Successful Preparatory Meeting for the 2024 Marx Engels and Manchester International Conference

Manchester, 21 April 2024 - From 20 to 21 April 2024, the International Association of Marx-Engels Humanities Exchange and Studies (MEIA) held a preparatory meeting for the 2024 Marx Engels and Manchester International Conference. The event brought together leading scholars in the field of Marxist studies from China and the UK to discuss academic exchanges and co-operation.

Participating scholars and academics from UK and Chinese universities related to research included Professor Terrell Carver from the University of Bristol's Philosophy and Politics, Professor David Bates, Professor of Philosophy and Convenor of the British Marxism Research Group at Canterbury Christ Church University, and Professor Paul Blackledge, Professor of Philosophy at London South Bank University and Canterbury Christ Church University, Professor Yulan Zhao, School of Marxism, Renmin University of China; Professor Lixin Han, Tsinghua University, China; Professor Ronghuafu Liu, School of Marxism, Agricultural University of China; Professor Ying Yuan, Department of Philosophy, Shanxi University; and Dr Shujuan Zhao, School of Philosophy, Shanxi University. Participants of the Society included: President Liu Kaixiang, Vice President Gao Weijia, Vice President Yang Hanxin, Secretary General Lu Shuyan, Councilor Li Liu Ming and Councilor Liu Bo.

After two days of close and fruitful discussions, the preparatory meeting for 2024 Marx Engels and Manchester International Conference, organised by the MEIA, came to a successful conclusion here. The success of the meeting signifies that a deep academic discussion on the combination of Marx Engels' thought and modern social practice is about to begin.

At noon on the 20th, MEIA hosted a welcome luncheon at the Sushi Mami Restaurant to greet the experts and professors in a warm atmosphere.

In the afternoon of the same day, the conference was officially launched at the headquarters of MEIA, and the participating British and Chinese scholars held in-depth discussions on the preparation of the seminar. Terrell Carver, Professor of Philosophy and Politics from the University of Bristol, Professor David Bates, Professor of Philosophy and Convener of the British Marxism Research Group at Canterbury Christ Church University, and a group of renowned scholars from the UK and China They had in-depth exchanges on key issues such as the theme, agenda and academic presentations of the seminar, and reached a consensus on the time and venue of the conference as well as other related matters. Representatives from all parties actively spoke and made suggestions, which made the meeting rich in content and full of discussion. In the end, the preparatory meeting was a complete success.

In the evening, MEIA hosted a formal reception dinner at the Peace Garden Restaurant. In addition to all the experts and scholars invited to the conference, special invitations were extended to the former Mayor of Salford and now Councillor, Ms Ann-Marie Humphreys, the Society's Senior Advisor, Mr Peter Rowlinson, Dr Xiaobing Wang from the University of Manchester, Dr Yuezhou Lin, a lecturer at the University of Bristol, and Dr Bei Chen from the University of Bolton, among other people from all walks of life, who were also invited to join the feast. Their presence not only added weight to the conference, but also provided a broad perspective for the networking activities to come. The brilliant speech by Ms Ann-Marie Humphreys, former Mayor of Salford and now a councillor, even inspired the participants to think deeply about the integration of socialist theory and contemporary practice.

On the morning of the 21st, MEIA organised a visit to the People's History Museum in Manchester for Chinese and British scholars and experts, as a successful conclusion of this activity. The visit not only deepened the understanding of Chinese and British scholars of the rich history and culture of Manchester, but also laid a solid foundation for the cooperation between the two countries in the field of humanistic exchange. During the visit, the Chinese and British scholars had a heated discussion on the historical legacy of Marx and Engels and its significance in contemporary times.

The success of this preparatory meeting augurs well for the upcoming International Symposium, which will be an event for the collision of ideas and academic exchanges, and provide a valuable platform for the promotion of Marxist research and dialogue on a global scale. The International Association of Marx-Engels Humanities Exchange and Studies expresses its heartfelt expectation for this and will continue to be committed to promoting this important academic mission.

With the success of this conference, MEIA has once again proved its important role in promoting international research and exchange in the humanities. We look forward to seeing all scholars meet again in the near future to contribute their wisdom and strength to the development of human society.

25 April 2024