The “10th Contemporary Chinese Thanatology Conference and Contemporary Thanatology Educators’ Workshop,” hosted by Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau (KWNC) and co-organized by the Chinese Life and Death Studies and Education Association, was successfully held October 10–11 at KWNC. Under the theme “Chinese Thanatology in a Global Perspective,” the conference explored the trajectory of Chinese-language thanatology from Western theoretical roots toward localized development, integrating traditional moral-psychological thought with contemporary cultural practice to chart future directions for the field.
The opening ceremony on October 11 received support from the Macao SAR government and various sectors. The conference adopted both on-site and hybrid format, drawing about 400 in-person attendees and more than 20,000 online viewers.

In her address, Vice President of KWNC Leong Sok Ma emphasized the significance of the theme “Chinese Thanatology in a Global Perspective,” aiming to articulate unique Chinese interpretations of life value and to foster dialogue with other cultural perspectives in a globalized context, offering an Eastern viewpoint on ultimate human concerns. She highlighted the conference’s invitation of interdisciplinary experts from the UK, mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao to break disciplinary boundaries and examine multidimensional aspects of life-and-death issues, urging participants to consider how thanatology education can take root in communities and classrooms and to illuminate inner wisdom with academic rigor and humanistic warmth.

Professor Niu Zecheng, Honorary President of the Chinese Life and Death Studies and Education Association, reviewed the conference’s development since its inaugural 2016 session at Tsinghua University, noting that platforms such as Peking University’s Qingming Forum and Tsinghua’s Zhongyuan Forum have helped form a diversified thanatology conference brand across mainland China. He praised Macao’s unique advantages as a host—preserving cultural traditions while embracing openness—providing participants with novel and resonant insights into thanatology and expanding diverse pathways for personal and social life-and-death settlement.

The conference gathered leading international scholars and provided a multi-level exchange platform with plenary keynote speeches and parallel sessions. Highlights included: Professor Wang Yifang (Peking University School of Medical Humanities) re-examining near-death exploration and offering new perspectives on death experiences. Professor Yang Shulan (former Director of the Comprehensive Editorial Office, Peking University Press) sharing personal reflections on the relationship between death, cherishing life, and love. Dr. Peng Xiaohua (columnist, China Newsweek) analyzing differences in end-of-life practices between China and the U.S., offering cross-cultural perspectives on good death, death attitudes, and thanatology education. Dr. Ros Taylor MBE (Medical Director, Harlington Hospice, UK) discussing the global significance of palliative care. Associate Professor Chung Yat Nork (School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong) examining global bioethics perspectives in end-of-life care.

Professor Lin Chi-yun (Department of Thanatology and Health Psychology Counseling, Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences) analyzing sociocultural factors influencing individual suicide risk. Professor Zhu Mingxia (KWNC) presenting a conceptual framework and measurement tools for death literacy rooted in Chinese local culture. Professor Ho Yan Fu (Zhejiang University of Media and Communication) reconstructing Chinese life-and-death wisdom within a world perspective from a Confucian viewpoint.

Three parallel sessions focused on death education and death literacy research, palliative care and caregiving practice research, and death culture studies, delivering 34 presentations that facilitated in-depth professional exchanges and promoted theory-practice integration.