“History shows human civilization has thrived and prospered through inclusiveness and openness,” Chinese President Xi Jinping recently wrote in a reply letter to Greek scholars noting the significance of the founding of the Center of Chinese and Greek Ancient Civilizations in Athens, Greece.
“President Xi believes that cultures should meet, exchange and come closer. That’s an idea that we share. We need to build bridges to bring people together, and then differences among civilizations and countries can be overcome or synthesized. That’s what we are trying to do,” Stelios Virvidakis, professor emeritus of Philosophy with the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (University of Athens), told GDToday in a recent interview.
Stelios Virvidakis. (Photo provided to GDToday)
Virvidakis is the president of the Center of Chinese and Greek Ancient Civilizations, which was inaugurated on February 20, and one of the five Greek scholars who wrote the letter to President Xi to share the information about the preparations for the Center and their future development plans.
“The Center is in a way unique in the world, because it’s a research institute precisely interested in comparing Chinese and Greek cultures,” Virvidakis said.
He introduced that the Center is co-founded by the University of Athens, University of Patras, University of Thessaloniki and University of Crete in Greece, as well as the Southwest University, Shandong University, Renmin University and Sichuan University in China. “Starting from the end of March, the Center is set to hold a series of research activities, including seminars, summer schools, and lectures for students and interested members of the public. It will also be devoted to translating and publishing books about China and comparative studies of Chinese and Greek culture.”
Virvidakis told GDToday that the Center welcomes scholars from all over the world. “We hope to make it a pole of attraction, and motivate more people, especially the young researchers.”
In Virvidakis’s view, one of the Center’s missions is practicing cultural diplomacy, and he calls himself a “cultural diplomat”. He has rich experiences in teaching and lecturing at both Greek and Chinese universities, and encourages his students on both sides to study and learn about the cultures of China and Greece.
Stelios Virvidakis (middle) and his Chinese students. (Photo provided to GDToday)
Virvidakis believes although there are differences and disagreements between countries, art and philosophy are always the areas of mutual understanding.
“When it comes to culture, there is diversity, and there is unity in diversity. That is, if you bring together diversity and unity, the cultures connect in a way and unify in the long run. That’s the shared future that I think President Xi means,” Virvidakis said.
He expects the Center to be a bridge where people can better understand each other through collaborating on cultural projects. “We would like to set an example not only for Greece and China, but also for other cultures to facilitate communication and mutual learning. We are happy to see other institutes, such as an Indian and European civilizations center, to be established in the future.”
“Hopefully, the good understanding at the cultural level will promote the understanding at the level of international politics, which will then advance exchanges in other fields and contribute to world peace,” Virvidakis said.
Reporter | Lydia Liu, Yao Jingsen (intern)
Video editor | Qin Shaolong
Video script | Lydia Liu, Li Fuying (intern)
Poster designer | Lu Lu
Editor | Wing, Steven, Jasmine, James
