In his congratulatory letter to the inaugural World Conference of Classics, President Xi Jinping articulated his hope that scholars and experts would undertake the mission of classical studies, making greater contributions to the promotion of civilizational inheritance and development, as well as civilizational exchange and mutual learning. This marks the first time a Chinese leader has expressed such a keen expectation for the ancient yet modern discipline of classics, representing a historic encounter between its academic mission and China’s civilizational aspirations.

President Xi’s message underscores the necessity of aligning classical studies with a nation’s civilizational traditions and concerns. For China, this means grounding the development of its classics in the rich traditions of Chinese civilization while adopting a global and future-oriented perspective. Instead of confining the field to the study of ancient Greece and Rome, the scope of classics should encompass all foundational civilizations that have produced enduring legacies in human history.

Classical scholars should incorporate the organization and study of historical Chinese texts, from ancient times through the late Qing and early Republican eras, into the discipline, reflecting the five distinctive characteristics of Chinese civilization. At the same time, they should deepen their understanding of the foundations of Western civilization, thereby blending Chinese and Western traditions. Developing China’s classics also requires a deliberate departure from Eurocentric paradigms to establish an independent scholarly discourse system. We should infuse the field with the classic principles of pluralistic coexistence, equality, and harmony, while embedding Chinese perspectives, Chinese aesthetics, and the Chinese spirit. This will aid in consolidating the wisdom and experience of all civilizations to build a community with a shared future.

The development of China’s classics poses an essential question for the nation’s civilizational trajectory: How can we preserve its fundamental virtues while advancing modernization? How can the wisdom of ancient civilizations guide the creation of new forms of modern civilization? While the term “classics” is of foreign origin, classical scholarship has long been intrinsic to Chinese civilization. Since the late Qing dynasty, with the eastward spread of Western learning, intense frictions between Chinese and Western civilizations have raised unavoidable questions for scholars regarding how to inherit and develop traditional Chinese culture.

In June 2023, President Xi Jinping proposed that China should continue to promote cultural prosperity and build a culturally strong nation from a new starting point. This new starting point corresponds to the great national rejuvenation to which China is committed. Modern China faces a historic choice between Chinese and Western civilizations. The new mission of classics lies in addressing the challenges posed by modern Western knowledge since the Renaissance. Chinese civilization, with its tradition of assimilating aspects of foreign cultures, has the richness and inclusivity to integrate diverse civilizations, even those that challenge traditional ways of life.

Successfully adapting to the challenges posed by modern Western civilization requires modern Chinese thought to become increasingly mature and self-assured, reflecting on the future of its civilization from a perspective informed by historical depth. For over a century, Chinese scholars have prioritized research on modern Western civilization from the 18th century onward, often neglecting the classical roots of Western traditions. However, the past two decades have seen increasing efforts to understand Western civilization more comprehensively.

Creating a new culture for the current era calls for efforts to develop the field of classical studies. The establishment of the Chinese School of Classical Studies in Athens provides a significant global platform for academic exchange and resource sharing. We believe that with the recent inaugural World Conference of Classics, China’s classical studies have entered a new historical phase. In addressing the perennial questions of human society and the challenges of the modern world, the two great classical civilizations of China and Greece are poised to strengthen civilizational exchange and mutual learning.

He Fangying is a research fellow from the Institute of Foreign Literature at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.