— International Academic Symposium on “The International Networks of Min’nan Ancestral Halls and Temples: Exploring Transnational Religious and Cultural Networks” Successfully Held at Xiamen University Malaysia
Organized by the Centre for Research on Southeast Asian Chinese Documents (CRSACD) of Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUM), and generously sponsored by Khind Starfish Foundation and FIFFY, the International Symposium titled “The International Networks of Minnan Ancestral Halls and Temples: Exploring Transnational Religious and Cultural Networks” was successfully held on 28 April 2026 (Tuesday) at XMUM. The event was especially meaningful as it coincided with the sixth anniversary of the CRSACD and the tenth anniversary of XMUM.
[Group photo of faculty, students, and guests at the symposium]
The symposium was chaired by Associate Professor Hue Guan Thye, Director of the CRSACD. Two distinguished keynote speakers were invited: Professor Zheng Zhenman, Director of the Research Centre for Research on Local Historical Documents, Department of History, Xiamen University; and Professor Kenneth Dean, Director of the Wan Boo Sow Research Centre for Chinese Culture, Department of Chinese Studies, National University of Singapore.
and featured two distinguished keynote speakers: Professor Zheng Zhenman, Director
of the Center for Research on Popular Historical Documents, in the School of History and Cultural Heritage, at Xiamen University, and Professor Kenneth Dean, Director of the Wan Boo Sow Research Center for Chinese Culture, National University of Singapore.
Professor Wang Ruifang, President of Xiamen University Malaysia, delivered the welcoming address and introduced the XMUM as the first overseas branch campus established by a Chinese university. Since its founding, the university has carried the mission of promoting intercultural exchange, advancing world cultures, and strengthening international understanding. He further highlighted that the symposium was organized by the Centre for Research on Southeast Asian Chinese Documents, established in 2020 through a collaborative initiative involving scholars from Xiamen University, the National University of Singapore, and XMUM. The centre has been actively engaged in the collection, preservation, digitization, and study of Southeast Asian Chinese cultural heritage, including Minnan cultural materials, clan associations, temples, ancestral halls, cemeteries, and other forms of folk historical documents, contributing significantly to both academic research and cultural preservation.
Also present at the symposium were Professor Wang Huiqiong, Assistant President and Director of the Research Management Center at Xiamen University Malaysia; Madam Koh Geok Wan, Chairlady of Khind Starfish Foundation; and Ms. Lee Siew Moi, Director CEO of FIFFY, who joined participants in witnessing this important international academic gathering.
[Professor Zheng Zhenman delivering his keynote lecture]
[Professor Kenneth Dean delivering his keynote lecture]
The afternoon paper presentation sessions brought together scholars from Xiamen University Malaysia, Xiamen University, University of Malaya, National University of Singapore, and McGill University, who engaged in discussions on topics including overseas Chinese religion, migration history, temple networks, and transnational community formations. The sessions highlighted both the international scope and interdisciplinary character of the symposium.
The organisers noted that the study of folk historical documents relating to Southeast Asian Chinese communities holds considerable potential for advancing comparative scholarship and transnational academic collaboration. It is hoped that the fruitful outcomes of this symposium will further stimulate research on related themes and promote broader international exchange and scholarly cooperation.
两地顶尖学者携手马来西亚，共论闽南祖祠与庙宇的国际网络
——「闽南祖祠与庙宇的国际网络：走进跨国宗教与文化网路」国际学术研讨会于厦门大学马来西亚分校圆满举行
由厦门大学马来西亚分校东南亚华人文献研究中心主办，并获大马海星公益平台（Khind Starfish Foundation）及FIFFY有限公司慷慨赞助的「闽南祖祠与庙宇的国际网络：走进跨国宗教与文化网路」国际学术研讨会，于2026年4月28日（星期二）在厦门大学马来西亚分校圆满举行。本次活动适逢东南亚华人文献研究中心成立六周年，亦值厦门大学马来西亚分校建校十周年，因而更具历史与学术意义。
研讨会全体师生与嘉宾合照留念
本次研讨会由东南亚华人文献研究中心主任许源泰副教授主持，并邀请两位国际著名学者担任主题演讲人，即厦门大学历史系民间历史文献研究中心主任郑振满教授，以及新加坡国立大学中文系云茂潮中华文化研究中心主任丁荷生教授（Professor Kenneth Dean）。
厦大马来西亚分校校长王瑞芳教授亲临致欢迎词，并向与会嘉宾介绍厦大马校作为中国大学在海外设立的第一所分校，自创校以来便承载着促进文化交流，弘扬世界文化，增进国际理解的重要使命。王校长亦特别指出，本次研讨会是由成立于2020年的东南亚华人文献研究中心主办。该中心由厦门大学总校、新加坡国立大学和厦大马校三方学者联合推动成立，长期致力于东南亚华人民间历史文献的搜集、整理与数字化建设，涵盖闽南文化、会馆、庙宇、祖祠及华人义山等珍贵文化遗产，具有重要的学术与文化保存价值。
此外，厦大马校助理校长兼科研管理中心主任王惠琼教授，大马海星公益平台许月环董事长夫人，以及FIFFY有限公司执行总裁李秀梅女士亦亲临现场，共同见证这场汇聚国际学术力量的重要盛会。
在主题演讲环节中，两位主讲人分别从历史文献研究与田野调查的角度出发，结合多年于中国及东南亚华人社会的实地考察经验，深入剖析讨闽南祖祠与庙宇如何在中国与东南亚之间逐渐形成跨区域、跨国界的信仰与文化网络。相关研究成果不仅揭示海外华人社会内部的宗族联系、宗教传播与文化延续机制，也为理解东南亚华人的族群认同、社会组织与跨国互动提供了重要的学术视角，兼具历史纵深与田野实证价值。
郑振满教授发表主题演讲
丁荷生教授（Kenneth Dean）发表主题演讲
下午举行的专题论文发表环节，则汇聚来自厦大马校、厦大总校、马来亚大学、新加坡国立大学及加拿大麦基尔大学（McGill University）等海内外高校与研究机构的专家学者，包括郑莉、林德顺、融道、林若、郭宗华、邱克威、陈以轩等，围绕海外华人宗族、祖祠、宗教、移民与跨国社群网络等议题展开深度交流，充分展现本次研讨会所具有的国际学术视野与跨领域研究特色。
主办方許源泰副教授指出，东南亚华人民间历史文献研究仍具有广阔的发展空间与深厚潜力，不仅能够推动区域比较研究，更可成为促进国际学术合作与跨国文化交流的重要平台。期待本次研讨会所累积的研究成果，未来能够进一步深化相关领域的发展，并持续推动东南亚华人文化研究迈向更高层次的国际对话与合作。