Tasting Culture and Enhancing Communication: Guiyang Confucius Academy Shares Wang Yangming's Study of the Mind with the World

GUIYANG, China, July 31, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report by Huanqiu.com

As a land with great accomplishments of China's School of Mind, Guizhou Province has always cherished this precious cultural heritage, and vigorously advanced the project of transformation and application of Yangming culture, to deeply explore its rich connotations and significant value, and actively cultivate the cultural brand of "a highland for the study on China's School of Mind, thereby seeking a common language and building a bridge of communication for the mutual learning among civilizations around the world.

A Dialogue Delving into Harmony in Diversity

From July 23 to 25, themed on "Mutual Learning of 'Mind' and 'Geist' between Chinese and German Philosophy", the "Chinese Philosophy of the Mind and the World": A Dialogue Between Chinese and German Philosophy was held at the Confucius Academy in Guiyang. This Asia-Europe cultural exchange event taking place at the Dacheng Mountain was attended by 16 scholars from Renmin University of China, Fudan University, Zhejiang University, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Munich University of Applied Sciences, University of Bamberg, Ruhr University Bochum, Seoul National University, and other higher education institutions.

From Confucius to Aristotle, from Mencius to Kant, and from Wang Yangming to Hegel…during the three-day brainstorming, the Chinese and German scholars had four sessions of academic dialogue centered on different topics, including "The Mind in Chinese Philosophy and the Geist in German Idealism", "The Geist and its Position in German Idealism", "Mutual Learning and Convergence between Mind and Geist", "Mind, Geist and Modern Society".

"Similar to friendship, the core elements of dialogue are mutual respect and acceptance of dialogue partners on a common basis of rational argumentation, and the core object is to discover the truth that humans attempt to attain with wisdom." According to Marko Fuchs, a professor from University of Bamberg, there should be constant philosophical dialogues between the East and the West. Only through such dialogues can we gain a true understanding of the purest humanity, and such understanding can only be achieved through joint exploration.

An Exhibition Enhancing Exchange and Cooperation

From June 17 to 20, "The Story of Wang Yangming: Enlightenment in Longchang" Special Exhibition was launched at the art museum of Japan-China Friendship Center in Tokyo. It displayed around 30 calligraphy works of poems and aphorisms related to Chinese philosopher Wang Yangming's "Enlightenment in Longchang" in order to promote cultural and intellectual exchanges between the two countries. All these calligraphy works were created by Dai Mingxian, Wang Dongling and other renowned calligraphers.

Guiyang mayor Wang Hong stressed in the opening remark that Guiyang is now a young, energetic and wide open city, "I hope that both sides strengthen academic collaboration and expand cultural and artistic exchanges, to jointly promote the culture and tourism integration." He also noted the significance of the special exhibition, "It will definitely have a positive and far-reaching influence on enhancing our exchanges and cooperation, and spreading the Yangming culture."

Yuji Miyamoto, president of the Japan-China Friendship Center and former Japanese ambassador to China, delivered a speech in Chinese at the opening ceremony, indicating that Yoshida Shoin, the most famous Japanese scholar of Wang Yangming's philosophy, was regarded as a spiritual leader of the Meiji Restoration. He said, "The shared culture of Yangmingism has brought the two countries and their people closer."

The organizer explained that "Enlightenment in Longchang" was a remarkable milestone of Chinese intellectual history. After the "Prosecution by Eunuch Liu Jin", Wang Yangming was exiled to Longchang Post in Guiyang, Guizhou Province. The place was later turned into a sacred place for commemorating and contemplating Wang Yangming's thoughts.

The exhibition was organized by the Guiyang Confucius Academy Cultural Communication Center, and supported by the Cultural Division of the Chinese Embassy in Japan, the Chinese Cultural Center in Tokyo, and the International Confucian Association.