The Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, is making an official visit to Beijing as a guest of the Chinese Academy of Social Studies (CASS) – on the occasion of the organization of the 1st World Congress of Classical Studies on “Classical Civilizations and the Contemporary World” – as a speaker at the opening event of the Congress.

The Chinese Academy, established in 1977, was the first academic organization of the People’s Republic of China in the fields of philosophy and social sciences. Today, it consists of 31 research institutes, 45 research centres and has more than 3200 researchers.

At the working meeting with the President of the Academy Gao Xiang, Lina Mendoni stressed that the co-organization of the First World Congress by the Chinese Academy of Social Studies, the Ministries of Culture and Tourism of China, the Ministry of Culture of Greece and the Academy of Athens, marks the creation of an important forum for dialogue between classical cultures, to which China and Greece can make a substantial contribution. “Greek and Chinese civilizations, with their principles and values, each formed the basis for the development of Western and Eastern thought, respectively. However, we should not just dwell on the past, but draw inspiration from it and build a dynamic present and a better and sustainable future.”

The President of the Academy thanked the Minister of Culture for her contribution to the strengthening of cultural ties between the two countries, stressing “the principles and values of ancient Greek culture and its decisive contribution to the dialogue of cultures“. He stressed the importance of the cooperation between the Greek Ministry of Culture and the Academy of Athens in co-organising the 1st World Congress of Classical Studies.

At the same time, there was an extensive discussion with President Gao Xiang on the institutional framework governing the Chinese School of Classical Studies of Athens, which is part of the Chinese Academy, as well as on the programmes to be developed from 2025. The School, which was established a few months ago, follows the regime of Law 4858/2021 “For the Protection of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage” and is supervised by the Ministry of Culture.

The Minister of Culture, accompanied by the Secretary General of the Chinese Academy Zhao Zhimin, toured the Archaeological Museum of the Academy’s History Department, which is the first purely archaeological museum in the country. It opened its doors in 2023.