On the morning of 9 November, the Annual Conference of the 2025 Digital Social Sciences Convergence Research Programme, hosted by Zhejiang University and organised by its School of Media and International Culture, was held in Hangzhou.
This annual conference is themed ‘Towards a Digitally Connected Humanities and Social Sciences’. At the opening ceremony, Huang Xianhai, Member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of Zhejiang University, and Zhang Liang, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Zhejiang Daily Press Group, delivered addresses.
In his address, Huang Xianhai stated that digital technologies are currently reshaping societal mechanisms, knowledge production methods, and civilisational evolution pathways with unprecedented depth and breadth. He emphasised that ‘digital convergence’ signifies not merely technological connectivity and data sharing, but rather the practice of co-constructing meaning, resonating with shared values, and achieving civilisational integration. Huang reviewed the phased achievements attained by Zhejiang University since launching its ‘Digital Social Sciences Convergence Research Initiative’ in 2022 across frontier domains such as digital communication, digital governance, and the digital economy. He further noted that digital technology should be deeply integrated with humanistic values to forge digital connections that are ‘warm, profound, and expansive.’
In his address, Zhang Liang stated that amid the digital wave, humanities and social sciences practitioners must address two key challenges: self-transformation and societal adaptation, while assuming dual roles as transformers and observers. Confronting the tide of the digital era, Zhejiang Daily Group is actively advancing five systemic transformations encompassing content, platforms, technology and more. Concurrently, through measures such as guiding public discourse via commentary and advancing digital inclusion, it is propelling the healthy development of the digital society. Finally, the Zhejiang Daily Group called for collaboration with the academic community to jointly explore the path of digital civilisation and foster the flourishing of humanities and social sciences in the digital era.
Keynote Address Session: Wei Jiang, Secretary of the Party Committee and President of Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, delivered a speech entitled ‘Constructing the Zhejiang School of Thought: A Data-Foundational Perspective’; Yu Guoming, Professor at the School of Journalism and Communication, Beijing Normal University, presented on ‘The Elevation and Transformation of Communication Paradigms in the Intelligent Era’; Wu Fei, Qiusi Distinguished Professor at Zhejiang University, spoke on ‘Innovation in Journalism and Communication from the Perspective of Spatial Intelligence’. Professor Chen Xuguang from the School of Arts at Peking University delivered a presentation titled ‘Chinese Cinema in the Era of Media Convergence’; Professor Lan Jiang from the Department of Philosophy at Nanjing University presented ‘The Spectre of Typhon and the Construction of Code Order: A Preliminary Discussion on Object Inter-Being Theory in the Era of Large AI Models’; and Zhou Bin, Chief Scientist at the Lingkong Intelligent Media Research Institute and former CTO of Huawei Ascend, spoke on ‘AIGC Technology and Industrial Development Trends’. From disciplinary perspectives spanning journalism and communication studies, management science, computer science, philosophy, and film arts, the symposium explored the elements, platforms, and power dynamics of digital and data, examining the ‘constants and variables’ within digital humanities and social sciences under the shared digital paradigm.
Zeng Bailing, Director of the Editorial Board of Modern Publishing; Hu Kaibao, Professor at Shanghai International Studies University; Hu Ming, Qiushi Distinguished Professor at Zhejiang University; and Mao Dan, Qiushi Distinguished Professor at Zhejiang University, participated in the roundtable discussion.
Fang Xingdong, Executive Vice Dean of Zhejiang University's School of Media and International Culture, presented the school's anticipated research outcomes in digital civilisation studies. From establishing the Aerotropolis Intelligent Media Research Institute through collaborative partnerships to publishing the Digital Civilisation Series, he comprehensively showcased the school's research achievements and future plans within the digital social sciences domain.
The event also featured the unveiling ceremony for the Digital Civilisation Series. Professors Xia Zhujiu and Wu Fei from Southeast University's International Demonstration School of Architecture, alongside Fang Xingdong, officiated the unveiling.
The first session was chaired by Zhao Yu, Party Secretary and Vice Dean of Zhejiang University's School of Media and International Culture, while the second session was chaired by Zhao Yupei, Vice Dean of the same school.
Additionally, the annual conference hosted parallel forums on topics including ‘New Research Agendas in Communication Studies for the AI Era: Rebalancing Technology, Humanities, and the Public Sphere’ and ‘Cultivating Elite Innovative Talent in Marxist Journalism Perspectives’.
Serving as an academic exchange platform within the digital social sciences, this conference not only showcased Zhejiang University's achievements in interdisciplinary integration and cutting-edge exploration but also provided significant insights for advancing a digitally convergent theoretical framework and practical pathways with Chinese characteristics and global influence.