Sinology is the study of the Chinese language and culture. Now the Beijing Language and Culture University has just launched the Belt and Road Academy to provide scholars in the field academic support to conduct further research.

Sinologists from 30 countries and regions along the Belt and Road routes took part in Tuesday's launching ceremony at the Beijing Language and Culture University. As the first research base of sinology in this region, the academy aims to study the existence and development of Chinese culture along the Belt and Road. "The initiative to found this academy is to gather the sinologists along the Belt and Road and see about how they understand Chinese culture and how they would promote it in their countries. We could learn from each other's academic theories," said Xu Baofeng, chief expert of the Beijing Outstanding Young Scientists Project.

The Beijing Language and Culture University has a long history of hosting sinology research. It's among the most popular choices for overseas students to study the Chinese language. Throughout the past six decades, more than 200,000 overseas fans of Chinese culture have studied here. Teaching is not an easy job. "People in different places of the world have different types of difficulties in learning the Chinese language, posing challenges in teaching. This is what we've been working on. Chinese language teachers need to know their students well and get well prepared in teaching," said Liu Li, president of Beijing Language and Culture University.

With a history of 5,000 years, the Chinese civilization is among the oldest in the world and attracts numerous enthusiasts and scholars. Participants of Tuesday's event hailed the establishment of the academy, saying it would help them gain a broader view of the culture's past and present.