The underrepresented sibling of the Symposium on Second Language Writing—A report from Mainland China

Abstract

Abstract To address the lack of representation of second language writing (SLW) conferences other than the Symposium on Second Language Writing (SSLW), this short communication provides a report on the International Conference on Teaching and Researching EFL Writing in China (CEFLW) from historical, diachronic, and synchronic perspectives. Historically, we introduce CEFLW by tracing its history and describe CEFLW 2018 by reporting on the major topics of presentations. Diachronically, we compare CEFLW 2018 and CEFLW 2008 and examine the changes in this sibling of SSLW over a 10-year gap. Synchronically, we compare CEFLW 2018 and SSLW 2018 and illustrate that despite their differences, the co-existence of the conferences has expanded the territory of SLW research and facilitated the improvement of the teaching and learning of SLW. We conclude that CEFLW is an international platform for SLW scholars in China to interact among themselves and with scholars from abroad. Such communication can foster the development of SLW in Mainland China and promote academic exchange within the international field of SLW.