Xiao-hong’s Research on Japanese Characters -the Sound and Meaning of Japanese Buddhist Sutras, etc. In addition,members of the center have published many papers and other works inacademic journals at home and abroad. Such as Li Yun-fu’s Research on
Function of Chinese Character, Theory and Application and Research on
Function of Chinese Characters, Investigation on the Phenomenon (ChinaSocial Science Press, 2016), the Korea version of Three-Dimensional
Research on Chinese Characters, the Vietnamese edition of New Perspectiveon Theory of Chinese Characters and Comments on Chinese Characters
Sequel; Zhang Su-feng’s Interesting Pictorial Book of Chinese Characters andViewing China by Chinese Characters; Wen Min’s Annotation of Chen Zhou
Zhi of Shun Zhi Version; Zhang Qing-song’s Research on the Variant Chinese
Characters in Zheng Zi Tong and Plain Words and Pictorial Explanations ofKao Gong Ji; Miao Li-juan’s Chinese Zodiac Animals in Chinese Characters,etc.

5. Scientific Research Projects

The Research Center for the Civilization of Chinese Character undertakes
many scientific research projects at the national level, provincial and ministerial-level, including 20 original projects (obtained before the establishment ofthe center) and 15 new projects (obtained after the establishment of thecenter). Such as National Social Science Fund Major Project “DatabaseConstruction and Research on Ancient and Modern Characters” and major
project entrusted by the Ministry of Education and the National Language
Commission “Review the 120 Years of Oracle-bone Inscriptions Discovery(Memorial Atlas and Research Overview)” presided over by professor Li
Yun-fu, National Social Science Fund Major Project “Vietnamese Chinese

A Brief Introduction to Research Center for the Civilization of Chinese Characters of Zhengzhou University (ZZU) 95

Character Resources and Related Research” presided over by professor He
Hua-zhen, National Social Science Fund Major Project “A Dictionary for theStudy of Oracle-bone Inscriptions” presided over by professor Huang Xi-quanand so on. All of these research projects will make a series of researchachievements.

6. Academic Conferences and Lectures

Since its establishment, the Research Center for the Civilization of Chinese
Character of ZZU has hosted 8 international and domestic academic conferences: International Expert Symposium on the Construction of Chinese
Character Civilization (2016.9), Symposium on the Achievements of National
Social Science Fund Major Project “Compilation of Ancient and ModernCharacters in Annotations of all Ages “(2017.2), Expert Symposium onMuseum of the Spread of Chinese Characters (2017.2), InternationalSymposium on Han Books in East Asia and Han Nan Ancient Dictionaries inVietnam (2017.5), Symposium on the History and Current Situation of Using
Chinese Characters in Ethnic Areas (2018.3), Opening Discussion Meeting ofNational Social Science Fund Major Project “Vietnamese Chinese Character
Resources and Related Research” (2018.5), Symposium on Theory andHistory of Chinese Characters (2018.5), and the First International
Symposium on Cross-cultural Chinese Characters (2018.10). In addition, the10th Annual Conference of the Chinese Character Association will be undertaken by our center in October of the following year.
Since its establishment, the Research Center for the Civilization of Chinese
Character of ZZU has holded “Cross-cultural research high-end forum” seriesof academic lectures and has invited 20 experts from China and abroad togive lectures.

7. Academic Journal

The Journal of the Study of Chinese Characters and Language can betraced back to its predecessor Journal of Language Knowledge, which wasfirst published in 1985 and was changed to the current name by the State
Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT)
in 2017. The journal is supervised and hosted by Zhengzhou University,
undertaken by the Civilization of Chinese Character Seminars and College ofLiberal Arts of Zhengzhou University and co-organized by the Chinese
Character Association, the Chinese Ancient Character Research Association
as well as the Historical Linguistics Research Branch of Chinese Linguistic
Association. The International standard serial numbering for this journal is:
ISSN 2096-4986 and Domestic unified serial numbering for it is: CN41-1450/H. Now, the chief editor of this journal is professor Li Yun-fu, the chairman

96Journal of Cultural Interaction in East Asia Vol. 10 2019of the academic committee is professor Huang De-kuan and the director of
the editorial committee is professor Zhang Yong-quan. This journal mainly
publishes the research results of Chinese characters and unearthed documents,
as well as the research achievements of Chinese language history and modernChinese, including but is not limited to the contents of theory and history ofChinese characters, ancient writing and traditional culture, Shuowen andLiushu (six categories of Chinese characters), the spread of Chinese characters and overseas Chinese characters, comparison of Chinese characters,relationships between Chinese characters and words, interpretation of difficult
words, standardization and teaching of Chinese character, evolution ofChinese language, etc.
Editorial Office Correspondence Address: 450001 Editorial Office of
The Study of Chinese Characters and Language, Research Center for theCivilization of Chinese Character, Zhengzhou University, No. 100 Science
Avenue, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, People’s Republic of China(PRC).
E-mail for Submission: hzwm2018@126.com.

8. Digital museum of the spread of Chinese Characters

The spread of Chinese characters has a long history and involves a wide
range of fields, including a rich variety of documents and cultural relics. But
there still have no fixed platform to store and display them. Therefore, theResearch Center for the Civilization of Chinese Character plans to lead theestablishment of “Digital Museum of the Spread of Chinese Characters”,
aiming to make a comprehensive collection of various Chinese characters andcultural relics transmitted and produced during the spreading of Chinesecharacters. At the same time, we will use collection, photography, video,animation, rubbing as well as other methods to collect and display these
Chinese character resources with the nature of spreading, making thismuseum to be the most comprehensive and most convenient world-wide
digital Chinese character resources database.

9. Cooperation and Exchanges

The Research Center for the Civilization of Chinese Character of ZZU
attaches great importance to academic cooperation between fraternal institutions, being committed to the construction of “three circles of friends”,
namely the circle of Mainland friends, the circle of Hong Kong, Macao andTaiwan friends, and the circle of international friends. In the circles, cooperation will be carried out on resources sharing, activities co-organized, researchmutual assistance, achievements mutual promotion as well as visits andA Brief Introduction to Research Center for the Civilization of Chinese Characters of Zhengzhou University (ZZU) 97

personnel exchanges. Many fraternal institutions, until now, have establishedcooperative relationships with our center or have intention of cooperation, forinstance, Research Center of Overseas Chinese Character Culture, Shanghai
Jiao Tong University; Wu Yu-zhang Language and Character ResearchCenter, Renmin University of China; Research Center of Overseas ChineseCharacters, Zhejiang University of Finance & Economics; Institute ofChinese Language and Literature, Southwest University; Institute of Chinese
Characters in Korea, Kyungsung University; Institute of Han Nan Literature,Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences; Research Center of Chinese Character
Resources in East Asia; College of East Asia, Ruhr-University Bochum;
Research Institute of Literature, Hokkaido University; Research Institute of
East-West Academic, Kansai University; Institute of Chinese Character
Culture, Fukuoka International University; National Museum of Chinese
Writing (NMCW); Luoyang Museum of Metal and Stone Writing; Luoyang
Museum of Stone Writing of Nine Dynasties, etc. Now, the center islaunching the establishment of “the League of Nations for Cross-cultural
Chinese Character Research”, and more than 10 foreign and domestic institutions have agreed to join. We also sincerely hope that more teams and institutions will join us.
In addition, the center has Co-established the Research Base for Ethnic
Cross-Cultural Chinese Characters in Southwest region with the Xingyi
Normal University for Nationalities (Guizhou), Research Base for Inheritanceand Spread of Chinese Character Civilization of ZZU with National Museumof Chinese Writing (Anyang), and Research Base for the Civilization ofChinese Character of ZZU with Research Center of Xu Shen Culture(Luohe), Luoyang Museum of Metal and Stone Writing (Luoyang) and HenanMuseum(Zhengzhou), etc.
Web Site: http://www5.zzu.edu.cn/hzwm/
Contact Number: 0371-67783163
E-mail Address: zdhzwmzx@126.com
Correspondence Address: 450001 Research Center for the Civilizationof Chinese Character, Zhengzhou University, No. 100 Science Avenue,Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, People’s Republic of China.

98

Journal of Cultural Interaction in East Asia Vol. 10 2019

Research center logo

Official WeChat QR code

The outdoor scene

A Brief Introduction to Research Center for the Civilization of Chinese Characters of Zhengzhou University (ZZU) 99

The Journal of the Study of Chinese Characters and Language

The conference room

100

Journal of Cultural Interaction in East Asia Vol. 10 2019

The professional library

Academic achievements