Bridging Seas and Centuries: The Beiyang Sailors Legacy Symposium – Abstract submission and registration deadline (for all participants): 23 June 2025
Date: 21–22 July 2025
Venue: St James View, 8th Floor Newcastle University Business School, NE1 4SE
Organised by: Newcastle University Business School
In collaboration with: Confucius Institute at Newcastle University
About the Event
This two-day interdisciplinary Symposium takes the Beiyang Fleet Sailors Cemetery in Newcastle as a point of departure to explore broader questions of heritage, memory, and urban transformation in both the UK and China.
Anchored in the historical presence of Chinese sailors in the North East of England, the event brings together scholars and practitioners across history, archaeology, cultural heritage and museum studies, management and organisational research, tourism studies, and intercultural communication. It seeks to understand how industrial and maritime legacies are remembered, governed, interpreted, and reimagined within changing urban, social, and geopolitical landscapes.
Participants will engage with case studies, theoretical frameworks, and practice-based insights, fostering dialogue among academics, heritage professionals, city stakeholders, and the wider public.
The event will focus on four thematic streams:
Memory, Archaeology and Maritime Heritage
- The Beiyang Fleet Cemetery and Chinese naval history in the UK context
- Industrial and maritime archaeology in post-industrial cities
- Memorialisation and collective memory in transnational settings
Cross-Cultural Dialogue and Language Exchange
- Historical narratives in UK–China engagement
- Language, identity, and interpretation in heritage contexts
- Intercultural remembrance and transnational educational exchange
Heritage and Cultural Management
- Governance of cemeteries, museums, and heritage sites
- Managing difficult or contested heritage
- Stakeholder collaboration in cross-national projects
- Digital transformation in heritage management: virtual archives, digital storytelling, and preservation technologies
Tourism and Urban Futures
- Heritage tourism and city branding
- Sustainable visitor experiences
- Industrial sites as future-oriented spaces of cultural regeneration
We welcome contributions that explore other relevant aspects of the UK-China Heritage and its broader significance, including but not limited to historical, sociological, artistic, digital, management, marketing or community-based perspectives.
Who Should Attend?
This symposium welcomes contributions and participation from a wide range of individuals and institutions, including but not limited to:
- Academics and postgraduate researchers from fields such as heritage studies, archaeology, history, management, cultural studies, language and translation, tourism, and other relevant disciplines that can offer insights into memory, heritage, and urban transformation
- Heritage practitioners, museum professionals, and policy stakeholders involved in cultural governance, preservation, and public engagement
- City planners, cultural organisations, and representatives from the public and voluntary sectors, particularly those interested in cross-cultural dialogue, local history, or heritage-based urban regeneration
We encourage interdisciplinary engagement and welcome diverse perspectives on the past, present, and future of industrial and maritime heritage in a global context.
Submission Guidelines
- Participants who wish to give a presentation at the symposium are invited to submit an abstract of 150–250 words.
- Abstracts should clearly address one or more of the conference themes and articulate their relevance to the symposium’s focus on heritage, memory, cross-cultural dialogue, and urban transformation in the context of the Beiyang Fleet Sailors Cemetery.
Registration
- The symposium is free to attend, and registration is open to both presenters and non-presenters. All participants are required to register in advance.
- Lunch and refreshments will be provided free of charge during the event.
Key Dates
- Abstract submission and registration deadline (for all participants): 23 June 2025
- Notification of acceptance: by 28 June 2025
Please contact yin.liang@newcastle.ac.uk with any queries
关于会议
本次为期两天的跨学科会议以位于纽卡斯尔的北洋水师水兵墓为切入点，探讨英国与中国在文化遗产、历史记忆与城市转型等领域中的共同议题。
会议以中国水手在英国东北地区的历史足迹为基础展开，汇聚了来自历史、考古、文化遗产与博物馆研究、管理与组织研究、旅游研究以及跨文化传播等多个领域的学者与实践者，共同探讨在不断变化的城市、社会与地缘政治背景下，工业与海洋遗产如何被记忆、管理、诠释与重新想象。
通过案例分析、理论探讨与实践经验分享，本次会议旨在搭建一个连接学界、文化遗产专业人士、地方政府及公众之间的跨界对话平台。
会议将围绕以下四个主题板块展开：
一、记忆、考古与海洋遗产
· 北洋水师水兵墓与中国海军历史在英国的在地化呈现
· 后工业城市中的工业与海洋考古实践
· 跨国语境下的纪念实践与集体记忆建构
二、跨文化对话与语言交流
· 中英关系中的历史叙事与多元视角
· 遗产语境下的语言、身份与诠释
· 跨文化纪念与国际教育交流
三、文化遗产与管理实践
· 墓地、博物馆及遗产场所的治理机制
· 困难与争议性遗产的管理策略
· 跨国项目中的利益相关者协作
· 遗产管理的数字化转型：虚拟档案、数字叙事与技术保存
四、旅游与城市未来
· 遗产旅游与城市品牌建构
· 可持续旅游体验
· 工业遗址作为文化再生的未来空间
我们欢迎来自不同学科的参与者围绕中英遗产及其当代表达提交研究成果，研究可涵盖但不限于历史、社会学、艺术、数字技术、管理、旅游、市场营销及社区参与等视角。