On July 2, 2025, The International Symposium on Organic Process Philosophy, Traditional Chinese Culture, and Ecological Civilization was hosted at Zhejiang Normal University, in Jinhua City, Zhejiang province. The key person who made this event happen is Dean Wang Kun of the School of Marxism at the University, who is the author of the books, The First Handshake Between China and Whitehead, and A Comparative Study of Zhu Xi and Whitehead’s Philosophy. The symposium was followed by the 18th Process Summer Academy from July 3-8. These events were also sponsored by the Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences at Zhejiang Normal University and the Center for Whitehead Studies at Beijing Normal University and Hong Kong Baptist University.
International Symposium
The Symposium opened with welcoming remarks by Vice President Zhang Jianzhen of Zhejiang Normal University; Paul Bube; and, via the Internet, Jay McDaniel, chair of the Board of Directors of the Center for Process Studies, and Fan Meijun, Co-director of the China Project at the Center for Process Studies and Dean of Cobb Eco-Academy. Each of them provided encouragement to all the participants and highlighted the importance of the Symposium’s theme of Organic Process Philosophy, Traditional Chinese Culture, and Ecological Civilization.
Eighteen scholars from four different countries (China, South Korea, Canada, and the United States) gave presentations. I will not attempt to summarize the many insights in these presentations. However, I was struck by the fact that even though many topics were covered, there were recurring and complementary themes that emerged. Here is list of the themes along with the scholar and the title of their presentation:
Theme 1: The importance of education being more holistic, organic, and relevant to the need for ecological civilization at this time
- Dr. Wang Zhihe “Organic Process Philosophy is a Philosophy that Values Life”
- Professor Yang Li “Organic Education in China”
- Dr. Kim Young Joon “Dreaming of Ecological College in East Asian Context”
- Lecturer Wen Hongyu “The Possibility and Pathways of Organic Education in the Digital-Intelligence Age”
- Prof. Xianli Meng “The Emergence Logic and World Significance of Modern Chinese Civilization
Theme 2: The important ways that Chinese and other wisdom traditions dovetail with Whitehead’s process thought
- Professor Guo Haiping “A Comparative Reading of The Great Learning and The Doctrine of the Mean”
- Dr. Han Yunjeong “Korean Life-Peace Philosophy and Ecological Civilization
- Professor Wang Fubin “Reconstructing Rationality’s Function and Civilizational Progression—A Critical Interpretation of Whitehead’s The Function of Reason”
- Professor Wang Kun “Whitehead’s Influence on Joseph Needham”
- Professor Yi Huang “Commonalities Between Marx and Whitehead’s Thought from the Perspective of the ‘Two Mountains’ Theory’s Ecological Values”
- Associate Professor Cui Zanmei “The Marxist Philosophical Implications of Constructive Postmodern Theory”
- Dr. Li Wenliang “Harmony among Heaven, Earth, and Humanity and Ecological Symbiosis”
- Dr. Kim YoungJoon “Dreaming of Ecological College in East Asian Context”
- Prof. Xianli Meng “The Emergence Logic and World Significance of Modern Chinese Civilization”
Theme 3: The ways that the government and laws ecological civilization can and should embody process values of equity, inclusion, and openness to creativity for all beings
- Dr. Paul Bube “Ecological Civilization Calls for a New Legal Paradigm”
- Dr. Justin Heinzekehr “The Role of the Whiteheadian Ideal in Political Community”
- Professor Zhang Jilan “Environmental Governance—Authoritarianism or Democracy?”
- Dr. Park Jungeun “Indigenous People’s Rights for the Real Climate Change: Focusing on the Declarations Made in Bolivia and Centered on the UN Declaration”
- Associate Professor Li Xuejiao “XI Jinping’s Key Expositions on Organic Community”
- Lecturer Wang Xixian “Postmodern Technology in the Context of Ecological Civilization Development”
You will notice that some speakers addressed two of the themes listed, which represents their holistic and systemic approach to their topics. This complementarity and coherence of themes were also striking throughout the 18th Process Summer Academy July 3-8.
18th Process Summer Academy
In the blink of an eye, the Process Summer Academy has already been held 18 times. I’ve had the privilege of attending many of them including this year’s 18th session. Compared to previous years, this year’s Process Summer Academy stood out for its remarkable diversity. In contrast to past sessions, where most participants came from within the academic system—typically university professors, PhD candidates, graduate and undergraduate students—this year’s participants came from a much broader range of backgrounds and brought with them an exceptional level of enthusiasm.
In addition to leading figures in Chinese process thought—such as Professors Yang Fubin, Yang Li, Wang Kun, Guo Haipeng, and Dr. Wang Zhihe—many participants from outside academia also joined. For instance, a husband and wife, both corporate executives, brought along their daughter, a journalist at Nanjing Daily, attended; one participant came despite illness and walking with a cane; and an organic farmer named Li Tong from the Loess Plateau in Shaanxi even introduced himself through song. According to him, people in his region often sing instead of speak. In terms of age, the oldest participant was Qian Jianbang, a retired traditional Chinese medicine doctor, while the youngest was Chen Jirong, a 17-year-old high school student.
The Summer Academy often serves as an in-depth introduction to process thought for students and professors who want to learn more about it. Many of the presenting scholars had participated in the symposium. There is usually a diversity of intellectual interest among the participants, from those who are studying philosophy to those interested in the application of process thought to theory about education as well as persons who have been involved with organic farming and the concept of ecological civilization. Attendees this year also shared those interests, but two other things impressed me about the students this year was. First, the quality and earnestness of the students seemed more intense than previous years. Second the range of ages among the students was the most diverse than I have seen at previous Academies. There were students who appeared to be as old as some of the presenters, undergraduate students studying a variety of majors, and one high school sophomore who had been reading Whitehead before coming. All these students were engaged with the topics covered by the presenting scholars and participated at a high level.
The author speaking at the 2025 Jinhua Process Symposium
I won’t go into detail about all the topics covered; they ranged from what prehension and actual occasions are to the epistemology of process philosophy, its history (especially in China), and the ethics of process thought, especially its ecological significance. Instead, I want to comment on both the Youth Forum that took place during the evenings of July 3-5, and the optional field trips we took.
Fifteen youth scholars gave presentations each evening from 6:30-8:30. Which impressed me because these presentations were done after a full day of presentations from 8:30 a.m. until dinnertime. Many people who attended the Youth Forum were very enthusiastic about these sessions, most of which were specifically about Whitehead’s writings. I am not sure how the youth scholars had the energy to be immersed day and night in process thought. Their enthusiasm was contagious. I was excited to see this level of interest and dedication.
In addition to the Symposium, the Academy, and the Youth Scholars sessions, many attendees went on the field trips. The first trip was to Yiwu International Trade Center, the largest wholesale market for small commodities world-wide and afterward, the Museum of Woodcarving. I have never seen any collection of stores as large as the Trade Center. Not all of the stores sell to the public—their purpose is to show the range of products that they manufacture to wholesale buyers from around the world. Even so, there were lots of interesting stores that we saw. More than we could visit in a couple of hours. In fact, we were told that if were to walk by each store housed in this sprawling, multi-storied complex, it would take a full year to walk by each store. From what I saw, this does not seem to be an exaggeration. One of the most interesting stores (not meant for individual shoppers) was one filled with electric automobiles. One compact model had the price on the windshield: $8000.00!
After we left the Trade Center we were taken to a remarkable woodcarving museum. The history of woodcarving in China and the quality of the work done over centuries to the present were remarkable, to say the least.
The second field trip was a visit to two Ecological Farms nearby. The first eco-farm was Amore Farm (Amore refers to the Italian word for Love). Amore Farm includes somewhere around 40 acres. It produces a wide range of organic fruits and vegetables. I couldn’t believe how much produce could be grown of 40 acres of land. We were given a thorough tour of the farm by its founder ZHENG Yueping, an energetic middle-aged woman. After the tour we were treated to fresh fruit from the farm (the watermelon was consumed in record time). Ms. Zheng was passionate about her work, clearly devoted to the eco-farm ideal.
The second eco-farm was Mei Garden. It is affiliated with Delong Clothes in the nearby city Shaoxing. The mission of the factory is to produce breathable cloth. In future they plan to produce edible cloth. I was not there very long to learn more about the farm since we arrived late, and I had to be driven to the airport very early in the morning. However, I learned a bit about the farm from a woman associated with the farm who accompanied me to the airport to help me check in. She told me that she was not happy before she started working at Getwell Company. Work was a drudgery, and she didn’t find any fulfillment in her work or anywhere else. Her boss LI Wenliang at Getwell, who is one of the winners of 2024 John Cobb Common Good Award, talked to her about her unhappiness and asked her if she was looking for meaning and fulfillment in life. That conversation and later conversations led her to become a Buddhist and to become associated with the farm. These helped her to find the meaning she was looking for. Her story is a reminder that ecological civilization is not just about survival of our planet, it is about all of us finding meaning, purpose, and fulfillment through the way we live. This is a good thing to remember as we work toward building an ecological civilization.
Last Impression
I have attended the Process Academy almost every summer since 2014. Each time I have been impressed by the passion of the young (and not-so-young) Chinese participants. This year’s events were some of the most exhilarating. Several times during the Jinhua Process Symposium and Process Academy, Whitehead’s view of creativity and adventure came up. For me, the ideas and the participants were ‘lures to feeling’—a promise of hope that we can change this world and ourselves for the better.
Dr. Paul Custodio Bube is Emeritus Professor of Religious Studies of Lyon College in Batesville, Arkansas. He joined the Lyon College faculty in 2001 after serving as professor of religion and philosophy and chair of the Division of Humanities and Fine Arts at Kansas Wesleyan University. Dr. Bube was honored in 1999 with the Kansas Wesleyan University Exemplary Teaching Award. Dr. Bube is the former president of Habitat for Humanity of Independence County and a former board member of Batesville Help and Hope. He’s currently vice president of Faculty Assembly and faculty sponsor for the Wesley Fellowship. In 2009, Dr. Bube received Lyon’s Lamar Williamson Prize for Excellence in Teaching. His primary academic focus is the ethical perspective in John Cobb’s work in process thought.