Beijing to host first World Conference of Classics

A global conference reflecting on the enduring legacy of ancient wisdom and its relevance in the modern world will be held in Beijing next week.

Titled the World Conference of Classics, the meeting will be held from Nov 6 to 8, with the theme "Classical Civilizations and the Modern World".

The event is being jointly organized by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China's Ministry of Education and Ministry of Culture and Tourism, as well as the Ministry of Culture of Greece and the Academy of Athens.

More than 400 domestic and foreign experts on classical studies are expected to participate, reflecting on multiple ancient civilizations and discussing the development of knowledge and thought. Some 200 participants from 30 countries, including South Korea, Japan, Egypt, Germany, Russia, Greece, the United Kingdom, the United States, Argentina and Australia, are scheduled to attend.

The three-day event will delve into topics such as the understanding and interpretation of major ancient civilizations, philology and academic traditions of classical studies, as well as how ancient wisdom can inspire modern-day people in a digital era, said Yao Zhizhong, director of the bureau of international cooperation of the CASS and secretary-general of the conference's secretariat, while attending a news briefing on Thursday.

Confucianism and ancient Greek philosophy will also be examined from a comparative perspective.

"The conference aims to provide a platform for researchers on the world's ancient civilizations to exchange ideas and foster consensus," Yao said.

He Fangying, researcher at CASS' Institute of Foreign Literature, said the conference particularly focuses on how ancient wisdom — the power of reason and sentiment in ancient civilizations — can provide intellectual impetus and enlightenment to understand and tackle the challenges of the modern world.

She added that this is exactly the focus and core value of classical studies today, and that the conference is also an opportunity to present the academic accumulations of China's classical studies over the past three decades and discuss wisdom from not only ancient Greece and Rome, but also that of other ancient civilizations.

Topics regarding ancient India, Egypt, Arabia and southern Africa will also be discussed during the conference. Virtue, peace, mutual translation of ancient classics, cultural exchange and mutual learning are among the keywords for the discussions, she added.

More than 8,000 copies of Chinese and foreign ancient classics, as well as academic works on classical studies around the world, will be exhibited at the conference, said Wang Lan, chief librarian of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Library.

According to Yao, a variety of supporting activities will be held before and during the event. For example, participants of the conference will be invited to visit key heritage sites, museums and research institutions in Shandong, Henan and Sichuan provinces from Sunday to Tuesday to learn more about Chinese history and experience local culture.