On November 8, the Fifth International Symposium on Textiles and Apparel & Sino-Africa Culture Exchange Forum was grandly opened in the Songjiang Campus of Donghua University. Jointly hosted by Donghua University and Moi University, Kenya, this international forum is held within the context of Sino-Africa University “20+20” Cooperation Programme and of the Belt & Road Initiative, to further enhance global cooperation and exchanges in building first-level disciplines, cultivate talents for Sino-Africa textiles industrial cooperation, and develop Sino-Africa textiles education and technology.
The opening ceremony of the forum was presided over by Professor Qiu Yiping from College of Textiles, DHU. On behalf of Donghua University, Vice President Qing Fengling extended warm welcome to experts and professors coming from afar, and wished the forum a complete success. Professor Isaac Sanga Kosgey, president of Moi University, greeted the participants. He emphasized the necessities of valuing African higher education and enhancing global cooperation and exchanges and expressed his good wishes for further cooperation between China and Africa.
In the forum, Professor Liu Hongwu, dean of the Institute of African Studies of Zhejiang Normal University, delivered a report on the charm of African culture and potentials of Sino-Africa cooperation. He attached great importance to Sino-Africa cooperation and shared his own understanding on African culture and existing ways of exchanges. Professor Isaac Sanga Kosgey also said that textiles colleges serve as a platform for fashion and cultural exchanges, which leads to diversified tradition when textiles products from different cultures meet. Professor Qiu Yiping proposed the possibility of replacing traditional wood material of drum with natural cellulose fiber by strengthening epoxy-resin compound. According to him, it can be mechanically and acoustically equivalent to traditional wood material through adjusting the volume content of fiber or micro-structure of the material in the warp and weft direction.
In the afternoon, in the sub-forum themed with Textiles and Clothing, four experts delivered keynote speeches. Professor Wei Yi introduced how to apply 2.5D woven materials to composite aircraft structures from the aspects of the importance of reinforcing material to aircraft, the performance of 2.5D composite material, and the potentials of composite aircraft structures. Dr. Leng Yun gave an overview of China’s fashion industry through explaining selling points, such as price, time, culture, design and organization of representative enterprises, analyzed the transformation patterns of supply chain, entrepreneurs and consumers, and proposed that people should open-mindedly accept data-, technology-, and AI-driven business. Professor Haroon A.M. Saeed introduced his research in the influence of recycled polyethylene on the performance of terephthalic acid and glycol ester fibers from the synthesis and characterization of HBPET, mixing RPET/BPET, rheology and thermal properties, fiber preparation and characterization and conclusions. Professor Chen Bin displayed the intangible cultural heritage, creative design of traditional embroidery in Donghua University, and detailed his ideas about the protection and development of intangible cultural heritage.
In the sub-forum under the theme of Sino-Africa Cultural Exchange, five experts from Donghua University and other countries and regions respectively addressed speeches with topics such as opportunities and challenges faced by in-depth Sino-Africa cooperation, Sino-Africa cooperation under the background of the Belt and Road Initiative, opportunities and prospects of textiles and apparel in Kenya, and the blueprint for the ancient Silk Road. From these speeches, it can tell the rapid development and future potentials of Africa and the emerging development of textile industry chain in Africa. Moreover, it can be seen in-depth cooperation between China and Africa in culture, economy and education against the background of Belt and Road Initiative, and the formation of comprehensive strategic cooperation with mutual benefit and win-win results for the two countries. According to them, China and Africa will enjoy deeper and broader cooperation in the future.
The International Symposium on Textiles and Apparel & Sino-Africa Culture Exchange has further deepened the cooperation among universities in China and Africa, practised the Belt and Road Initiative and enhanced Sino-Africa cooperation.
Isaac Sanga Kosgey, president of Moi University, said that such a conference will facilitate mutual understanding and learning of two cultures, and that it will promote cooperation and exchange of respectively advanced and special disciplines and discussion of new mode regarding education cooperation between China and Africa.
