The Symposium on The Critical History of Ancient Chinese Buddhist Historiography and the Progress Meeting for the National Social Science Foundation Major Program "Research and Database Construction of Chinese Buddhist Local Gazetteers" convened in the Humanities Building of Renmin University of China on June 21, 2025. Hosted by the Institute of Qing History and the program team, the symposium assembled over twenty scholars from Peking University, Beijing Normal University, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and other institutions.

       The symposium focused on Professor Cao Ganghua’s newly published monograph. Participating experts assessed its scholarly significance and methods through the lens of academic history. Also at this symposium, the Chinese Buddhist Gazetteer Ancient Texts Database was unveiled, featuring innovative interactive functions like reader collation and knowledge trees. This initiative aims to establish a digital humanities platform for scholar-source engagement.