Sponsored by Mencius Institute of Nishan World Confucianism Center and Mencius Society of China, and co-sponsored by Department of Philosophy of Capital Normal University and School of History of Nanjing University, the symposium on “Mencius’sThoughts and Their Influence on Chinese History”was held in Zoucheng City, Shandong province,hometown of Mencius, from August 18th to 19th.

More than 60 experts and scholars from Tsinghua University, Peking University, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Nanjing University, and many other domestic and foreign universities and research institutions attended the symposium either online or in person. Kong Deli, Distinguished Expert of Mencius Research Institute, Professor of Philosophy of Capital Normal University, Taishan scholar, convenor of the symposium, presided over the opening ceremony.

Research FellowChen Xiaoxia, Secretary of the Party Committee and Dean of the Mencius Research Institute, Professor Chen Peng, Professor of Philosophy and Head of the Discipline of Chinese Philosophy of Capital Normal University, and Professor Liang Chen, Vice Dean of the School of History of Nanjing University,delivered speeches at the opening ceremony. The eventinvited Mr. Huang Junjie, Distinguished Chair Professor of National Taiwan University, to deliver the opening keynote speechentitled “Homology and Dissimilarity of Studies on East Asian Sage Mencius”via video link.

The two-day symposium received 29 papers with profound themes and rich content. The symposiumis divided into five conferencesand two academic seminarsby topic. The speeches of experts and scholars cover a wide array of academic focuses and hot issues, including the history of Menciusthoughtsat home and abroad, the political, historical and philosophical dimensions of Mencius’stheories andthe modern reconstruction. They exploredthe ideologiesof Mencius and highlightedthe value of Mencius’sthoughts in the new era. In the seminars,experts and scholars launched a heated discussion on Mencius’sthought of benevolence and justice, the theory of good nature, the ideas of traditions and changes and the theory of well-field system. The experts gave detailed answersto young scholars’questions, yielding fruitful results in academic exchanges.

The symposium invited many well-known experts and scholars at home and abroad to gather together to examine Mencius’s thoughts. This grand event of academic discussions among high-caliber experts serves asan important platform for academic exchange and interaction and the promotion of Mencius’sthoughts. (source from chinakongzi.org)