In November 2023, Dr Shou Dahua, Limin Endowed Young Scholar in Advanced Textiles Technologies, hosted the Young Scholar Symposium at the 13th China Textile Academic Conference on behalf of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Suzhou, China. The China Textile Academic Conference is an authoritative platform organised by the China Textile Engineering Society for advanced academic exchanges, recognition of highly innovative talents, and publication of excellent scientific research achievements. The China Association for Science and Technology has featured the annual China Textile Academic Conference multiple times in the "Guide to Key Academic Conferences". Since its inception in 2011, the event has taken place on an annual basis, and is now in its thirteenth year. The conference comprises five components: sessions in the main venue, breakout sessions, special forums, awards ceremony, and exhibitions.
The event focused on promoting exchange and transformation of cutting-edge technology in textiles used in the health and medical fields, smart textiles, and textiles for sports, and attracted nearly 200 young scholars, medical personnel, entrepreneurs, and industry representatives. Mr Fu Guangwei, Chairman of the China Textile Engineering Society, Director of the China National Textile and Apparel Council Testing Center, and Chairman of the National Textile Fabric Museum, delivered the opening speech, while Professor Erin Cho, Dean of School of Fashion and Textiles of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, gave a welcoming speech to the attendees. Mr Guan Haibo, Director of the Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan Affairs Office of the China Science and Technology Exchange Center under the Ministry of Science and Technology, gave the keynote speech. Representatives from institutions such as Harvard University, Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Southeast University, Donghua University, Jiangnan University, Qingdao University, and Anhui University of Technology, and companies like ASICS (China), Shengze Junior Chamber of Commerce, Purcotton, 361 Degrees, Bananaunder, Xiangbu Textile Co., Ltd., etc., attended the event. They discussed opportunities for cooperation through joint R&D projects, research integration and transformation, and shared creation and utilization around "intelligent wearables, new healthcare materials, and green sustainability". The conference not only strengthened industry-university-research collaborations, but also opened a new chapter for interdisciplinary collaborative development.
Dr Shou Dahua and Dr Ding Ye, founder of Yrobot and holder of a PhD from Harvard University, gave the keynote speeches. The speakers, including Associate Professor Liu Yulei from Peking University, Associate Professor Chen Peining from Fudan University, Chief Physician Huang Chenyu from Tsinghua University, Professor Zhao Dongliang from Southeast University, Dr Ding Ye of Yrobot, Professor You Zhengwei from Donghua University, Sun Yuting, Head of Apparel R&D at ASICS (China) Commerce Ltd., and Dr Shou Dahua gave their respective presentations. They gave introductions on the latest advancements and application transformations in areas such as intelligent wearables and advanced textile technologies, textiles used in clinical practices of sports medicine and textile engineering, fabric display devices and integrated systems, textiles for mechanotherapy, thermal and moisture management fabrics, smart wearable robots, bionic devices of elastomer fibres, and sports apparel with high-performance fibre. At the session, the participants and speakers engaged in several rounds of enthusiastic and in-depth interaction, sharing their professional knowledge and experiences.
