Hosted by the Institute of European Civilization of TNU, Symposium on Building an Independent Knowledge Base for the Discipline of World History in China,was held on13 September, 2025.
The opening ceremony was chaired by Hou Jianxin, senior professor of Tianjin Normal University and director of IEC. Prof. Wang Lixin of Peking University(Convener of the Chinese National Evaluation Group for World History), Prof. Meng Zhongjie (deputy Party secretary of East China Normal University), Prof. Xiang Rong of Fudan University (president of China British History Association), and Chen Daiwei (deputy Party secretary of TNU) attended the ceremony. More than 100 scholars, graduate students and doctoral candidates from Peking University, Fudan University, ECNU, Northeast Normal University, Tianjin Normal University and other institutions took part.
In his welcoming address, Chen Daiwei noted that, amid “great changes unseen in a century,” world-history research is a key component in constructing China’s own knowledge base. The world history programme of TNU has long fostered cultural self-confidence and trained high-calibre talent with a global outlook. He hoped that the symposium would advance the building of an independent knowledge base to reply to questions posed by the world, by history and by the times.
Prof. Meng Zhongjie praised TNU’s outstanding contributions to China’s world-history discipline. He observed that TNU’s research on European civilization and medieval world history ranks at the national forefront.Scholars of IEC has led the revision of the compulsory-education history curriculum and the compilation of textbooks. These achievements constitute solid, across-the-board progress toward an independent Chinese academicbase.
The keynote-speech session was chaired by Liu Jinghua,Professor of IEC andpresident of the Chinese Society of Ancient and Medieval World History.Prof. Wang Lixin spoke on “Taking China as Method: Reflections on Constructing an Independent Chinese Knowledge System in World History.” He argued that the discipline’s task is to re-examine, research and narrate foreign histories from Chinese perspectives, value concerns, historical experience and problem consciousness. Itwillultimately forgea world-history paradigm that is globally minded, distinctively Chinese and universally significant.
Prof. Xiang Rong, in “WorldHistory Research amid a Century of Change,” stated that teaching and research in world history and area studies are entrusted with training experts who can “read the world” and handle concrete international affairs. Historians must draw lessons from the past to enlighten the future, serve governance and educate the public, and actively engage with new historical questions raised by the era.
Prof. Meng Zhongjie, in “Reflections on Building a World History Discipline with Chinese Characteristics,” stressed that constructing such a system must begin with conceptual innovation. Concepts such as “a community with a shared future for mankind” should broaden world history horizons and transcend old nation-state or empire-centred narratives. He also advocated building large AI models for historical research to assist the independent knowledge system and to advance interdisciplinary integration.
Ha Quan’an, professor of IEC and member of the State Council’s World History discipline evaluation group, offered a macro-analysis of evolution of Asian civilization from “heterogeneous diversity” toward “a community with a shared future.” Western colonial shocks subjected all of Asia to the trauma of lost sovereignty and humiliation, yet the similar development models that emerged in the course of modernization give Asian countries the conditions to join hands in forging a closer “community of civilizations.”
After the keynote speeches, experts held in-depth discussions on major issues in world history research. Prof. Gu Yanfang, deputy director of IEC, delivered the closing remarks. He observed that building an independent knowledge system is a long, arduous and systematic project that cannot be accomplished overnight, nor by any single individual or university; it requires the joint efforts of the entire academic community.
On the morning of 13 September, the Academic Symposium on Building an Independent Chinese Knowledge Baseand the 2025 Annual Humanities and Social-Science Conference of TNU held their plenary session. Prof. Han Dongyu of Northeast Normal University (convener of the State Council’s World History evaluation group) gave a report on “The Relationship between ‘Independence’ and ‘Think Tanks.’” He emphasized that the key to real discipline construction lies in producing academically valuable outcomes. His report also highlighted the The Evolution ofEuropean Civilization(16 volumes) as a vivid practice of Constructing China’s Autonomous Knowledge Base.”
Additionally, during the main forum, the publication and book donationof The Evolution of European Civilization(16 volumes)was held. It is the first systematic, comprehensive study of European civilization authored by Chinese scholars and published outside the Western countries,whichrepresents the cutting edge of Chinese research on European civilization and marks a major achievement in the construction of an independent Chinese knowledge base in world history. Professor Hou Jianxin,the chief editor,expressed sincere gratitude to TNU and the academic community.
These minar provided a deep exchange platform for the development of world history research. Scholars attending the event expressed that in the future, world history research should be more closely aligned with the needs of national development, deepen engagement with major social issues, and contribute more wisdom and strength to advancing Chinese modernization and achieving the great rejuvenation of China.
