By Li Han

Staff Writer of the Tsinghua News Center

A ceremony was held on November 1 to mark the reopening of the Tsinghua Academy of Chinese Learning. Vice Minister of Education Ms. Li Weihong and Tsinghua University President Gu Binglin jointly inaugurated the Tsinghua Academy of Chinese Learning. Tsinghua Vice President Xie Weihe hosted the ceremony.

The Academy aims to become a Chinese culture research center whose influence extends throughout the world. Professor Chen Lai, a leading scholar of Chinese philosophy, is the first dean of the Academy.

The former Tsinghua Academy of Chinese Learning, which was founded in 1925 but closed in 1929, became a landmark in the university's history because of its academic achievements and the outstanding scholars it educated.

The earlier Academy had four scholars who are renowned as the "Four Tutors" -- Wang Guowei, Liang Qichao, Chen Yinque and Zhao Yuanren. All had a profound impact on both it and Tsinghua's later development and are legendary figures in the history of Chinese literature. They remain household names in today's China.

Tsinghua University President Gu Binglin delivered a speech at the ceremony. He remarked that Tsinghua will continue to promote the study of the humanities in its efforts to develop into a world-class university. He expressed his hope that the Academy could help create an atmosphere for cultivating talent grounded in Chinese culture, nurtured by modern scientific knowledge and driven by an innovative spirit. He hoped that the Academy could strive to achieve new breakthroughs in the field of Chinese studies.

A three-day symposium focusing on "the Spirit of Tsinghua Academy of Chinese Learning" is being held after the ceremony.

The Academy will invite scholars from both China and overseas to give speeches and exchange views on the study of Chinese culture.

(Photo by Guo Haijun)