On the afternoon of December 11th, the School of History and Culture successfully held the third session of the "Liyun·Qiuzhi" History Reading Club at the Weilu Reading Center, Room 314, West Five One-Stop Student Community. The event aimed to enhance students' ability to read and analyze historical documents, and to promote academic exchanges and intellectual discussions. It was co-hosted by the Weilu Reading Center, the Reading and Writing Center, and the Academic Research Department. The event was led by young faculty member Yang Rui, with Li Rong, the Secretary of the College Youth League Committee, serving as the host. Students participated through both online and offline platforms.
At the event, Yang Rui began her talk by sharing her personal experience in writing academic papers. Taking her own paper titled "Exploring the Origins of the 'Five Elements Record' in the History of the Jin Dynasty—Also Discussing the Changes in the Writing Tradition of Official Histories After the Middle Ages," she offered in-depth yet accessible discussions on various aspects of academic writing, including topic selection, historical material collection and application, and paper structure. She also encouraged students to start with their personal interests and create topics that are deep and valuable, by combining multiple perspectives in historical research.
In terms of topic selection, Yang Rui emphasized its importance and pointed out that through analyzing historical materials, students could construct research topics from different historical perspectives, dimensions, and models, aiming to produce valuable, profound, and thoughtful historical research.
When discussing historical materials, Yang Rui took the analysis of the historical sources of the "Treatise on the Five Elements" in the History of Jin Dynasty as an example, extracting methods such as classification and comparison of historical materials. For instance, she categorized the "Treatise on the Five Elements" based on time and events, compared its content with the annals of the History of Jin Dynasty, and conducted a progressive, multi-dimensional analysis. Yang Rui emphasized that conducting historical research should not be a superficial "glance from horseback," but rather a thorough "dismount to examine the flowers." Historical materials should serve as the foundation for historical research, enabling researchers to identify issues, raise questions, and solve problems, thereby crafting a historical thesis. At the same time, she encouraged students to start early, read extensively, accumulate knowledge over time, and persist in their efforts without pause. At the end of the event, Yang Rui underscored the importance of professional learning and the intellectual rigor needed in historical research. She urged students to continue exploring new perspectives and to carefully plan their research while using historical materials accurately, in order to write excellent academic papers.
At the conclusion of the event, Yang Rui emphasized the importance of specialized learning and the meticulous spirit required in historical research. She encouraged students to continuously explore new perspectives and thoughtfully structure their work, all while adhering to the proper use of historical sources, in order to produce outstanding historical theses.
The successful organization of this reading club not only established a bridge for academic communication between teachers and students but also greatly ignited students' passion for historical research. With the strong academic atmosphere in the School of History and Culture, it is believed that students will continue to explore the vast world of historical research and progress continuously, using learning as their vessel.
Source:WeChat Official Account of the School of History and Culture, Central China Normal University
Translator: Yuan Yanglei
Date: 2025 February 2th
