China Project Conferences

Working with its Chinese partners, the China Project has organized 16 conferences. It is sponsoring six additional conferences in 2007:

“Law, Morality, and Politics from a Constructive Postmodern Perspective,”
July 8-9, Beijing.
Cosponsored by China Law University.

“Social Responsibility in Business and Harmonious Society”
July 14-15, Tianjin.

A Session on business ethics and process in “Science & Technology Ethics and Business Ethics,”
July 16-18, Dalian, China.

“Process Thinking and Curriculum Reform,” July 19-20,
Yantai, Shandong, China.

“Philosophy: its Basic theory and problems.”
July 25-29 ,Jilin, China,

“Constructive postmodernism, Marxism and Ecological Civilization.”
October 26-28, 2007
Claremont, USA
Cosponsored by Central Compilation & Translation Bureau.

Process Summer Academy

The First Annual Sino-US Process Summer Academy was held in Guilin in July 2006. 45 professors and graduate students participated. The Second Summer Academy will take place in Yantai, Shandong, July 21-August 1, 2007.

Past Conferences

Beijing Conference

From June 17-20, 2002, the China Project organized an international conference on Whitehead and China in the New Millennium, in Beijing, China. The goal of the Conference was to make process thought more widely and deeply known in China. Approximately 180 Chinese and Non-Chinese scholars from 14 countries and areas participated in this historic event. The event was covered by Chinese media at the national level such as The People Daily, Guangming Daily, ChinaEducation Daily, and Social Sciences Abroad. The Vice-minister of Education and a few high officials came to the conference to express their welcome and the media described the conference as a historic event.

The following leading Chinese scholars joined the event: Guiren Yuan, Vice-minister of Education; Binglin Zhong, President of Shih-chuan Chen, former director of Philosophy Institute at Tunghai University,Taiwan; Long Xie, Chair of Philosophy Association in Beijing; Dunhua Zhao, Chair of Philosophy Department at Beijing University; Kang Ouyang, Vice-president of Huazhong Science & Technology University; Shuguang Zhang, Dean of Humanities at Huazhong Science & Technology University; Junren Wan, Chair of Philosophy Department at Qinghua University; Zhen Han, Chair of Philosophy Department at Beijing Normal University; Professors Ping Feng and Yuehou Qu, Peimin Ni, Pan Chiu Lai, Yih-hsien Yu, etc.

The following non-Chinese process thinkers participated in this conference. John B. Cobb, David R Griffin, Jan van der Veken, Catherine Keller, Cheng Chung Ying, Rogers Ames, Herman Greene , George Derfer, Ron Phipps, Joseph Grange, John Lango, Wangshi Jang, Stephen Rowe, Gene Reeves, Leslie Muray, John Quiring , Robert Regnier, Sangy Kim, Tokiyoki Nobuhara, Carol Johnston, etc.

Wuhan Conference

After the Beijing conference, associated with Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan, the China Project organized another international conference themed Marxism and Postmodernism held in Wuhan, June 21-22, 2002. This was the first international conference in China which explored the relationship between Marxism and Postmodernism. Some 50 Chinese scholars and non-Chinese scholars joined this conference. David Ray Griffin, Ronald Phipps, Leslie Muray, Carol Johnston, Paul Christiansen, and Zhihe Wang presented their papers at this conference. Some leading Marxists such as Prof. Kang Ouyang, Geng Yang, Ping Feng, Xiaomang Deng, Fuchun Peng and Jianying Zhao also gave presentations.

Education Reform Conference

Working together with the Institute for Transcultural Studies at Beijing International Studies University, the China Project organized an international conference themed Process Thinking and Educational Reform in an Era of Globalization in Claremont, November 1-4, 2003.The aim of the conference was to bring the process perspective into educational reform in China today, while enriching process thought with the theory and practice of educational reform in China. Its aim is to explore a new way to move beyond the present education system both in the West and in China. Creative suggestions on educational reform were discussed from the perspective of Process Philosophy as developed by Alfred North Whitehead. Leading process scholars in North America and Chinese presidents, deans, department directors, and scholars who are interested in process thinking and education reform in China participated in this conference.

More than 50 Non-Chinese and Chinese scholars joined this meeting, as well as members of the media. The largest Chinese newspaper abroad, The China Press, sent a reporter to participate in the conference and published a report on the conference on November 4, 2003, entitled Process Thinking Calls Chinese Scholars Attention. According to this article, Process thinking has brought an important perspective to our human society. It can help the developing countries like China to avoid the side-effect of Modernization, including the educational modernization.

Culture Philosophy Conference

The China Project, Center for Process Studies and Heilongjiang University will co-host an International Conference on Process Philosophy and Culture Philosophy to be held in Harbin, China from May 30- June 1, 2004, after the International Whitehead Conference in Korea.

The aim of this conference is to start a dialogue between process philosophy and culture philosophy. Culture Philosophy is a new rising stream of philosophy in China in the past decade. Based on the rejection of the dualism between materialism and idealism, between matter and spirit, it treats human beings as cultural rather than natural beings. It explores not only the inner relationships between individuals as cultural existents and the world as a cultural world but also the interaction between different cultures in order to enhance mutual learning from one another.

Process philosophy has a great deal in common with culture philosophy. Both reject substance thinking and materialism, both emphasize cultural diversity and the complementarity between different cultures. We trust this conference will enable each community to learn something new from the other.

The conference organizers will arrange two trips during the conference: one to Tigers Zoo, Jile Temple (Buddhist), a Confucian temple, and a Catholic Church; the other to a primary forest and Jingbo Lake.

There are two direct flights from Seoul to Harbin. The flight takes one hour and a half. Prof. Junqing Yi, the president of Heilongjiang University and a leading Marxist scholar Culture Philosopher in China, is very supportive of process thought. He promises you a warm welcome.

Keynote speakers