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     On the afternoon of July 10, 2025, the Youth Leadership Workshop themed “Chinese Thought and Modern Civilization” was held at the Yingdong Academic Hall of Beijing Normal University. Organized by the Center for Values and Culture Studies, the School of Philosophy, the International Confucian Association, and the Institute of Chinese Culture | Jingshi Academy at Beijing Normal University, this event served as a special celebration for the 10th anniversary of the Jingshi Philosophy Summer School. It brought together outstanding young scholars from the United States, Malaysia, Singapore, Chile, Brazil, Russia, and other countries for in-depth discussions on the integration and mutual learning between traditional Chinese culture and modern civilization development. The event was chaired by Professor Jiang Limei from the School of Philosophy at Beijing Normal University. Professor Thomas Michael served as the commentator, with Professors Riccardo Pozzo and Tobias Zürn also participating in the discussion.

   At the outset, Xiao Kai, Vice Dean of Jingshi Academy, delivered an opening address. He reviewed the project's development since its inception in 2015, emphasizing its consistent commitment to building bridges for Sino-Western cultural exchange and fostering global youth engagement with Chinese thought and modern civilization through an English-language platform. He specifically introduced the new Master's program in “Global Development and Governance” to be launched by the Academy in Fall 2026. Centered on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and employing an innovative project-based learning model, the program aims to provide students with practical opportunities to simulate the working environment of international organizations. Throughout his remarks, Xiao Kai repeatedly underscored the core principle of “dialogue rather than debate,” identifying it as essential for fostering cross-cultural understanding and global progress. He warmly invited the young scholars present to join this dynamic academic community, urging collective efforts to advance civilizational dialogue and innovative development. Concluding his address, he extended congratulations on the program's decade-long journey and expressed high hopes for deeper international academic collaboration in the years ahead.

(Vice President Xiao Kai of Jing Shi Academy delivered an opening address.)

   Outstanding young scholars from eight countries—including the United States, Malaysia, Singapore, Chile, Brazil, and Russia—presented keynote reports.

   Lucas Scipter, a faculty member from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, shared a report titled “Imaginative Agency and Meaning in Life: Lessons from the Zhuangzi.” The presentation focused on insights from Zhuangzi regarding contemporary life's meaning. Scipter highlighted that compared to Western existentialism and analytical philosophy (e.g., Camus, Susan Wolf), Zhuangzi uniquely emphasizes the importance of practical wisdom and imagination. This approach addresses the shortcomings of contemporary theories of meaning, which often overemphasize conceptual analysis while neglecting “how meaning is realized.” Subsequently, through parables like “Morning Three, Evening Four” and “The Usefulness of the Useless,” he revealed how people are often constrained by entrenched mindsets. He advocated cultivating psychological flexibility by continuously shifting perspectives—through defamiliarization and refamiliarization.

(Speaker Lucas Scripter)

   Hazman Baharom, a student at Waseda University and coach of Malaysia's International Philosophy Olympiad national team, delivered a presentation titled “Doing Philosophy: A Malaysian Experience.” Under the theme “Philosophical Practice in the Malaysian Context,” Hazman Baharom explored philosophy's role within a pluralistic society and its current state of development. Malaysia's outstanding achievements in the International Philosophy Olympiad (IPO)—including multiple honorary awards and medals—reflect the interest and potential of the younger generation in philosophy. Overall, he emphasized philosophy's importance in fostering multicultural dialogue and cognitive exploration, while calling for strengthened systematic development in philosophy education.

(Speaker Hazman Baharom)

   Liu Huaqing, a doctoral candidate from Renmin University of China, primarily shared insights into the three concepts of “Heaven,” “Mandate,” and “Heavenly Mandate” within Chinese philosophy. Liu Huaqing noted that Confucius's discourse on “Heaven” in The Analects reveals a multidimensional philosophical system: Heaven is both the objective law governing natural processes (“Only Heaven is supreme”) and the source of moral endowment (“Heaven bestows virtue upon me”); it embodies both the will of a personified deity (“Heaven despises him”) and an irresistible force of destiny (“Heaven destroys me”). This complex conception of the Way of Heaven is further extended through the concepts of “fate” and “mandate of Heaven”—where ‘fate’ represents inevitability beyond human control, while “mandate of Heaven” constitutes the moral principles for the cultivation of the gentleman (“understanding the mandate of Heaven,” “revering the mandate of Heaven”). Through this interpretation of the relationship between Heaven and humanity, Confucius acknowledged objective constraints while emphasizing the agency of the moral subject. This laid the practical wisdom foundation for Confucian thought—to “do one's utmost in human affairs and understand Heaven's mandate”—revealing its unique philosophical contemplation when confronting cosmic order and life's vicissitudes.

(Speech by Trainee Liu Huaqing)

   Constanza Fernanda Jorquera Mery, a doctoral candidate from the University of Santiago in Chile, explored the connection between China's foreign policy and Confucian thought. Its core principles include achieving global harmony, practicing benevolence internally and righteousness externally, pursuing mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, and refraining from encroaching on other nations' territories or resources. She further applied the five virtues of “benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and integrity” to guide diplomatic practice. Through initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and the “Community with a Shared Future for Mankind,” China has advanced global cooperation, establishing comprehensive strategic partnerships with nine Latin American countries, including wisdom, and trustworthiness“ to guide diplomatic practice. Through initiatives like the Belt and Road, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and the ”community with a shared future for mankind,“ China has advanced global cooperation and established comprehensive strategic partnerships with nine Latin American countries, including Chile. Chile has achieved ”four firsts" in its relations with China. At the same time, she pointed out challenges facing Sino-Chilean relations, such as asymmetries in strategic and cultural understanding.

(Speech by Participant Constanza Fernanda Jorquera Mery)

   Pilar Sánchez Ordoñez, a researcher from the Chinese and Indian Philosophy Research Group at the University of Buenos Aires, explored the contemporary challenges facing democracy and potential solutions from a cross-cultural perspective. Using He Baogang's framework of four models of the relationship between Confucianism and democracy (conflict, compatibility, hybridization, and critique), she focused on the critical model represented by Zhao Tingyang. In A Viable Intelligent Democracy, Zhao affirms the universal value of democracy while critiquing the limitations of liberal democracy, proposing alternative institutional designs such as “knowledge committees.” By comparing Eastern Confucian thought with Western critical theory, Ordoñez reveals their shared concern with a core issue: the moral degradation and loss of public interest resulting from the marketization of politics. She ultimately contends that both Confucian moral political visions and Western explorations of radical democracy converge on a fundamental proposition: contemporary democracy requires transcending further reflection to rebuild its ethical foundations, with East-West intellectual dialogue offering rich theoretical resources for this endeavor. This analysis not only provides new perspectives for understanding the global democratic crisis but also opens possibilities for exploring more inclusive and ethical political models.

(Speech by Participant Pilar Sánchez Ordóñez)

   Mamakhatov Tlesh, Senior Research Fellow at the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Modern Asian Studies, and Director of the Northeast Asia and SCO Strategic Issues Research Department at the “Russia-China-World” Center, systematically elaborated on the strategic significance and development prospects of the BRICS countries as a vital cooperation platform for the Global South. He noted that BRICS has expanded from its original four members (Brazil, Russia, India, China) to include 11 nations such as South Africa, Egypt, and Iran, representing 42% of the global population, 33.9% of the world's land area, and 36.7% of GDP (PPP). The bloc holds significant advantages in energy (40% of global oil production), food (44.7% of wheat production), and industrial raw materials (74.7% of aluminum production). By contrasting the G7, the speech highlighted how BRICS nations are advancing a multipolar world order through initiatives like establishing the New Development Bank, local currency settlement systems, and energy alliances. It also explored the concept of a renminbi-based single currency. Despite challenges including geopolitical differences, Western sanctions, and cultural disparities, BRICS nations are deepening strategic partnerships through mechanical manufacturing, aerospace cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges.

(Tlesh Mamakhatov, a participant, delivered a speech.)

   Gabriel Jacobina Marques, a master's student from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, explored the dialogue between the Confucian political tradition and Western secular political thought, along with its implications for modern state-building. He began by reviewing the profound influence of Chinese political philosophy—particularly Confucianism—on thinkers such as Leibniz and Voltaire during the 18th-century European Enlightenment. Through Jesuit accounts, these European scholars developed a keen interest in China's political system grounded in immanent principles—such as the imperial examination system and secular state legitimacy—rather than transcendent divine authority. This concept of immanence became central to Sino-Western intellectual exchange. Marques noted profound resonance between Confucianism and Hegelian philosophy: both grounded state legitimacy in moral education (Mencius's “Mandate of Heaven” and Hegel's “realization of the ethical idea”) and historical progression. Yet Marxism further transcended this idealistic perspective, positing the state as a stage-specific product of productive forces development. Marques calls for deeper exploration of Sino-Western intellectual interaction to understand how China, through synthesizing “universality” and “particularity,” charts new paths for socialism's future.

(Speech by Trainee Gabriel Jacobina Marques)

   Aryan Mohammad Hussain, a doctoral candidate from Nanjing Normal University, delivered a presentation titled “Exploring the Value of the ‘Harmony in Diversity’ Concept in Cross-Cultural Language Communication Along the Belt and Road.” He systematically elaborated on the practical application and significance of this philosophy. He noted that with the rise of the “Chinese language boom” and the widespread establishment of Confucius Institutes in 160 countries, the international influence of Chinese has significantly increased. The Belt and Road Initiative's achievements in five key areas—including policy coordination and infrastructure connectivity—have further accelerated this trend. He emphasized that the concept of “Harmony in Diversity,” rooted in Confucian classics, advocates respecting differences and harmonious coexistence, providing an inclusive framework for cross-cultural exchange. Practically, Confucius Institutes promote mutual cultural learning through localized teaching materials, collaborative efforts between Chinese and foreign educators, and joint cultural events (such as the “China-Central Asia Cultural Exhibition”). This approach alleviates concerns about cultural exportation while shaping Chinese as an international bridge for communication and a vehicle for Eastern wisdom. Yang Le contends that this philosophy not only enhances the soft power of Chinese culture but also supports the cultural exchange objectives of the Belt and Road Initiative. It positions Chinese language promotion as a model for mutual learning among civilizations, highlighting China's efforts to foster equal dialogue and cooperation in the context of globalization.

(Participant Aryan Mohammad Hussain delivered remarks.)

Subsequently, during the open discussion session, Thomas Michael, Research Fellow at the School of Philosophy, Beijing Normal University, introduced the topic. Faculty and students engaged in lively discussions on subjects including the implications of the concept of “harmony in diversity” for philosophical discourse, linguistic analysis and cross-linguistic communication, the religious dimensions of Chinese philosophy, and differences in the knowledge frameworks of Eastern and Western philosophy programs. Professor Riccardo Pozzo from Sapienza University of Rome and Professor Tobias Zürn from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology participated in the commentary.

(Student Participation in Discussion)

(Commentary by Professor Tobias Zürn, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)

(Commentary by Professor Riccardo Pozzo, University of Rome Tor Vergata)