The Southern Shaanxi Folk Culture Research Center was established in December 2009, under the approval of the Department of Education of Shaanxi Province, and relies on the department of Chinese Language and Literature of Ankang University.
The center currently has 30 researching staff, including both the professional researchers and part-time researchers. Among all the researching staff, 15 of them own senior professional titles, 9 of them own senior vice titles and 6 of them own intermediate professional titles. Besides, 3 researchers of the center are carrying a doctor degree, and 11 researchers of the center are carrying a master degree. In addition, the research center established its own website, to exhibit and announce the center’s construction outcomes and current activities, and to publish and collect the researching outcomes of southern folk culture. In 2006, the center began to publish a periodical named Ankang Culture, and an annual collected works based on the periodical. Besides, the research center are undertaking more than 70 scientific research projects, 26 of which are above bureau level and 2 of which are projects of the national social science founds. The total funds given to the center are over 1 million CNY, and the center has gained 8 awards of bureau level and above. Furthermore, the research staff of the center has published more than 200 academic research papers, including 60 research papers publishing in core journals and 10 monographs. In April 2004, the center hosted a workshop of southern Shaanxi folk culture. At the workshop, over 80 scholars from various provinces, like Shaanxi, Sichuan, Henan, and Hubei, did particular research and discussion towards the themes of southern Shaanxi folk culture, dialect and custom, and tourism. Moreover, the scholar from our center provided over 20 consulting reports to the local governments, enterprises and schools, which effectively promoted the developing of local culture.
The center focus on the research of southern Shaanxi folk culture, aiming at promoting the development of local society, exhibiting colorful southern folk culture, and establishing a platform for the cooperated developments of culture, economy and society. Besides, the research center also makes impressive contributions to the local social development, cultural prosperity, and economic construction. Currently, three main research directions of the center are dialect and custom, folk literature, and tourism, after the center integrating its research team.