Conference on China Studies concludes with shared vision
Print Edition
THE study of China is no longer limited to Sinology or area studies. It has become a global conversation about civilization, development and the future of knowledge itself.
The idea ran through the concluding plenary session of the World Conference on China Studies this week in Shanghai.
Nearly 500 scholars from more than 60 countries and regions concluded two days of wide-ranging discussions on “Historical and Contemporary China: A Global Perspective.”
Speakers said the event reflected how World China Studies — a discipline that connects the humanities, social sciences and digital research — is entering a new stage marked by openness, innovation and mutual learning.
Quan Heng, deputy director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Shanghai Committee and Party secretary of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said the event deepened global understanding of both historical and contemporary China.
“We explored what China Studies means in today’s world — its historical roots, current relevance and future direction,” Quan said.
“Together, we are shaping a clearer and more dynamic picture of World China Studies.”
He highlighted four milestones of the conference: the Shanghai Initiative for Global Mutual Learning and Advancement of China Studies, the inaugural issue of the China Studies journal, the World China Studies Development Report, and the first-ever recommended bibliography for World China Studies.
“These outcomes show the academic vitality and inclusiveness of this field,” Quan said. “China Studies is not only about researching China, but also about understanding civilization itself.”
Chen Ying, Party secretary and deputy director of the National Library of China, explained how the recommended bibliography was compiled.
The list includes 54 major works published between 2005 and 2024, including 30 by senior international scholars, 10 by young overseas researchers and 14 by Chinese scholars working on World China Studies.
The books span fields from history and philosophy to economics, literature and art. The authors represent 16 countries and nine languages, including English, French, German, Japanese and Spanish.
“This list reflects nearly 20 years of academic exchange,” said Zhao Gang, vice president of Beijing Foreign Studies University.
“It honors established figures like Henry Kissinger, Ezra Vogel and Jacques Gernet, and also encourages younger voices to join this expanding dialog.”
Scholars summarized key insights from the five sub-forums held during the conference.
Zhang Weiwei, dean of the China Institute at Fudan University, said scholars discussed topics ranging from civilization continuity and social reform to global governance.
“This is an era that both needs ideas and can produce them,” he said. “Our discussions showed that real progress comes from genuine intellectual exchange.”
Zhang Guanzi, director of the Institute of Chinese-style Modernization at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, emphasized that China’s modernization offers “a creative path different from Western models.”
He said the forum’s participants viewed it as “a living example of how an ancient civilization redefines modernization through its own values.”
Shen Guilong, director of the Institute of China Studies at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, noted that interdisciplinary collaboration is becoming central to World China Studies.
“Real China Studies must connect history and reality,” he said. “It must integrate perspectives from the humanities, social sciences and new digital technologies.”
Gao Jinping, director of the Institute of International Chinese Culture Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University, summarized the youth forum, where young scholars and institutions launched the World China Studies Journal Alliance.
“Young researchers are both the inheritors and innovators of China Studies,” she said. “They represent the future of this discipline.”
For many foreign scholars, the conference reinforced the value of firsthand engagement.
Emily Wilcox, professor of modern languages and literatures/Chinese studies at the College of William & Mary in the United States, said her own experience began when she came to Beijing as a dancer years ago.
“That visit opened my eyes to a world very different from my own,” she said. “Today, I encourage my students to come to China — to see, listen and experience it themselves.”
Wilcox said she was particularly struck by how the conference called for more inclusive and international cooperation.
“Chinese studies are not just an English-language field,” she said. “It’s happening everywhere — in many languages and contexts. This kind of global collaboration helps students and scholars alike understand China from multiple perspectives.”
From Greece, professor Konstantinos Polymeros of the University of Western Macedonia said his fascination with Chinese philosophy began after reading Laozi.
“What impressed me was the balance — the dualist thought, the harmony between opposites,” he said. “If I had to describe China in one word, it would be ‘the future.’”
He believes that China’s growing cultural vitality, not only its economy, attracts young scholars.
“Many of my students want to learn Chinese not just for work but to understand another way of life — fast-paced yet calm. That balance attracts many young people,” he said.
Quan said the next step is to build “an open and collaborative research network” that connects ideas and people across borders.
“China Studies has become a bridge linking civilizations,” he said. “It helps the world see a China rooted in history, open to the future and connecting with the world.”
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