New Asia College The Chinese University of Hong Kong eNewsletter

The New Asia Lectures on Confucianism were launched in 2013 under the sponsorship of the Moonchu Foundation. Each year, a distinguished scholar in Confucianism studies is invited to the College to deliver a series of three public lectures, with the aim of arousing interest among academics and the general public in more in-depth exploration of Confucianism through discussion on various issues. The New Asia Lectures on Confucianism 2018 were successfully held in October 2018, with Professor Yang Guorong, current Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and Professor of Philosophy Department at East China Normal University, as the keynote speaker.

The First Lecture entitled "Confucianism and Pragmatism" was held at Lecture Theatre 2, Yasumoto International Academic Park, CUHK on the afternoon on 22 October, and was moderated by Professor Cheng Chung-yi from the Department of Philosophy of CUHK. Professor Yang started by pointing out that "the way to exist" and "the way to live" were questions of concern in both Confucianism and Pragmatism, then demonstrated that Confucianism and Pragmatism shared common philosophical interests while following different paths of reasoning.

The Second Lecture entitled "What is Confucianism - Its Kernel and Multiple Dimensions" was held at Sir Run Run Shaw Hall, CUHK on the morning on 26 October, with Professor Wang Qingjie from the Department of Philosophy of CUHK as the moderator. Professor Yang mentioned that "ren" (benevolence) and "li" (propriety) were the cornerstones of Confucianism, then illustrated how "ren" and "li" were manifested in different dimensions, including the spiritual world, the social domain and the relationship between men and heaven, of human existence.

The Third Lecture entitled "The Spiritual Dimension of Confucianism and Its Implication" was held at the Lecture Theatre of the Hong Kong Central Library on the afternoon on 28 October, and was moderated by Professor Huang Yong from the Department of Philosophy of CUHK. Professor Yang observed that certain development trends in the modern times undermined in various aspects men's value of existence and their pursuit of spiritual meaning. Against this background, Professor Yang analysed the significance of Confucian spirituality in today's world.

During these three lectures, Professor Yang illustrated to the audience the diversified Confucian spirit. At the end of each lecture, Professor Yang was eager to share his academic experiences and insights with the audience, who in turn expressed their sincere thanks to Professor Yang for letting them learn much from the lectures.