The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Research Center for Language Governance and Language Resources is a new research think tank focusing primarily on language governance and the protection of language resources.

Strategic Positioning

The center aims to support the implementation of major national strategies, the development of national language initiatives, and local socio-economic growth. Based on the strategic development needs of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, it integrates a sense of national responsibility with academic autonomy, theoretical exploration with practical service, and collaborative innovation with external exchanges. The center is dedicated to building an academic hub and a new type of think tank that combines scientific research and innovation, policy consultation, social services, disciplinary incubation, and talent cultivation. It provides academic support, practical guidance, and intellectual resources to enhance the international language governance capabilities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and to promote the preservation and integration of linguistic and cultural resources.

Research Areas

Leveraging high-quality academic resources both within and outside the university, as well as the strengths of foreign language disciplines, the center focuses on the development strategies and linguistic landscape of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Driven by real-world issues and demand-oriented approaches, it deeply explores specific topics such as urban and rural language governance, digital language governance, language governance in specific countries and regions, language resource protection, and the overseas preservation and dissemination of language and culture. The center builds a research system for language governance and language resources that integrates fundamental research, applied research, and policy consultation.

Research Team

Given the interdisciplinary nature of language governance and language resource research, the center has assembled a diverse research team with backgrounds in linguistics, sociology, anthropology, law, political science, cultural geography, international communication, and other fields. It currently has six full-time researchers and nearly ten part-time researchers from renowned institutions and universities both in China and abroad. Additionally, the center is committed to cultivating a student research and innovation team with strong comprehensive skills, international perspectives, and bilingual abilities, providing a talent pool for tackling foundational research projects and engaging in innovation and entrepreneurship practices.

Research Achievements

Since its establishment, the center has consistently addressed major, emerging, and critical issues in language governance and language resource protection, promoting interdisciplinary, cross-domain, and cross-regional collaborative research. This has yielded a number of high-quality academic outcomes: In recent years, the center has secured over 20 research projects at various levels, including key projects from the National Social Science Fund, general projects from the National Social Science Fund, projects from the National Education Science Planning, projects from the Ministry of Education's Humanities and Social Sciences Fund, and projects from the State Language Commission. Nearly 30 papers have been published in authoritative academic journals both domestically and internationally, such as Island Studies Journal, Internal Manuscripts of Social Sciences in China, Academic Research, Foreign Languages in China, and Contemporary Foreign Languages Studies. Additionally, nearly 20 theoretical articles have been published in major newspapers like People's Daily, Guangming Daily, and Chinese Social Sciences Today. The center has also submitted over 10 policy consultation reports to central ministries, provincial departments, and municipal authorities, generating significant academic impact.

At the same time, the center actively addresses the socio-economic development needs of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, engaging deeply in policy consultations for local governments on issues such as language landscape legislation, the construction of an international business environment, and the digitalization of language resources. It has undertaken eight projects commissioned by government departments and social institutions related to language landscape governance, significantly enhancing its capacity for social service and the application of research outcomes. Furthermore, the center has established joint faculty-student research teams, organizing over 100 student field surveys on local language landscape governance. For several consecutive years, it has supplied student volunteers for major conferences and events such as Understanding China, effectively integrating practice into education.

Organizational Structure

Director of the Center: Wu Xili

Deputy Directors of the Center: Zhan Shuangjuan, Wang Yangyu

Email: rclglrgba86@scut.edu.cn