Interview with Liu Dajun, Member of National Political Consultative Conference and President of China
Zhouyi Society during the Two Conferences
“As is said in Yijing, ‘We look at the ornamental figures of the sky, and thereby ascertain the
changes of the seasons. We look at the ornamental observances of society, and understand how the
processes of transformation are accomplished all under the heaven’.” So I think we should solve
different views and disputes with human-centered cultural thought”, said Mr. Liu Da-jun, Member of
National Political Consultative Conference and President of China Zhouyi Society when interviewed by the
reporter of the paper, China News. Mr. Liu Da-jun, who have already worked on the academic exchange of
Zhouyi studies between the Taiwan Strait and the Mainland China for over decade, told this idea of
intensifying exchange between the two places came about initially in 1991. That year the publication of
Zhouyi Studies, founded by Mr.Liu Da-jun, broke through 30,000 copies in the volume of circulation. As
far as the circulation volume was concerned, it was called “the king of Chinese academic publications”.
There were five hundred to six hundred subscribers in Taiwan, so it was very influential. .
“Because of same origin, same ancestor, same characters, the cultural and academic exchanges are
very convenient. Zhouyi as the common traditional culture between the Taiwan Strait and the Mainland
China attracts great attention. So I should also do some deeds for the exchanges inbetween.” Mr. Liu Da-
jun thought so and he sponsored and organized the “First Symposium for Zhouyi Studies between Taiwan
Strait and Mainland China”, held in Shandong University, where he worked in 1993.More than sixty experts
and scholars in Zhouyi studies from the Philosophy Department of Taiwan University and China Yijing
Society of Taiwan and other institutions participated in the conference. On the symposium, the
representatives from Taiwan proposed that such kind of symposiums should be continued and held by turns.
And then in 1995 the second Symposium was held in Taiwan. In 1997 the third Symposium was held in
Beijing, which was also sponsored by the Center for Zhouyi Studies under Shandong University. The
conference was chaired by Mr. Liu Da-jun. In 1999, on the Fourth Symposium held in Taiwan, Mr. liu Da-jun
suggested that young generation should be encouraged to participate in the academic exchange between the
Trait and Mainland. And this proposal got the approval from all the participants. In 2000 the “First
Publication Conference of Zhouyi Studies Papers of Young Scholars” was held in Taiwan. More than twenty
young Taiwanese Zhouyi studies doctors attended it, in which the scholars from the Taiwan and the
Mainland worked together on the explanation and evaluation on the young scholars’ papers, which offered
a good opportunity to the young scholars. Subsequently, the relevant symposium exchanges were performed
in the years of 2001,2002,2003 and 2005.And more and more experts and scholars of Zhouyi studies joined
in them. “Studies in Zhouyi is categorized as four parts, i,e. xiang (image),shu (number),li (ration)
and zhan (prediction). Taiwanese Zhouyi studies focus on the four traditional parts, whereas Zhouyi
studies on the Mainland are concerned mainly with study of li (ration),i.e. the philosophical ideas of
the Zhouyi. Thus, the exchange between the Taiwan Strait and the Mainland China is complimentary to each
other and it is very good.” Mr. Liu remarked and anticipated that the exchanges that lasted over ten
years would not only be continued but also intensified.
