Warm congratulations to Professor Mark Lin of our university on his 60th anniversary of teaching in China!

(Professor Mackerras)

Professor Mackerras is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities, Emeritus Professor at Griffith University, Lifetime Honorary Professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University, and recipient of the Chinese Government's Friendship Award.

In 1939, Professor Mackerras was born in Sydney, Australia.Since 1974, he has been teaching at Griffith University and working at the Griffith Asia Institute.The professor's main research areas are numerous, including: Australia-China relations, the Western image of China, Chinese history, musicals, ethnic minorities, and many other aspects.

For decades, the professor has been dedicated to Chinese studies, achieving fruitful academic results. He has authored or edited over 40 books on China and published nearly 200 academic papers,is a world-renowned sinologist, making a tremendous contribution to Chinese studies at Griffith University.In 2004, the professor retired honorably and has since been an honorary professor at Griffith University.

Influenced by his mother, Professor Mackerras has been very interested in Chinese history and culture since childhood. In August 1964, MackerrasProfessorhad just graduated from the University of Cambridge in the UK. When he learned there was an opportunity to visit China, he and his wife immediately volunteered to go. At that time, China and Australia had not yet established diplomatic relations, and very few Australians had been to China.Professor Mackerras became one of the first foreign teachers to come to China to engage in educational work and even participated in the 15th National Day celebration at Tiananmen Square.

Since then,Professor Mackerras has visited China nearly 70 times and taught at BFSU.For more than half a century, the professor has tirelessly nurtured countless outstanding students,has been invited to Tiananmen Square for events several times, and attended the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War at Tiananmen Square.

Over the years, Professor Mackerras has traveled extensively throughout China in his spare time, from Yan'an, Xi'an, to Luoyang... His footprints have covered the vast land of China, learning much about traditional Chinese culture and witnessing China's step-by-step vigorous development. He has introduced the true situation of China's continuous development and progress to Australia and the world through his personal experiences.In September 2014, the professor was awarded the Chinese Government Friendship Award at the Great Hall of the People.

As of this year, Professor Mackerras has been teaching in China for 60 years. On June 5th,the commemorative meeting for Professor Mackerras's 60 years of teaching in China and the China-Australia Cultural Exchange Forum were grandly held at Beijing Foreign Studies University.

President and Deputy Party Secretary of Beijing Foreign Studies University Jia Wenjian, Griffith University PresidentProfessorCarolyn Evans, Vice President for International Affairs Professor Sarah Todd, Assistant President Caitlin Byrne, and Professor Mackerras attended the event. Important guests such as Consul General of China in Brisbane Ruan Zongze, President of the Australian Branch of the China Asia-Pacific Society Chen Hong, and Chair of the Foundation for Australian Studies in China Angela Lehmann also attended the event and delivered speeches. The opening ceremony of the commemorative meeting was presided over by Zhang Jian, Dean of the School of English at BFSU.

(Beijing Foreign Studies UniversityPresident Jia Wenjian)

President Jia paid tribute to Professor Mackerras and Griffith University at the meeting.He said that after graduating from the University of Cambridge, Professor Mackerras and his wife came to teach at Beijing Foreign Studies University,building a bridge for educational and cultural exchanges between BFSU and Griffith University, and between China and Australia. He also expressed his expectation to expand greater cooperation with Griffith University in the future.

(Griffith University President Professor Carolyn Evans)

President Evans also expressed her gratitude to BFSU for inviting us to participate in this event, and she thanked BFSU for providing Professor Mackerras with a warm 'big family'.She hopes that the two universities will pass on Professor Mackerras's spirit, creating a bond of exchange and connection for generations of Chinese and Australian scholars.She looks forward to celebrating with Chinese scholars, conducting research together, and jointly creating a broader future prospect.

She also stated that to congratulate Professor Mackerras on his 60 years of teaching in China and to commemorate the special significance of the long-term friendly cooperation between the two universities,Griffith University has prepared a special gift—adopting an Australian national treasure koala bear in the name of Beijing Foreign Studies University, hoping that through the careful care of both sides, the cooperative relationship will be promoted to develop healthily and lastingly.

Consul General of China in Brisbane Ruan Zongze praised Professor Mackerras's academic achievements in his speech.He pointed out that Professor Mackerras is an old friend of the Chinese people. Over the past 60 years, he has actively introduced the real China to Australia through his personal experiences, making extraordinary contributions to promoting Chinese culture and building a bridge of mutual understanding and friendship between the peoples of the two countries. 'He is a widely respected and beloved pioneer of China-Australia relations,' he said. Consul General Ruan also expressed his expectation that more young scholars will take up the baton of China-Australia friendship, injecting new vitality into China-Australia cultural exchanges and further promoting cultural exchanges between the two countries.

On the day of the celebration,the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs also sent a congratulatory letter, congratulating Professor Mackerras on his 60 years of teaching in China.In the letter, the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs highly praised Professor Mackerras's outstanding academic achievements in the fields of Chinese studies and China-Australia relations research, as well as his active contributions to promoting friendship between China and Australia and cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries.

In the subsequent sharing session, Professor Mackerras's friends, colleagues, and students spoke respectively, recalling the professor's teaching experience at BFSU, reviewing the professor's academic achievements and the history of China-Australia cultural exchanges, and expressing their sincere respect and gratitude to Professor Mackerras.

During the commemorative meeting, Li Jianjun, Director of the Australian Studies Center at BFSU, announced that to thank Professor Mackerras for his contributions to China-Australia cultural exchanges, BFSU, in cooperation with the Foundation for Australian Studies in China (FASIC), has established an Australian Studies Chair Professorship Project at BFSU in Professor Mackerras's name, further promoting cultural exchanges between the two countries.

This event was hosted by the School of English and the Institute for Global and Regional Governance at BFSU, and organized by the Australian Studies Center at the School of English at BFSU, with more than 70 scholars from China and Australia participating. Xinhua News Agency, China News Service, China Media Group, and China Daily, among other media, covered and reported on the event.

During this period of revisiting China, Professor Mackerras recalled the past exchanges in China and couldn't help but feel a myriad of emotions.

'For me, these 60 years have been a wonderful journey,' said the elderly man with a youthful spirit.

For 60 years, Professor Mackerras has made immortal achievements in promoting and deepening the exchange relationship between Griffith University and Beijing Foreign Studies University.

Speaking of cultural exchanges between China and the West, Professor Mackerras said affectionately,'Civilizations should appreciate each other and coexist harmoniously. We should learn from each other, try to understand other cultures and ways of thinking, and thus see the world better.'