On Nov. 7, the first World Conference of Classics kicked off in Beijing. General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the significant academic event. From the historical and contemporary height of ensuring the sustainability of Chinese civilization as well as the prosperity and symbiosis of world civilization, the letter profoundly elaborates on a series of major theoretical and practical issues regarding strengthening cultural exchanges between China and Greece, implementing the Global Civilization Initiative, and promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. It again encapsulates and vividly illustrates Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, providing fundamental principles and actionable guidance as we shoulder the mission of consolidating the civilizational foundation for building a human community with a shared future through classical studies. Guided by the spirit of the congratulatory letter and seizing opportunities presented by the inaugural World Conference of Classics, we should intensify classical studies and strive to construct a Chinese school in this field to actively advance exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, ensuring that Chinese voices are heard.

First, we should adhere unequivocally to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture. The development, progress, and prosperity of classics are inseparable from the direction provided by scientific theory. Western classics have long dominated the international classics community, largely shaped by perspectives, methodologies, and frameworks rooted in the interests of Western ruling classes. As a result, their research has been confined to the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome, leading to conclusions with inherent class and temporal limitations. For Chinese classical studies to overcome these limitations and surpass Western classics, Chinese scholarship must adhere firmly to Xi Jinping Thought on Culture as its fundamental guide. It is essential to integrate the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s congratulatory letter to the inaugural World Conference of Classics with the broader implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, particularly his significant statements on historical sciences, weaving them accurately through all aspects of classical studies. Xi Jinping Thought on Culture should serve as the standard and measure for driving theoretical innovation and evaluating key theoretical issues in Chinese classical studies. The standard and measure should be used to examine both Chinese and world civilizations, as well as both modern and classical civilizations, with a view to building a fundamental theoretical system for Chinese classical studies guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, ensuring that the discipline develops steadily along the correct trajectory over the long term.

Second, we should establish a Chinese school for classical studies. The emergence of a school of thought signifies academic prosperity and the maturity of a discipline. Advancing Chinese classical studies and building an independent knowledge system in this field requires the creation of a Chinese school that preserves history, inherits culture, and carries forward academic traditions. This effort is not aimed at aligning with the West, nor at validating or extolling Western culture. Instead, it seeks to better showcase China’s time-honored, splendid civilization to the world, highlighting and promoting Chinese stances, values, and spirit. Chinese classical studies shoulders the lofty mission of defining Chinese civilization’s historical and academic status in the history of world civilization more explicitly. To achieve this, we must strengthen the independence and innovation of the knowledge system for classical studies, adopting a global perspective while rejecting Western centrism. Historical materialism should be upheld, alongside the dual-evidence method, which emphasizes the mutual validation of textual and cultural relics studies. We should prioritize Chinese civilization while adopting best practices, recognizing both the differences and commonalities between different civilizations. It is essential to learn from the past to serve the present, integrating classical doctrines with contemporary values to uncover wisdom for navigating the future. We must value theoretical and methodological innovation and advocate for the integration of studies on intellectual and social history, seeking principles intrinsic to humanity’s spiritual changes from interactions between ideas and society. Interdisciplinary research should also be actively pursued, while embracing cutting-edge technologies and emerging disciplines to revitalize classical studies. Guided by the spirit of continuous innovation—“If you can improve yourself in a day, do so each day, forever building on improvement”—we can unleash the creativity and vitality of classical civilization.

Third, we should promote academic development amid exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. Exchanges and mutual learning are an indispensable path for the evolution, development, and flourishing of world civilization. The uninterrupted history of the Chinese nation over more than 5,000 years is rooted in its historical orientation toward interaction, communication, and integration, attributable to its cultural openness and inclusiveness toward civilizations around the world. In his congratulatory letter to the inaugural World Conference of Classics, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized China’s commitment to the preservation and development of civilizations, adding that China is dedicated to enhancing international people-to-people exchanges and fostering global dialogues among civilizations. He reiterated that China stands ready to work with other nations in implementing the Global Civilization Initiative, seeking wisdom and drawing nourishment from different civilizations. Chinese classical studies must uphold the spirit of this congratulatory letter and make the implementation of the Global Civilization Initiative the historical mission of the field, following the principles of openness and inclusiveness, and treating each civilization with the scientific attitude of “assimilating the essence and discarding the dross.” It is necessary to innovate by returning to fundamentals—profoundly summarizing the unique strengths of Chinese civilization while incorporating valuable elements from other civilizations—in order to construct a more open, inclusive, and historically grounded knowledge genealogy for global classical studies. We should expand our research vision and investigate the origins and evolution of human civilizations from the broad perspective of civilizational diversity, and generate outcomes that integrate both the past and the present, and Chinese and Western scholarship.

Fourth, we must properly tell the stories of Chinese civilization in an academic manner. Amplifying China’s voice and spreading its fine traditional culture is the basic point of departure for Chinese classical studies. Chinese classical studies is tasked with extracting and refining the essence of China’s extensive and profound civilization, reinforcing the historical roots of cultural confidence, and establishing a strong civilizational base for cultural subjectivity. We should fully leverage the power of integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with fine traditional Chinese culture to uncover the treasures of classical Chinese civilization, and explore both contemporary and future-oriented intellectual and discursive innovation. The aim is to develop a discourse system centering on and serving Chinese classical studies, offering fresh references and models for classical studies around the world, particularly the vast Global South. Only by grounding ourselves in Chinese civilization’s magnificent 5,000-year-long history can we offer insightful answers to the questions of what defines China and why it has evolved as it has. This will serve to enrich the Chinese discourse system and framework along the dimensions of history and civilization while refining the logic of the Chinese narrative system, which will aid in making the culturally rich and profound Chinese civilization more comprehensible to the world. The newly established Chinese School of Classical Studies at Athens should advance this mission by academically presenting China’s civilizational narrative, promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, and boosting the growth and sublimation of human civilization.

Understanding where we come from is pivotal to charting where we are headed. In its unprecedented modernization efforts, contemporary China needs to draw deeply on its historical and cultural wisdom, supported by insights from the humanities and social sciences, including classical studies. Under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, Chinese classical studies must enhance historical awareness, bolster cultural confidence, and mine the intellectual riches of Chinese civilization while embracing valuable elements of foreign cultures. This will require sound research, nuanced interpretation, and effective communication of the spiritual symbols and cultural essence of Chinese civilization. It is crucial to creatively transform and innovatively develop fine traditional Chinese culture, taking the responsibility of this new cultural mission. In doing so, Chinese classical studies can contribute meaningfully to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the sustainable advancement of human civilization.