CSCSA Photo: Wang Zhou/CSST

On the morning of Nov. 7, Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the first World Conference of Classics. During the opening ceremony, Gao Xiang, president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), announced the establishment of the Chinese School of Classical Studies at Athens (CSCSA). This prestigious academic institution, “based in Athens” and “dedicated to classical studies,” quickly became a focal point of discussion among attending experts and scholars both domestically and internationally, as well as in media coverage.

The establishment of the CSCSA in Athens is a strategic move to implement President Xi Jinping’s Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) and to fulfill the important consensus reached between the leaders of China and Greece. To gain a deeper understanding of the CSCSA and address key questions of public interest—such as “why it has been established, who is behind the establishment, and how to establish it?,”—CSST conducted interviews with several prominent figures from CASS: Yao Zhizhong, director of the Bureau of International Cooperation; Li Xinwei, the first president of the CSCSA; Liu Zuokui, director of the Institute of World History; Zhang Zhiqiang, director of the Institute of Philosophy; and He Fangying, head of the classics research office at the Institute of Foreign Literature.

The interviewees unanimously agreed that President Xi Jinping’s congratulatory letter to the inaugural World Conference of Classics provides fundamental guidance for both the founding and ongoing development of the CSCSA. It serves as the cornerstone of the institution’s establishment and the soul of its advancement. The academic community should seize this significant opportunity to build a Chinese school of classical studies under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, constructing an independent Chinese knowledge system, actively implementing the GCI, and contributing wisdom to exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

CSST: In his congratulatory letter to the first World Conference of Classics, President Xi Jinping noted that “the conference, co-organized by China and Greece, along with the establishment of the Chinese School of Classical Studies at Athens, has created a new platform for civilizational exchange and mutual learning for China, Greece, and other nations in the world.” How will the CSCSA play a unique and important role in further deepening classical studies, promoting the inheritance and development of civilizations, and advancing civilizational exchanges and mutual learning?

Liu Zuokui: President Xi Jinping’s congratulatory letter to the first World Conference of Classics has provided the CSCSA with both important directions and a significant historical mission. The CSCSA is tasked with creating a new platform for civilizational exchanges and mutual learning among China, Greece, and other nations. It is committed to promoting the inheritance and development of civilizations, strengthening international people-to-people exchanges, facilitating dialogue among global civilizations, seeking wisdom and drawing nourishment from different civilizations, and actively implementing the GCI. It aims to collaborate on addressing the various challenges humanity faces and work together to advance the development and progress of human civilization.

The CSCSA is the first high-level, prestigious platform and institution for classical studies established by CASS overseas. It primarily adopts an interdisciplinary research approach, integrating classics, archaeology, history, philosophy, literature, linguistics, sociology, and other disciplines of social and natural sciences, while also employing emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and digital humanities. The goal is to enhance exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and other civilizations through original research as well as the establishment and analysis of independent concepts and discourse systems, thereby contributing to the enrichment and expansion of Chinese civilization.

The CSCSA’s specific role is reflected in two main areas. First, as a research platform, it will focus on Chinese civilization and Chinese thought to reexamine world civilization, constructing an independent knowledge system for classical studies under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, particularly Xi Jinping Thought on Culture. This will provide a clearer and more distinctive academic framework for Chinese classics.

Second, the CSCSA aims to use academic methods to promote civilizational exchanges and mutual learning, not by simply aligning with Western traditions. It seeks to build a global research system for classics with a broader vision, more accurately reflecting the diverse truths of world civilizations. By adhering to the principle of making the past serve the present, and utilizing Western ideas to benefit China, the CSCSA will continue to draw wisdom from world classical civilizations through equal exchanges and mutual learning. This approach will help resolve conflicts between the ancient and the modern, as well as between China and the West. It will provide academic support for the creation of cultural achievements that merge the ancient and the modern, and facilitate the integration of Chinese and Western cultures. Moreover, it will promote the continued growth and refinement of Chinese civilization, contributing the wisdom of Chinese classical studies to the overall advancement of Chinese modernization, the development of a new model for human advancement, and the building of a human community with a shared future.

Zhang Zhiqiang: The primary objective of establishing the CSCSA in Greece, the heart of European civilization, is to effectively share stories of Chinese civilization and convey its values to the world. Simultaneously, the institution must engage in comparative research between Chinese, Greek, and European civilizations. With the goal of properly telling stories of Chinese civilization, the CSCSA will also focus on advancing exchanges and mutual learning between different civilizations. This is the core mission of the institution.

The CSCSA must not only disseminate the values of Chinese civilization but also serve as a platform for the exchange of research data and information. This will attract the attention of European and Western scholars of classics to the study of Chinese civilization, fostering exchanges and mutual learning in this field. Furthermore, Western scholars’ research on Chinese civilization, along with joint efforts between Chinese and Western scholars, will encourage domestic scholars to deepen their understanding of Western civilization. This, in turn, will facilitate the inheritance and development of civilizations, help humanity address common challenges, and draw wisdom and strength from ancient civilizations.

We aim to build the CSCSA into a global hub for exchanges on classical studies. The key to achieving this is to embrace the concept of “broad classics,” rather than limiting ourselves to the study of ancient Greece and Rome. This approach recognizes that all ancient civilizations have their own classical traditions, which are rooted in their unique historical and cultural contexts. Becoming an international academic exchange platform for classical studies is also a central function of the CSCSA. We should enrich the connotations of classical studies, imbuing it with new historical significance for the new era, and broaden its disciplinary scope, rather than restricting the research focus to ancient Greek and Roman civilizations alone.

He Fangying: The establishment of the CSCSA in Athens holds profound significance. It serves as both a window through which ancient Chinese civilization can present itself to the world and as a critical milestone in the progression of world civilization history. Based on the “two integrations” (integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and fine traditional culture), the renewed Chinese civilization will actively contribute to the construction of world civilization. It will promote exchanges and mutual learning with global historical significance between Chinese and Western civilizations, infusing the modern world with a classical spirit that merges Eastern and Western traditions. Through dialogue and mutual learning, this will create a new narrative for human civilization. I look forward to the future of the CSCSA as a platform for comprehensive dialogue and cooperation between domestic and international classicists. This will provide scholars of classical studies from various countries with the opportunity to engage in in-depth archaeological fieldwork in Greece, combining textual research with explorations of actual civilizational sites.

As a window to showcase Chinese civilization, the CSCSA, based in the heart of Western civilization, is dedicated to promoting mutual learning and dialogue between the two great ancient civilizations of China and Greece, allowing Eastern and Western cultures to shine together in Greece. This holds far-reaching significance. As the first Asian country to establish a physical research institution in Greece, the CSCSA must not only “go out” but also “bring in.” It will not only present the core ideas and cultural achievements of Chinese civilization to the Greek people and the world but also integrate into the cultural and academic circles of Greece, presenting to the world an “academic China,” a “civilized China,” and an “inclusive China.”

CSST: President Xi Jinping’s congratulatory letter provides important guidance for carrying forward historical traditions and strengthening exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. How should we further deepen classical studies and international cultural exchanges, actively implement the GCI, and contribute insights to the advancement of human civilization? 

Liu Zuokui: First, we should fully leverage the two new platforms—the World Conference of Classics and the CSCSA. This year’s inaugural World Conference of Classics was a great success with wide-reaching impact. We look forward to even greater achievements from next year’s conference, as it continues to expand the network for civilizational exchanges and mutual learning. It is essential to actively promote the high-quality development of the CSCSA, engage broadly in dialogue on classics, research collaboration, and personnel exchanges, and build a high-end overseas platform for Chinese classical studies. Through the World Conference of Classics and the CSCSA, we should effectively share Chinese stories, amplify Chinese voices, and particularly highlight fine traditional Chinese culture, promoting more balanced perceptions into China abroad and facilitating a comprehensive, in-depth, and accurate understanding of Chinese civilization by other civilizations.

Second, we should make effective use of various channels and platforms at different levels. By strengthening cooperation between Chinese and Greek academia, leveraging China’s relationships with international organizations like UNESCO, and utilizing China’s global networks with other national and regional organizations, we can actively incorporate civilizational dialogue, mutual learning, and exchanges into key global agendas. These topics should be promoted, disseminated, and researched to actively implement the GCI. This will ensure that Chinese perspectives on civilization play a key role in advancing world multi-polarization and democratization, and in addressing the challenges ahead of human development.

Third, we should use classical studies as a “small entry point” to tackle larger issues. Currently, classical studies are in decline in the Western world. To promote civilizational exchanges and mutual learning, China should not only enhance understanding of its own civilization but also deepen understanding of world civilizations, learning from both successes and failures. By proactively establishing platforms and constructing global-level research in classical studies, we can advance the mutual translation of classical works, foster academic dialogue, and enhance mutual understanding. For instance, both Chinese and Greek classical civilizations share values such as the pursuit of virtue, supreme good, loyalty to principles, harmony, and a sense of community—values that are critical in overcoming the challenges of modernity and reinforcing the foundation of pluralistic modernity. These commonalities should be explored further. By tracing the roots of classical civilizations and engaging in comparative studies, mutual understanding can be nurtured. This process will help us better understand ourselves, respect “others,” and form a civilizational consensus. Academically, this will strengthen the interpretation and implementation of the GCI, thereby promoting the progress of human civilization.

CSST: Could you introduce the background and reasons for establishing the CSCSA? 

Yao Zhizhong: Athens, as the center of ancient Greek civilization, has had a profound influence on Western thought and is widely regarded as the birthplace of Western civilization and philosophy. The city’s rich historical landmarks and archaeological resources offer invaluable materials for studying the intellectual and cultural heritage of ancient Greece. Prior to the establishment of the CSCSA, 19 countries—mostly developed Western nations—had already set up research institutes dedicated to classical studies in Athens. Among them, France took the lead in 1846 by founding the École Française d’Athènes.

As a major country, China, with its growing cultural soft power and other strengths, also chose to establish the CSCSA in Athens. This decision received strong backing from the leaders of both China and Greece, and was made possible through the active promotion of relevant departments.

The establishment of the CSCSA in Athens serves several key purposes. First, it is a step toward implementing the GCI, aiming to help the world better understand the origins, development, and unique features of Chinese civilization. Second, it seeks to create a new platform for civilizational exchanges and mutual learning among China, Greece, and other countries, promoting the inheritance and development of civilizations, fostering global dialogue on civilization, and advancing the progress of human civilization. Third, it aims to construct a Chinese school of classical studies and build an independent Chinese knowledge system within this field.

Edited by YANG LANLAN