Date: 26th March 2026 (Thursday)

Time: 15:40 – 17:30

Venue: Block D Conference Hall of MUST

Distinguished Speaker: Distinguished Guest Professor, Institute for Social and Cultural Research of MUST, Distinguished Historian, 2026 Honorary Doctor of MUST

Event Language: Mandarin

Summary

There was a theory known as the Frontier Thesis, which enjoyed great popularity from the late 19th to the early 20th century. It argued that westward expansion shaped the making of America: the farther the frontier moved west, the more the United States distanced itself from Europe, weakening European influence while a stronger, more distinct American identity emerged. This theory helped shape the nation spiritually, with westward expansion serving as the material foundation behind it.

The United States emerged out of violent conflicts: first the war against Britain, then wars against Native Americans, followed by the war with Mexico. After these wars, the United States continued its westward push, and westward expansion entered a new phase — the push toward the Pacific Ocean.

Biography

Professor Qian Chengdan is one of China’s most influential scholars in the field of World History. His research spans British and European history, modernization, civilizational exchange and mutual learning, as well as regional and country studies.

Deeply rooted in the Chinese historiographical tradition of “using the past to illuminate the present,” his work combines rigorous academic quality with contemporary relevance. He served as academic director of the influential 12-part documentary The Rise of the Great Powers (2006) and has played a pivotal role in establishing World History as a first-level discipline in China, while more recently promoted the creation of Regional and Country Studies to meet national strategic needs.

Professor Qian has held numerous prestigious academic positions, including Member and Convener of the History Discipline Evaluation Group of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council, Member of the National Social Science Fund Review Expert Group, Member of the National Textbook Committee Expert Group, Member of the Social Science Committee of the Ministry of Education, Member of the Yangtze River Scholars Award Program Review Expert Group, and Academic Committee Member of the Chinese Academy of History. Internationally, he is a Corresponding Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (UK) and holds an Honorary Doctor of Letters from Coventry University (UK). Since 2003, he has also served as a distinguished guest professor at the Macau University of Science and Technology.

His major authored works include Between Tradition and Transformation, The Industrial Revolution and the English Working Class, The Lost Paths of Modernization, The First Industrialized Country, The Road to a Modern State, History in Thought, Seeking History from Elsewhere, Professor Qian’s Lectures on Western Civilizations, Professor Qian’s Lectures on the Rise and Fall of the World Powers. He has also served as chief editor of major academic series such as A History of England (6 volumes), A History of the British Empire (8 volumes), The Process of World Modernization (10 volumes), among others.

Since the Sixth Five-Year Plan period, Professor Qian has led dozens of major national research projects and has repeatedly received national-level awards, including the First Prize from the Ministry of Education, the China Publishing Award (provincial and ministerial First Prize), the China Book Award, the Chinese Good Books Award.

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