Speaker: David Evans
Academic Planning and Moderation: Professor Shi Qian and Professor Zhang Xiaoming

Time: 19:30–21:00, Wednesday, April 1, 2026
Venue: Multifunctional Hall, 1st Floor, Duxue Building, Xianlin Campus, Nanjing Normal University, Xianlin Campus

David Evans is a seasoned expert in cross-cultural communication and international cooperation. He previously served as the Global Head of Philanthropy for UNICEF and has spent years leading the organization's global partnerships with education, health, and climate finance institutions. Prior to this, he held the position of Head of Philanthropy and Values-Based Investing for Asia Pacific at UBS Wealth Management. He holds postgraduate degrees from the University of Oxford, Columbia University, and INSEAD. Evans has a long-standing commitment to collaboration with China, having spearheaded the creation of the UNICEF Asia-Pacific Climate Action Fellowship program and maintained close partnerships with top-tier Chinese institutions such as Tsinghua University and Peking University. A former award-winning documentary director and a dedicated practitioner of traditional Chinese music (Guqin and Xiao), he has performed in cities like New York and London and has been featured on China Central Television (CCTV). Bilingual in English and Mandarin Chinese, Mr. Evans leverages his extensive experience in global governance alongside his profound artistic background to champion global understanding, world peace, and international cooperation through art and cultural exchange.

Drawing upon the speaker's global governance experience at the United Nations, this lecture profoundly highlights that the long-term key to addressing severe global issues such as poverty and war lies in building cross-cultural empathy and mutual understanding. However, despite social media in the digital age creating the illusion of easily understanding foreign countries, external perceptions of China's profoundly rich and highly complex culture often remain superficial. The speaker points out a thought-provoking paradox: in today's era of information explosion, figures who can serve as "cultural bridges" between China and the world—much like Lin Yutang and Hu Shih a century ago—are increasingly rare. Many Westerners even give up trying to understand China deeply simply because it feels "too complex." In the face of this dilemma in cultural communication, the lecture proposes a core viewpoint: art is the master key to unlocking the core of a culture. As demonstrated during the lecture through a live performance of the traditional instrument "Xiao," good art encapsulates the experiences and values of generations. Without the need for linguistic translation, the timbre, the intentional use of silence, and the natural materials alone can intuitively convey the philosophical connotations of "harmony between humanity and nature" and "inclusive harmony" deeply rooted in Chinese culture. Based on this, the lecture issues a powerful call to contemporary Chinese artists: at a time when the need for cross-cultural exchange is more urgent than ever, artists should seize this historical opportunity and shoulder their generational responsibility. By using their artistic talents to break down cultural barriers, they can make an irreplaceable contribution to fostering global understanding and, ultimately, world peace.