On 14 December 2021, the Advanced Institute for Confucian Studies held a launching meeting of the publication of academic works of retired teachers. The meeting was hosted by Li Pingsheng, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Advanced Institute for Confucian Studies, and attended by Wang Xuedian, Executive Dean of the Institute, and members of the leadership team of the Institute and some retired teachers.
Secretary Li Pingsheng introduced to the professors the achievements of the Advanced Institute for Confucian Studies in its reform and development in recent years and its next development ideas from the aspects of "manifesting four characteristics, building three advantages, overcoming two shortcomings and focusing on one goal". Li Pingsheng said that the achievements of the Advanced Institute for Confucian Studies could not be achieved without the hardworking of the previous generation of scholars, and that these profound academic accumulations had laid a solid foundation for the current development. Also, he hoped that through this activity, together with the retired professors, we could further promote the development of the Advanced Institute for Confucian Studies.
In introducing the background of the publication of the anthology, Vice Dean Wang Zhen pointed out that 2021-2022 is the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Journal of Chinese Humanities and the 10th anniversary of the integration and formation of the Advanced Institute for Confucian Studies, which is the stage when it is necessary to look back on history, summarize experience and reload. At this important point in time, the Advanced Institute for Confucian Studies plans to launch the publication of an academic anthology of retired teachers, closely focusing on traditional areas of strength such as ancient literature, ancient history, ancient philosophy, and ancient works, striving to perfectly display the academic achievements of scholars of the Advanced Institute for Confucian Studies in the past. Subsequently, Wang Zhen introduced the design of the anthology and the issues to be noticed.
Professor Meng Xiangcai said that it was heartening to see the achievements of the Advanced Institute for Confucian Studies over the past ten years. The publication of an anthology for retired professors is quite groundbreaking, so that future generations of scholars can learn from it or judge it. And the professors themselves can reflect on their own academic shortcomings in the process of consolidating their achievements, thus contributing to academic development once again.
Professor Xu Chuanwu expressed his gratitude to the Advanced Institute for Confucian Studies for its concern for retired professors. And he said that the publication of anthologies by the Advanced Institute for Confucian Studies would certainly have a certain academic impact, and that a long-term policy could be considered to produce high-quality works one after another.
Professor Zhang Fuxiang pointed out that the publication of anthologies for retired professors is an innovative and challenging task. Some of the ideas in older articles may be immature or repetitive in the light of current academic developments, so their implementation needs to be carefully planned.
Professor Ma laiping said that the publication of an anthology for retired teachers reflected the flourishing development of the institution and its academic strength over the past few years, on the one hand, it shows the respect and support for retired teachers. Professor Ma laiping suggested that the anthology could be titled by Advanced Institute for Confucian Studies to further promote the academic signature of the Institute.
Professor Zheng Jiewen said that the anthology is a concentrated display of the lifetime achievements of the retired teachers, and it is also related to the academic reputation of the institute, so the academic standard and academic quality must be strictly controlled.
Professor Sun Jianyi pointed out that this initiative launched by the institute had effectively solved the problem of difficulties in publishing books for retired teachers. And was also an incentive for the retired teachers themselves, who would strictly control the quality of their individual works in the process of publishment in the future.
Professor Ji Fahan, representing Professor Ji Changhong from the School of Literature, attended the meeting. Professor Ji Fahan said that it was very meaningful to do a good job of collecting academic history in time during the prosperous period of comprehensive development of the Institute. And he suggested further strengthening the top-level design of collating academic history archives and planning the publication of teaching materials in the Institute, and making good use of the cultural wall and other resources for supporting publicity work.
In the conclusion part, Wang Xuedian pointed out that the professors' statements had reinforced the confidence of the Institute to carry on with this work. After this launching meeting, more specific implementation details will be formulated with reference to the opinions of the professors at the meeting. Since its establishment, the Advanced Institute for Confucian Studies has been closely following the strategy of "invigorate Institute through the development of science", and judging from the results of its implementation, it is currently the largest research entity in China, which is inseparable from the efforts of generations of scholars in the Institute. At this point in history, we must not forget the enormous academic contributions made by the professors of the Advanced Institute for Confucian Studies. The publication of this anthology is not only a summary of individual academic achievements, but also a review and inventory of the profound academic accumulation in the history of the Institute. The publication of the anthology will be included in the next step of the working plan, which will eventually lead to a high-quality academic series that represents the current level of academic development of the Advanced Institute for Confucian Studies.
