From December 6 to 7, 2025, the academic seminar themed "Tian Xia: Concepts, History and Comparison" and the 8th Academic Seminar on "Politics: China and the World "was held at Renmin University of China (Zhongguancun Campus).
The seminar was hosted by the Chenghai Institute of Global Development and Security at Renmin University of China and the Institute of Chinese and Foreign Political Thought and Culture at Renmin University of China, and co-organized by the Center for the History of Ideas of Fudan University, the Modern Literature Documentation and Research Center of East China Normal University, the National Institute of Rule of Law Strategy of Peking University, the Center for Classical Studies of Sun Yat-sen University, the School of the Chinese Nation Community of Minzu University of China, and the School of Public Administration of Jilin University. It attracted the participation of more than 40 scholars from such fields as political science, philosophy, history, law and literature.
The conference officially opened at 9:00 a.m. on the 6th at the Mingde International Building of Renmin University of China (Zhongguancun Campus). The opening ceremony was hosted by Professor Zhang Guangsheng, Director-General of the Department of Political Science at the School of International Relations and Director of the Institute of Chinese and Foreign Political Thought and Culture, Renmin University of China.
Professor Yang Guangbin, Director-General of the School of International Relations and Director-General of the Chenghai Institute of Global Development and Security, Renmin University of China, extended a sincere welcome to all the distinguished guests and wished the conference a complete success. He emphasized that in the face of the major era-specific task of constructing China's autonomous knowledge system, we must start from in-depth comparative historical research and world political research, activate China's practical and theoretical experience, and reveal the universality of Chinese civilization manifested at the level of world history through civilizational dialogue. As a key word of this conference, Tian Xia is an important perspective for understanding China and the world.
In his speech, Professor Wu Xinwen, Deputy Director-General of the Center for the History of Ideas and Vice Dean of the China Institute, Fudan University, reviewed the original aspiration behind the founding of the Politics: China and the World Forum, which has been held consecutively up to its eighth session. He stressed that "to surpass others, one must first achieve syncretism". Launched in 2018, the Politics: China and the World Forum has aimed to promote the syncretism of disciplines, perspectives and methodologies, and thus make attempts and efforts to achieve syncretism in addressing the question of "ancient and modern, Chinese and Western". This seminar themed Tian Xia: Concepts, History and Comparison is a continuation and advancement of the original aspiration of the forum.
In his speech, Professor Yan Qing, Executive Dean of the School of the Chinese Nation Community, Minzu University of China, pointed out that this conference is closely linked to community research. The community of the Chinese nation and the community with a shared future for mankind can be regarded as the dimensions of "internal Tian Xia" and "universal Tian Xia" within the seminar's theme of Tian Xia, and they are also an inherent part of the forum's theme Politics: China and the World. He stated that the School of the Chinese Nation Community of Minzu University of China is willing to continue to support and host the next session of the forum.
The conference set up seven special sessions in total. Participating experts conducted in-depth discussions on topics including the political and philosophical implications of the concept of Tian Xia, the theoretical evolution, practical application and historical development of Chinese and foreign perceptions of Tian Xia, the shaping schemes and practices of pluralistic integration in different civilizational traditions, as well as the current situation and prospects of the "new Tian Xia era".
Session 1 was chaired by Professor Yan Qing, with Professor Bai Gang from the Center for the History of Ideas, Fudan University, and Professor Li Lei from the Department of History, East China Normal University, serving as commentators. Professor Wu Xinwen from the China Institute, Fudan University, Research Fellow Yi Hua from the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Professor Zhang Guangsheng from the School of International Relations, Renmin University of China, and Tenured Associate Professor Zhang Yongle from the Law School, Peking University, delivered outstanding speeches entitled From Family-State to Nation-State: The Construction of Modern China and the Ideal of a New Tian Xia, The Continuity of the "Tian Xia Nation-State": The Civilizational Mechanism of China's Tradition of Pluralistic Integration, and Between "Hemispheric Monroe Doctrine" and "Global Monroe Doctrine" respectively.
Session 2 was moderated by Professor Pang Jinyou from the School of Political Science and Public Administration, China University of Political Science and Law, with Professor Zhang Xu from the School of Philosophy, Renmin University of China, and Associate Professor Liang Xiaojie from the Department of Philosophical Teaching and Research, Central Party School, acting as commentators. Professor Kwak Jun-Hyeok from the Department of Philosophy (Zhuhai), Sun Yat-sen University, Professor Bai Gang, Associate Professor Wang Kaige from the School of the Chinese Nation Community, Minzu University of China, and Hundred Talents Program Research Fellow Liu Jiangmei from the School of Public Administration, Zhejiang University, gave remarkable presentations titled The Hegemon Under Relational Non-domination: Supplementing Tianxia with a Regulative Principle, What is the "World": A Comparative Philological and Linguistic Inquiry, The Integration of the Hua-Yi Order into the Tian Xia System from the Perspective of the Royal Heaven Worship Ceremony, and Sparta of Temperance and Rome of Desire: Polybius and the Theory of the Republican Empire in Crisis respectively.
Session 3 was chaired by Professor Zhang Guangsheng, and Associate Professor Wang Kaige as commentators. Research Fellow Xie Maosong from the National Strategy Research Institute at Tsinghua University, Research Fellow Liu Wei from the Institute of Historical Theory at the Chinese Academy of History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Professor Li Lei, and Professor Na chuanlin from the Belt and Road Research Institute at Beijing Language and Culture University delivered outstanding speeches titled How is Tianxia Civilization Possible: China's Modern New Political and Religious Order and New Civilizational Order, The Dual Construction of "China" and "Tianxia" — On the Foundation of China's Classical Political and Religious System from the Perspective of "Though Zhou is an Ancient State, Its Mandate is Ever New", Historical Divergence in the History of Eastern Eurasia and the Formation of the Narrative Context of Chinese History, and The Concepts of "State" and "China" in Chinese, English, Russian, Manchu and Mongolian respectively.
Session 4 was Moderated by Professor Jiang Mei from the School of History at Capital Normal University, which featured Associate Professor Kang Zixing from the Advanced Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences at Beihang University and Assistant Professor Hao Yingting from Yuelu Academy at Hunan University as commentators. Associate Professor Xu Jian from the School of Philosophy and Public Administration at Henan University, Associate Professor Huang Mengxiao from the School of Public Administration at Sichuan University, Associate Research Fellow Fu zheng from the Institute of Philosophy, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Assistant Professor Ren Shuhuai from the School of Public Affairs at Xiamen University gave remarkable presentations entitled The Confucian Conception of Tianxia and Its Political Forms, Aristotle on Inter-City Friendship — Also on the Possibility of the Tianxia System, The Conditions and Dilemmas of Tianxia Political Philosophy, and What Kind of Cosmopolitan Theoretical Heritage? A Reexamination of the Modern Application of Rousseau's Cosmopolitan Thought respectively.
Session 5 was chaired by Professor Han Donglin from the School of International Relations at Renmin University of China, which had Professor Ou Shujun from the School of International Relations at Renmin University of China and Associate Professor Xu Jian from the School of Philosophy and Public Administration at Henan University as commentators. Professor Jiang Mei, Associate Professor Wang Weihua from the School of International Relations at Peking University, and Assistant Professor Hao Yingt from Yuelu Academy at Hunan University delivered excellent speeches titled Integrating "Tianxia" into "China" — The Re-formation of China's Traditional Conception of the State from the 10th to the 13th Century, The Four Roots of the New World Outlook, and In Search of the "Organic Community": The Concept of "Organism" and the Theory of Organic Community in Modern China respectively.
Session 6 was chaired by Professor Wu Xinwen, and Lecturer Yao Xiaoyu from the School of Government Management at the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences as commentators. Associate Professor Liang Xiaojie, Associate Professor Ding Fan from the School of International Relations at Renmin University of China, Lecturer Tong Qunlin from the School of International Relations at Beijing Foreign Studies University, and Lecturer Zhang Yunqi from the School of the Chinese Nation Community at Minzu University of China delivered remarkable speeches entitled A Brief Discussion on the "Delayed" Modernization from Nietzsche's Perspective, Arendt's Elegy on Authority, Lessing's Reflections on the Modern State and the Spirit of Freemasonry, and From the Nation-State to the World Empire: On Disraeli's "One Nation" Conservatism respectively.
Session 7 was moderated by Professor Zhang Xiang from the School of Chinese Language and Literature at Minzu University of China, which had Associate Professor Kang Zixing from the Advanced Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences at Beihang University, Research Associate Zeng Yanjie from the School of Foreign Languages at Peking University, Lecturer Zhang Wei from the Party School of the Fujian Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, and Lecturer Yao Xiaoyu from the School of Government Management at the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences as commentators. Associate Professor Kang Zixing, Research Associate Zeng Yanjie, Lecturer Zhang Wei and Lecturer Yao Xiaoyu gave outstanding presentations titled Savage Footprints: Robinson's Fears and Civilizational Anxiety, The "Wen" of Governing a State: A Preliminary Discussion on the Cultural Integration Mechanism in the Construction of Japanese Political Legitimacy in the 9th Century, Emperor Julian of Rome's Conception of Tianxia and the Experience of Shaping Pluralistic Integration, and Hooker on Britain's Political and Religious Order respectively.
The conference drew to a successful close at 6:00 p.m. on the 7th, with inspiring speeches delivered at the closing roundtable and heartfelt farewells among fellow scholars and participants.