RENMIN UNIVERSITY, 11 Dec. 2014 (Via RUC English News): On Nov. 29, the Institute of Qing History of RUC (Renmin University of China) and Qapqal Xibe Ethnic Group Autonomous County of Xinjiang Region held a strategic cooperation seminar on the inheritance and sustainable development of the Manchurian and Xibe historical culture. An agreement was signed. Prof. Xia Mingfang, Director of RUC Institute of Qing History and Deputy Director of the school of history, associate Prof. Sun Zhe, Deputy Director of RUC Institute of Qing History and Prof. Zhang Yongjiang, attended the seminar and the signing ceremony held in Xibe Autonomous County, Xinjiang. It is stated in the agreement that the Institute and the County will cooperate in the following fields: standardizing the translation of Manchurian dossiers and historical records, cultivating personnel in Manchurian translation and studies, establishing a proficiency testing system of the Manchurian/ Xibe language, founding practice bases for Manchurian translation, research and teaching, setting up consultant councils in Manchu language and Qing history, promoting the historical and cultural studies on Xibe ethnic group, exploring strategic plans for the inheritance and development of the Xibe culture, holding national and international symposium on Manchu language and Qing history, and founding a cooperation office for historical and cultural development. During the seminar, RUC Institute of Qing History also illustrated the application of future co-op projects, relevant 2015 international conference. etc. Prof. Xia spoke highly of the trip to Qapqal County, viewing the experience as that of the re-education of historical knowledge, of cultural baptism and of mental purification. He thinks Qapqal County is blessed with advantages in studying the Manchurian and Xibe culture, unique in the world. Therefore, the cooperation between the Institute of Qing History at RUC and Qapqal County should transcend dossier studies into the deeper studies on history and culture. RUC Institute of Qing History at present is the largest teaching and research institute of the kind in China and exerts great influence in academia both home an abroad. Qapqal Xibe Ethnic Group Autonomous County, home to the unique culture of the Xibe and the Manchurian, is the only autonomous county where the Xibe Ethnic Group accounts for the majority. In the middle of 1700s, during Emperor Qianlong’s reign, the Xibe Ethnic group was moved from the Northeast of China to Xinjiang Region, the newly conquered northwest area, to defend the frontier and gradually settled down in today’s Qapqal. Their commonly used languages are Xibe language, a dialect of the Manchurian, and the Manchurian. (Transwritten by Guo Zi’en, Li Yuqin, Miao Min, Meng Sijia, Zhang Xiaomeng, Liu Danqing， Hu Jia, Lei Yu and Zhang Ruoyu. Reviewed by Long Yan)