From October 23rd to 26th, the Second Humboldt Day "Rethinking the World" series of academic activities, co-hosted by the Foreign Studies College at Hunan Normal University and the Humboldt Center for Transdisciplinary Studies, took place at the Foreign Studies College, Hunan Normal University. The event, which included academic lectures on Humboldt's themes and keynote speeches, aimed to commemorate the German naturalist, travel writer, and philosopher Alexander von Humboldt (1769—1859). Over 100 scholars and students, including "Xiaoxiang Scholar" Distinguished Professor and member of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Ottmar Ette, Professor Wang Bingjun from Beijing Foreign Studies University, Professor Alfred Hornung from Johannes Gutenberg University, and Professor Li Da Xue from Sichuan International Studies University, participated in the series of events.

On the evening of October 23rd, two academic lectures on Humboldt's themes were presented. Dr. Tobias Kraft, researcher at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, delivered a lecture titled "History of Ideas: European Perspectives on Ancient American Cultures, Cultural Studies," sharing his insights on how Humboldt understood and addressed cultural challenges through his travel notes and publications from 1799 to 1804. Dr. Christian Thomas, also from the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, presented a lecture titled "The Digital Paradigm and Its Consequences for Creating Print, Online, and Hybrid Scholarly Editions," discussing the current state, future, and potential challenges of digital academic publishing using the digital production of Humboldt's manuscript as an example.

On the morning of October 25th, the Second Humboldt Day Academic Seminar was held at the Tenglong Building of the Foreign Studies College, Hunan Normal University.

Yao Chunmei, Vice-Chairperson of the University Council of Hunan Normal University, delivered an opening speech. On behalf of the university, Yao Chunmei extended a warm welcome and heartfelt thanks to the scholars present. She briefly introduced the basic situation and educational philosophy of the university. She expressed that the university's hosting of the Second Humboldt Day academic activities with the theme "Rethinking the World" was to draw nourishment from his profound intellectual legacy to better observe, examine, and understand the complex and changing world today. She hoped that the Second Humboldt Day activities would promote the Humboldtian spirit of cultural integration and interdisciplinary cooperation, innovate organized scientific research, and continuously improve the university's level of international exchange and cooperation.

Prof. Dr. Chen Zhongyi, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and a "Xiaoxiang Scholar" Distinguished Professor at Hunan Normal University, praised Humboldt's achievements in literature and science as a perfect embodiment of the Chinese saying "Read ten thousand books, travel ten thousand miles." He said that Humboldt's global travels and academic research have promoted the expansion of human knowledge. Prof. Chen expressed his pride in the Sino-German academic cooperation and is confident that this event will be remembered as an important milestone in interdisciplinary research.

Prof. Dr. Zhang Longxi, former President of the International Comparative Literature Association (2016—2019) and a "Xiaoxiang Scholar" Distinguished Professor at Hunan Normal University, believes that Chinese thought, culture, and institutions inspired Enlightenment thinkers to elaborate on the concept of European modernity through the writings of missionaries in the 17th and 18th centuries. Humboldt's research on nature and science, as well as his travels in America and Russia, set an example of cross-cultural exchange. Prof. Zhang cited Goethe's concept of "world literature," believing that the Humboldtian spirit provides important insights for global connections in the 21st century.

Shen Xianlan introduced the basic information and outstanding achievements of the Foreign Studies College at Hunan Normal University in recent years. He pointed out that the school attaches great importance to transdisciplinary integration and international cooperation. In 2020, the Humboldt Center for Transdisciplinary Studies was established to promote transdisciplinary research and enhance friendly cooperation between China and Germany, Chinese and European universities, through workshops, academic seminars, and the "Humboldt Day" series of activities. He hopes that this conference will promote academic exchanges between China and foreign countries and help build the Humboldt academic community.

Prof. Dr. Jiang Lihua, Vice Dean of the Foreign Studies College, Hunan Normal University, presided over the opening ceremony. Prof. Dr. Liu Bai, Vice Dean of the College of Foreign Languages, Hunan Normal University, attended the meeting.

In the keynote speech session, a total of 11 scholars spoke. Prof. Ottmar Ette spoke first, pointing out that the "Humboldt Science" founded by Alexander von Humboldt is based on transdisciplinary understanding of natural sciences and humanities, as well as multiple considerations of the entanglement between nature and culture. His observations of America, Asia, and especially China brought an updated and deepened perspective, ultimately prompting him to "rethink the world." Subsequently, Prof. Wang Bingjun, Prof. Alfred Hornung, Prof. Li Da Xue, Dr. Patricia A. Gwozdz, Prof. Ren Haiyan, Dr. Zhang Bingqi, Dr. Christian Thomas, Dr. Tobias Kraft, Luo Fang, and Long Qiyu shared their research insights and achievements from perspectives of aesthetics, literature, culture, digital humanities, and Humboldt's connections with China. The conference concluded with a closing speech by Prof. Wang Yuqing, the vice dean of the College of Foreign Studies at Minnan Normal University. The event ended amid warm applause.

The "Humboldt Day" series of activities not only provided a platform for domestic and foreign Humboldt research and German literature scholars to exchange ideas but also contributed to deepening Sino-German and even Sino-European partnerships, promoting the international development of Hunan Normal University's “Double-First-Class” disciplines, and further Sino-German teaching and research cooperation.