Dr Athena Bazou, Assistant Professor in the Department of Philology, participated as an invited speaker at the 11th Nishan Forum of World Civilizations in China, delivering a lecture entitled ‘Ancient Pandemics in Greece and China: Concepts, Prejudices, Lessons’.
The Nishan Forum, held in Qufu—the birthplace of Confucius—in Shandong province, was inaugurated in 2010 in response to a United Nations initiative. Since then, it has evolved into a distinguished platform for the exchange of ideas and intercultural learning, seeking to foster understanding between nations and to examine the role of ancient wisdom in shaping our modern world.
The Forum is organized jointly by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the International Confucian Association, and the Shandong Provincial People’s Government.
This year, it brought together more than 500 academics, political figures, and cultural leaders from over 70 countries, united in their aim of fostering cross-cultural dialogue and preserving traditional Chinese values.
Centred on the theme ‘Beauty in Diversity: Nurturing Understanding Among Civilizations for Global Modernization’, the Forum featured six sub-topics: The Origins and Future Development of Civilization, Confucius Culture: Significance for the World and Value to Our Times, Mutual Assistance in Pursuing Modernization, The Importance of Family and Social Development through the Lens of Civilization, Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Civilization, Qilu Culture and World Civilization.
