Yuelu Academy in Changsha city, Hunan province. (COURTESY PHOTO)

Human rights are a symbol of human progress. Caring for human life, value, and dignity, and realizing human rights for everyone, is a common pursuit of humanity and also the goal of the Chinese people's unremitting struggle. In advancing the human rights cause, we have combined the Marxist outlook on human rights with China's specific realities and the best of traditional Chinese culture, and learned from the outstanding achievements of other civilizations. This has allowed us to forge a path that is in keeping with the times and the conditions of China. 

The Chinese path of advancing human rights is based on the 5000-year-old civilization of China and has been richly nourished by fine traditional Chinese culture. The mainstream features of Chinese culture, such as the Confucian concepts of benevolent love for others（仁者爱人）, humans being most valuable in the world（人“最为天下贵”）, andhavingeducation without discrimination（有教无类）, the Mohist philosophy of universal love for all（兼相爱）, and the Daoist philosophy of equality of things（齐物）and compassion（慈）for others being the first of humans' three treasures（三宝）, embody love for people, respect for human life, affirmation of human values, and protection of humans’equal rights in certain aspects, etc. These ideas and concepts are ubiquitous in the ancient Chinese classics. The abundant ancient Chinese classics are the most importantcarrierof the history of Chinese civilization. They are the infinite treasure that needs mining and smelting, and the source of water which waits for us to divert and irrigate.

Education in Yuelu Academy has been continuing for more than one thousand years. This is the place where Zhu Xi（朱熹）and Zhang Shi（张栻）'s debate over their opinions on Confucianism（朱张会讲）took place; it is the birthplace of“Seeking truth from facts（实事求是）”; it is the place where the "Two combinations（两个结合）" was first proposed; and it is the place with the mission of inheriting and promoting excellent traditional Chinese culture. We hope to inherit these excellent traditions and sincerely invite talented scholars from all over the world to come and discuss the concepts of human rights in the ancient Chinese classics. We also hope to further activate the ideas, strategies, systems, and historical experiences of human rights in the ancient Chinese classics, promote exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and other civilizations in the world, and contribute Chinese wisdom and solutions to the common development of human rights.

The relevant information is as follows:

1. Time

The second half of 2024 (the specific dates to be decided)

2. Venue

Yuelu Academy, Hunan University (Changsha City, Hunan Province).

3. Host and Organizer

The conference is jointly hosted by the China Society for Human Rights Studies, the Publicity Department of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee, and Hunan University, and jointly organized by Yuelu Academy and Law School, Hunan University.

4. Participants

Experts and scholars in the humanities and social sciences such as literature, history, philosophy, and human rights law in domestic and foreign universities, research institutions, and cultural institutions are all welcome.

5. Topics

There is no limitforthe theme or the field, which could be in literature, history, philosophy, and other social sciences. The book series The Hundred Classics on Traditional Chinese Culture can be used as a reference, and the materials could be excavated from classical literature such as the Confucian classics, historical records, philosophical writings and miscellaneous works in order to probe into issues related to human rights.

6. Requirements

a. The paper must be an original work of the author(s) and not have been published on journals, monographs, online publications, printings for communication, conference presentations, etc.

b. The paper should comply with academic standards. Both Chinese and English papers are acceptable, with a limit of 10,000 Chinese words or 7,000 English words. The format of the paper should conform to that of the journal Chinese Social Sciences.

c. The deadline for submission is August 1, 2024. Please send the the paper (in Microsoft Word format) andpersonal profile (including name, gender, date of birth, employer, professional title, position, academic experience, contact information, etc.) as attachments to the conference email. Please name the email subject as: Name+Article Title.

d. Applicants are responsible for their own academic papers and must promise to abide by academic ethics. Anyone who plagiarizes or fabricates will be immediately disqualified from attending the conference upon discovery, and the right toholdaccountable will be reserved.

7. Essay Review

The conference hosts will organize experts to review the papers and invite the authors of the selected papers (in early September) to attend the conference. The unselected will not be notified separately. Selected excellent papers will be compiled for publication, or recommended to the journals.

8. Contacts

Mr. Xia and Mr. Chen

Phone Numbers：0731-88821833、15367939808 (Mr. Chen)

Email Address：gujiyurenquan@126.com