BNBU played a prominent role at the International Academic Symposium on Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, held at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou. The symposium, guided by the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Culture and co-organized by the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee, brought together scholars and cultural leaders from across the globe to explore the theme “Promoting Cultural Prosperity Through Mutual Learning Among Civilizations.”

The opening ceremony featured senior figures including Huang Kunming (Member of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau and Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Committee) and Hong Dayong (Vice Minister of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee). Their remarks, together with those of Fu Hua (President of Xinhua News Agency), Gao Song (President of Sun Yat-sen University), and Zhang Zhiqiang (Director of the Institute of Philosophy, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences), set the tone for the symposium.
Dr. Andrew Schwartz, Visiting Associate Professor at BNBU, delivered a keynote plenary address titled “The Past as Future: Chinese Traditional Culture and Process Thought for Ecological Civilization.” He argued that Western modernization is in crisis—facing inequality, ecological breakdown, and a crisis of meaning—and proposed Alfred North Whitehead’s process philosophy as a bridge between Chinese traditions and modern scientific sensibilities.

Drawing on concepts such as Tian-Ren He Yi (heaven–earth–human harmony), Daoist wu wei (effortless action), Buddhist interdependence, and Confucian li and ren, Dr. Schwartz showed how these resources resonate with process-relational thought to guide the transition toward an ecological civilization. He concluded by connecting this vision to President Xi Jinping’s call for a “Second Integration”—integrate the basic principles of Marxism with China's excellent traditional culture.

The symposium also marked the release of a new report by the Xinhua Institute, “Theory on the Development of Civilizations: Building a New Vision of Civilizations with Development at the Core,” which underscored the broader theoretical framework guiding discussions.
Such events reflect BNBU’s increasing visibility in global academic forums on culture, philosophy, and sustainability. By advancing conversations on interdependence, whole-person education, and ecological civilization, BNBU scholars are helping shape pathways toward more just, sustainable, and cooperative forms of global development.