At the Shanghai Talent Work Conference on March 26, LI Qiang, Secretary of Municipal Party Committee emphasized that “Shanghai will globally rally talents and give them full play.” In order to better introduce, make use of, and cultivate high-level talents in universities, the Municipal Party Working Committee for Education and Health, the Municipal Education Commission, and Shanghai Party Institute jointly held the first National Conditions Seminar for Distinguished Professors (Orientalists) of Shanghai Universities. This seminar, as a pilot to explore the education in national conditions for overseas talents introduced in universities, was participated by a total of 30 orientalists and young orientalists from 19 universities in Shanghai.

This seminar, guided by XI Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in a New Era and the spirit of the Party’s 19^th National Congress, tried to fully implement the Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Deepening the Reform of the Teaching Staff in a New Era, and the spirit of the Party and Shanghai work meetings of ideological and political work in universities. The contents covered various fields, including the Report delivered at 19^th National Party Congress and the Report on the Work of the Government delivered at NPC and CPPCC (National Peoples Congress and Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference), the international political and economic situation and China’s foreign relations, reform and development in Shanghai, revolutionary-tradition education, on-site teaching practices in high-tech parks and well-known innovative companies. These were intended to enrich the understanding of the orientalists on social, economic, scientific, educational, and cultural development in China, especially in Shanghai, and to enhance the participants’ personal experience of Chinese history, culture, and national spirit, and to strength the participants’ sense of identity of China’s core socialist values. Hence, the impetus and passion of those orientalists, as an important link for internal guidance and external connection, were effectively motivated for “better telling Chinese stories and spreading Chinese voice.”

Domestic notable experts and scholars were invited to the seminar to give lectures, including YE Xiaowen, Deputy Director of the Committee for Learning and Cultural and Historical Data of the National Committee of the CPPCC and former Secretary of the Central Institute of Socialism, ZHENG Qirong, former Vice President of China Foreign Affairs University and the Executive Director of the U.N. Association of China, WANG Xinkui, member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the CPPCC and the Director of the Counselors’ Office of Shanghai Municipal Peoples Government, LI Xiangyang, Chief of NIIS CASS (National Institute of International Strategy Chinese Academy of Social Sciences), and YU Lijuan, Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee for Education and Health. Multi-forms were employed in this seminar such as special reports, online interactions, workshops, and on-site experience teaching, and study online and offline was conducted throughout the entire process, thanks to the information technology, which became a distinctive feature of this seminar.

In addition, based on their position features and special needs of the participants, this seminar was designed to hold a number of intellectual perspective forums, insert research activities in each course module, increase exchanges, and highlight the dominant roles of orientalists in the study. Particularly, the "Oriental Talk" forum for participants formed a channel of communication for transboundary interaction among high-level overseas scholars, which could rally, give play to and spread the intellectual effects of orientalists. It would enable the orientalists to base themselves in Shanghai and constantly explore overseas, to form a talent pool for making intellectual contributions to the country and a think tank for offering suggestions.