On July 10th, the 11th Beijing Normal University(BNU) Philosophy Summer School and the 7th Chinese Culture Studies Program for Global Young Scholars opened at BNU. This project is hosted by the International Confucian Association and Beijing Normal University, and organized by the School of Philosophy, the Center for Values and Culture, and the Institute of Chinese Culture丨Jingshi Academy. A total of 37 young scholars from 23 countries and regions including France, Italy, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Thailand, South Korea, and Peru participated in this event.

Present at the opening ceremony were Jia Deyong, Vice President of the International Confucian Association; Liu Changxu, Member of the Standing Committee of the BNU Party Committee and Vice President of BNU; Teng Jun, Director of the Office of International Exchanges and Cooperation at BNU; Wu Xiangdong, Director of the Center for Values and Culture and Dean of the School of Philosophy at BNU; Xiao Kai, Deputy Director of the Institute of Chinese Culture｜Jingshi Academy at BNU; Yang Xuecui, Director of the Project Department of the International Confucian Association; Sheng Xiongsheng, Director of the Quzhou South Confucian Culture Development Center; and Professor Jiang Limei from the Institute of Chinese Philosophy at BNU. The opening ceremony was hosted by Dai Haiqiang, Assistant Dean of the School of Philosophy at BNU.

At the beginning of the event, the students watched the commemorative video of the "10th Anniversary of the Summer School" together. The video reviews the footprints of past summer schools and showcases the rich connotations and wonderful moments of previous activities. Subsequently, Jia Deyong, Liu Changxu and Wu Xiangdong delivered speeches in turn.

Jia Deyong extended warm congratulations on the opening of the Summer School, offered a sincere welcome to young friends from around the world, and expressed heartfelt gratitude to BNU and other organizing units. He expressed his hope that the participants would gain new insights through this program, explore the shared questions that all civilizations pose about the meaning of life and ultimate values, and contribute their youthful energy to the implementation of the Global Civilization Initiative and the advancement of human civilization. He also wished the event a complete success.

Liu Changxu extended a warm welcome to the distinguished experts, scholars, and young participants from various countries, and expressed sincere thanks to the lecturers and organizers. He noted that, as a major hub of humanities and social sciences in China, BNU has always regarded serving national strategies and promoting mutual learning among civilizations as its important mission. Now in its eleventh year, the BNU Philosophy Summer School has achieved fruitful results since its inception and has generated extensive and positive influence in international academic exchanges and cross-cultural dialogue. He emphasized that this year's Summer School will continue to distill the essential spiritual elements of Chinese philosophy that bear contemporary value and global significance, presenting them to young scholars from around the world. He hoped that the participants would use philosophy as a bridge, taking their insights and reflections back to their home countries, so that the seeds of mutual learning among civilizations may take root and flourish on a broader scale.

Wu Xiangdong extended a sincere welcome to the young scholars and lecturing experts who had traveled from afar, and expressed heartfelt gratitude to the relevant departments that have long supported this program. He reviewed the development of the BNU Philosophy Summer School since its inception in 2015. He hoped that the participants would engage in deep critical thinking, foster friendship and build consensus through intellectual exchange, and contribute their youthful wisdom to the building of a community with a shared future for humanity. He also wished the Summer School a great success.

Following the speeches, Mikolaj Szymon Halber from Poland, a graduate of Birkbeck College, University of London, spoke as a student representative. He expressed his expectation that over the next two weeks, through this shared learning opportunity, they would continue the tradition of dialogue and exchange inherent in Chinese philosophy, engaging in ongoing conversations and mutual growth.

In the coming days, participants will take part in a variety of activities including lectures, roundtable forums, cultural experiences, study tours, group discussions, and academic presentations. The program adopts a model combining academic seminars with cultural immersion, aiming to help participants gain a deep understanding of the core values of traditional Chinese culture and the spiritual essence of contemporary Chinese civilization, while also promoting broad and in-depth academic exchange and intellectual engagement among them.

The BNU Philosophy Summer School has been successfully held for ten sessions. It is designed to tell China's story well to international youth, disseminate China's fine culture, promote mutual learning among civilizations, cultivate international talents who understand and appreciate China, and contribute cultural strength to the future of global peace and development. Since its launch in 2015, the program has attracted more than 400 outstanding young scholars from 69 countries and regions.