The Tongji Academy of Classical Learning was recently inaugurated. Over 300 students filled the lecture hall of the Complex Building where the opening ceremony was held. Participants were not only Chinese seniors and teenagers, but also foreigners. Some of the students came to Shanghai by plane or train from other parts of China. They gathered to read classics together and to appreciate the charm of traditional culture.
Prof. KE Xiaogang, the organizer of the Tongji Academy of Classical Learning and a faculty member of the School of Humanities of Tongji University, set up the Daoli Academy in 2004. During its ten years’ history, the online academy has enjoyed high popularity and has motivated many participants to read the classics. In the first lesson of the Tongji Academy of Classical Learning, Prof. KE introduced the ethos and goal of the academy and clarified some questions that were directed to the academy. His speech started with the introduction of the history of Tongji University and ended with the aspiration of making the world better. The teaching plan and the assessment methods of every course were also mentioned in the speech. Because of his unique modesty and sense of humor, the speech of Prof. KE was interrupted again and again by warm and thunderous applause.
In the first lesson, a blueprint of the development of the academy was presented to the students. The aim of the academy is to provide an opportunity for book lovers to read the classics, enjoy the arts together, and to further develop the habit of reading into their lifestyles.
Studies of Chinese ancient civilization are becoming more and more popular nowadays. Therefore what are the characteristics of the Tongji Academy of Classical Learning that are being developed and promoted at Tongji University, a top university known for its scientific studies? The answer, according to Prof. KE, is a liberal arts education that is open to the public.
The School of Humanities has long been trying to promote liberal education. In 2012, it set up the Dayou Public Class for the Studies of Chinese Ancient Civilization at Tongji. Although the class was later suspended, the efforts to promote liberal education and to carry forward traditional culture were never given up. The courses of the Tongji Academy of Classical Learning cover wide fields, from The Four Books (The Great Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean, The Confucian Analects, The Works of Mencius), The Five Classics (The Book of Songs, The Book of History, The Book of Changes, The Book of Rites and The Spring and Autumn Annals), history, the philosophers and their works outside of Confucianism, and classical literature to traditional Chinese medicine, traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy, Beijing Opera, Kunqu Opera, the Guqin (a seven stringed plucked instrument) and the tea ceremony. Many famous scholars from Tongji University, Fudan University and East China Normal University will also give lessons in the academy.
Under the call of President XI Jinping, it has become a common practice to inherit and develop the excellent traditional culture and to boost the national rejuvenation by cultural revival, since the 18thParty Congress. The establishment of the Tongji Academy of Classical Learning is a new achievement in the application of this idea.
Translated by May Language Studio based upon
http://news.tongji.edu.cn/classid-6-newsid-46599-t-show.html
