The international conference “China: Culture and Science. Prospects for Collaboration,” organized by the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei through its Center for Scientific Relations and Cooperation with China, has concluded in Rome. The initiative provided an important opportunity for reflection and academic debate to analyze the complexity of contemporary China, trace its historical roots, and outline the future of scientific and cultural cooperation between the two countries.
The conference was structured into two distinct thematic sessions, designed to comprehensively encompass both the humanities and social sciences as well as the natural sciences.
The first day of the conference was entirely dedicated to the humanities and social sciences, featuring the participation of leading sinologists, historians, and researchers in the field. The discussion highlighted the main dynamics of Chinese identity and its unique historical evolution, which experts defined through the paradigm of “continuous discontinuity.” The speakers traced the country’s major transitions, from the institutions of the imperial era to the radical transformations of the 20th century, up to the central role that China occupies today on the global stage. During the presentations, it was repeatedly emphasized that any successful dialogue or collaboration must necessarily be based on mutual respect and a thorough understanding of China’s cultural and conceptual heritage.
La seconda giornata si è focalizzata sulle Scienze Fisiche, Naturali e della Vita, affrontando settori strategici quali la biologia, le scienze della terra, la geologia e la matematica. I lavori hanno messo in evidenza l'eccezionale vivacità e la capillarità della rete italiana della ricerca: numerosi atenei, centri universitari e istituti scientifici nazionali mantengono infatti da lungo tempo collaborazioni di altissimo profilo scientifico con istituzioni partner cinesi.The second day focused on the Physical, Natural, and Life Sciences, addressing strategic fields such as biology, earth sciences, geology, and mathematics. The proceedings highlighted the exceptional vitality and widespread reach of the Italian research network: numerous universities, university centers, and national scientific institutes have, in fact, long maintained collaborations of the highest scientific caliber with Chinese partner institutions.
At the conclusion of the proceedings, Patrizio Bianchi, Director of the Center for Relations and Scientific Cooperation with China (CELRIC) at the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, emphasized the importance of making a qualitative leap forward in methodology within the relationship between the two countries: there is a vast number of individual researchers, universities, and institutes in Italy that maintain ties with China. It is time to move from these individual initiatives to a systematic approach. The National Academy of the Lincei offers to serve the entire Italian scientific community by providing venues for collaboration and making available the diverse experiences our members have accumulated over the years.