BNU Philosophy Summer School 2018

The BNU Philosophy Summer School 2018 from July 8th to 23rd is themed “Confucianism & a Community of Shared Future for Humanity”. The program was financially supported by the Young Leaders Fellowship Subprogram of Confucius China Studies Program of Confucius Institute Headquarters and Beijing Normal University. The 2018 summer program enrolled 34 overseas participants from 16 countries, including Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Italy, Switzerland, UK, USA, etc., and 9 Chinese students who were keen on Chinese culture and issues.

The two-week summer school invited 9 renowned scholars from 5 universities of 3 countries to share their insights with the participants. The summer school has organized diversified activities, such as academic lectures, group discussion, and trips to places of interests, to enable the participants to compare Chinese traditions with the West from different perspectives. Through those activities, the philosophic essence of traditional Chinese culture and the current situation of Chinese culture has been fully presented.

July 8th, Sunday

08:30-19:00

Reception at Liyun Apartotel No.3 Student Apartment

July 9th, Monday

Speaker/Moderator

08:30-09:20

Opening Ceremony & Group Photo

09:30-12:00

Repaying Resentment by Virtue or Straightforwardness? Confucianism and Daoism

Liu Xiaogan

14:00-16:30

Visualizing Round Heaven and Square Earth:

An Introduction to Han Cosmology

John Major

July 10th, Tuesday

09:00-11:30

The Analects in the Han

Mark Csikszentmihalyi

14:00-16:30

Heshang Gong & Huanglao

Thomas Michael

July 11th, Wednesday

09:00-11:30

The Establishment of Confucianism as the State Ideology

Keith Knapp

14:00-16:00

A Visit to Confucius Institute Headquarters

16:30-18:00

Cultural Experience (1): Learning Tai Chi

July 12th, Thursday

09:00-11:30

Decoding the Mawangdui Banner

John Major

14:00-16:30

Filial Piety in the Han Dynasty

Jiang Limei

July 13th, Friday

09:00-11:30

Theories of Ritual in the Han

Mark Csikszentmihalyi

14:00-16:30

The Idea of Great Peace

Barbara Hendrischke

July 14th, Saturday

08:30-14:00

Cultural Experience (2): A Visit to the Forbidden City

14:30-17:00

Cultural Experience (3): A Visit to National Museum of China

July 15th, Sunday

09:00-14:00

Cultural Experience (4): A Visit to Summer Palace

14:00-18:00

Cultural Experience (5): A Visit to the Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube

July 16th, Monday

09:00-11:30

Religious and Social Ideals as reflected in Han Material Culture

Keith Knapp

14:00-16:30

The Cantongqi (Unity of the Three) and the Culture of Neidan (Internal Alchemy) in Daoism

Tian Zhizhong

July 17th, Tuesday

09:00-11:30

“One Must Study Texts in Order to Live Well”: How one’s Conduct of Life Was Seen to Depend on Study

Barbara Hendrischke

14:00-16:30

The Confucian Benevolence: Connotations, Transcendence, and Critical Reflections

Li Xiangjun

July 18th, Wednesday

09:00-11:30

The ‘Han Confucian Synthesis’ That Wasn’t:

Re-Thinking Dong Zhongshu

John Major

14:30-17:00

Optional Discussion with Speakers in a Café

18:30-20:30

Cultural Experience (6): Learning Chinese Calligraphy

July 19th, Thursday

09:00-11:30

Critics of the Han Government and Its Ideology

Keith Knapp

14:00-17:30

Free Time

July 20th, Friday

09:00-11:30

A Critical Approach to Classical Learning

Barbara Hendrischke

14:00-16:30

Presentation by Representative Participants & Closing Ceremony

July 21st, Saturday

09:00-11:30

Cultural Experience (7): A Visit to Beijing Confucian Temple, the Imperial College and Hutong

13:00-18:00

Free Time

July 22nd, Sunday

08:00-16:00

Cultural Experience (8): A Visit to the Great Wall

July 23rd, Monday

8:00-22:00

Departure