Attendees take photos outside the Yanqi Lake International Convention and Exhibition Center in Beijing on Nov. 7, 2024. [Photo courtesy of the organizer]

The first World Conference of Classics opened at the Yanqi Lake International Convention and Exhibition Center in Beijing on Nov. 7. The two-day event, themed "Classical Civilizations and the Modern World," brought together experts and scholars from more than 30 countries and regions to discuss the relevance of classical civilizations in the modern world.

At the conference, Gao Xiang, president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), and Lina Mendoni, Greek minister of culture, conducted the handover ceremony of the permission documents for the establishment of the China Classical Civilization Research Institute in Athens. This joint initiative between China and Greece aims to deepen academic research, exchange and mutual learning of classical civilizations. 

The establishment ceremony of the China Classical Civilization Research Institute is held at the Yanqi Lake International Convention and Exhibition Center in Beijing on Nov. 7, 2024. [Photo courtesy of the organizer]

Gao Xiang expounded on the close connection between classical civilizations and the modern world. Classical civilizations have created splendid cultural arts and made far-reaching ideological and academic achievements, he explained, adding that Eastern and Western classical civilizations have laid the foundation for human development. Gao emphasized that the new research institute should respond to the Global Civilization Initiative, uphold the principles of inclusiveness, mutual learning and making the past serve the present, take the path of disciplinary integration, interact with multiple disciplines and draw on new technologies to activate the vitality of classical civilizations.

Theodoros Papangelis, head of the delegation from the Academy of Athens in Greece, said in his speech that the conference is of great significance to classical scholars. He pointed out the modern phenomenon of paying too much attention to the future while ignoring ancient history, and referred to frequent discussions in the West about the crisis in the humanities, especially in classical studies. As such, he likened the conference to building a bridge between the classical and the modern, with the participants as the builders. 

Papangelis also highlighted the unique nature of the two countries jointly hosting the conference, as both China and Greece have long-standing and important classical traditions, which are crucial to the formation of national identities and societies. He concluded by expressing his firm belief that the conference will promote further exchanges between the two countries and have an impact on the world.

The World Conference of Classics kicks off at the Yanqi Lake International Convention and Exhibition Center in Beijing on Nov. 7, 2024. [Photo courtesy of the organizer]

The first World Conference of Classics was co-hosted by the CASS, China's Ministry of Education and Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Greece's Ministry of Culture, and the Academy of Athens.