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International Conference: East Asian‘s
View on World Culture
By Liu Li
PKU NEWS 2003—10—24
http://ennews.pku.edu.cn/news.php?s=72146526
Peking University, Beijing, Oct.24th , 2003: An international conference, under the
name of East Asia‘s View on World Culture, gave its opening ceremony at the north
attaching hall of the library of Peking University this morning.
This conference, seen as an echoing voice of the 2000 report on cultural diversity of
UNESCO, was the first one that focuses on this specific topic with such large scale
and active academic involvement. With Peking University as its major sponsor, this
conference invited scholars within this realm around the Asia region to discuss topics
concerning cultural diversity and the specific role Confucianism will play in the new
21st century.
Mr. Tian Xiaogang, secretary general of the Representatives of UNESCO in China,
together with Mr. Wu Zhipan, vice-president of Peking University, spoke at the
ceremony, expressing their view towards cultural diversity and delivered their good
wishes for this conference to be held successfully.
Mr. Du Weimin, professor of Harvard University and guest professor of Peking
University together with Mr. Tang Yijie, professor of Peking University and Mr. Ren
Jiyu, president of national library, made their keynote speech at the opening
cereromy. They all expressed their view concerning the role traditional Confusionism
will play in the new era. Mr. Du Weimin flashed back in history about researches over
contemperary Confucianism and concluded that due to the special feature of
traditional Chinese culture as being gentle, the cultural message beard by the rise of
Chinese people will not be taken as a sign of possible hegemony. He further raised
his point of public intellectual as always being concerned with knowledge and
cultural development.
As being co-sponcored by Harvard-Yenching Institute, this conference was also an
annual meeting of Harvard-Yenching members.
Edited By : Liu Li
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