Professor Tan Biyou Meets Professor Premakumara de Silva in Huanggang to Discuss New Directions for Academic Collaboration

Left: Professor Silva; Right: Professor Tan Biyou

On September 14, 2026, Professor Tan Biyou, Director of the Center for Ethnology and Anthropology at Hunan Normal University, met with Professor Premakumara de Silva, Senior Chair Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Colombo, and a renowned sociologist and anthropologist, in Huanggang, Hubei Province. The two scholars held in-depth discussions on further academic exchange and collaboration between their respective academic institutions in the fields of anthropology, field studies, and related areas.

In 2022, Professor Tan Biyou and Professor de Silva established academic contact online and began exchanging views on collaboration in anthropology, field studies, and related disciplines. Since then, they have maintained continuous academic communication. Their face-to-face meeting in Huanggang represents an important continuation of their long-standing online academic exchanges.

Professor de Silva’s visit to Huanggang Normal University was made possible through the active efforts of Dr. Yang Li of Huanggang Normal University. With Dr. Yang’s support and coordination, Professor de Silva received funding from the Program for Inviting World-Renowned Scholars to Give Lectures in Hubei and visited Huanggang Normal University to deliver academic lectures and participate in scholarly activities.

Left: Dean Chen Li; Right: Associate Professor Yang Li

During the meeting, the two professors exchanged views on strengthening future academic exchanges, advancing field research collaboration, conducting joint research, and promoting the sharing of academic resources. They agreed to take the meeting as a new starting point and actively promote a more stable and in-depth collaborative relationship between the Center for Ethnology and Anthropology at Hunan Normal University and the Department of Sociology at the University of Colombo.

Hosting a dinner by Dean Chen Li

The meeting further extended the academic exchange between the two scholars since 2022 and created favorable conditions for substantive collaboration between the two academic institutions in the fields of anthropology and field studies.
（Text: Zhou Xinyue, Photo: Yang Li）