The Center for Zhouyi & Ancient Chinese Philosophy of Shandong University, a special academic institute engaged in researches on I Ching learning and the correlation between I Ching Learning and ancient Chinese philosophy, is originated from the Section of Zhouyi Studies, founded in the Department of Philosophy of Shandong University in 1984. In March, 1988, on the basis of the section, the Research Center of Zhouyi of Shandong University was formally established, being an independent academic research institute directly subordinate to Shandong University. In September, 2000, the center’s name was formally changed into the present one. From the very beginning right up to now, the institute has been directed by Professor Liu Dajun, a renowned expert in I Ching Learning. As a first-rank institute ratified by the Ministry of Civil Administration of China, the China Learned Society of Zhouyi is also located at the center, Professor Liu Dajun being the president.
Since the foundation of the institute, it has been making efforts in initiating and putting forward researches on the Text, the Commentaries, I Ching Learning, I Ching Learning & ancient Chinese philosophy, modernization & universality of I Ching Learning and ancient Chinese philosophy:
Being sincere in learning, and diligent in researching. As a special institute for I Ching Learning, the center takes the State’s and provincial research subjects and optional research subjects as its main tasks. Since 1996, the center has undertaken 17 research subjects, including 10 subjects above the provincial and ministerial levels. After more than 10 years of efforts, the center has obtained brilliant achievements in researches. Since 1996, members of the center has published over 110 theses and 31 monograph works, arousing considerable influence on the academic circle, some of which filled in gaps in the academic field. These achievements won 11 awards, of which there are 3 items of the first, 4 items of the second, and 1 item of the third awards in the provincial or ministerial level. Because I Ching Learning contains profound philosophy and possesses a particular theoretic mode united with image-number and philosophical connotations, members of the center give consideration to both image-number and philosophical connotations. On the other hand, they pay more attention to researches on the image-number system considered as the root of I Ching Learning. They have dedicated brilliant achievements acknowledged by the academic circle at home and abroad in this field. Thus has the center played an important role, which can not be replaced by any other institutes, in clearing up people’s misunderstanding on I Ching Learning, especially the misunderstandings on the image-number school, and in expounding what the I Ching Learning is and the reason why it is so.
Having formed a system of succession. With a long period of constant endeavor, the center has established a system of succession with a reasonable age structure, a harmonious distribution, a remarkably high-qualified academic echelon formation with more young scholars.Among the present 8 full-time researchers, there are 3 doctoral supervisors, 6 professors, 2 associate professors, and 4 professors under the age of 45.
Sponsoring the academic journal of the Studies of Zhouyi. In 1988, the director of the center, professor Liu Dajun, raised money by his own efforts and sponsored the journal of the Studies of Zhouyi, at present the only open-distributed journal on Zhouyi at home and abroad which is published in the Mainland of China. The center always carries on the policy of “let different schools of thought contend”, advocates academic freedom, maintains that researches on Zhouyi and the history of I Ching Learning should follow the principle which simultaneously lays stress on both philosophical connotations and the image-number school of I Ching Learning. Encouraging multi-branch, multi-level, multi-channel, and multi-angle cross researches, the center attempts to promote cross researches on the correlation between I Ching Learning and philosophy, other liberal arts, natural science, modern management science, as well as science of ecology. Owing to its high grade and quality, the journal gained the reputation of “being rigorous and serious” in the academic circle, and has been distributed to 28 countries and areas, steadily with a quarterly circulation around 20,000. Thus has the center made great contributions to expanding I Ching Learning, training talented persons in I Ching research, guiding the direction of the research, putting forward the development of the I Ching Learning research in a healthy way. In 1998, the journal was appraised as one of the “State’s Kernel Periodicals in Chinese” and one of the “State’s Kernel Periodicals of Humanities & Social Sciences”. Now, the journal is cosponsored by the center and China Learned Society of Zhouyi, and ranked as the Society’s journal.
Holding academic conferences. To deeply push forward the development of researches on I Ching Learning, strengthen the connections of scholars on I Ching at home and abroad, and enhance the research level, the center have sponsored 4 times of and cosponsored one time of national or international academic conferences. Among them, the First International Academic Seminar on Zhouyi held on December, 1987 by then the Section of Researches on Zhouyi of Shandong University, formally opened the prologue to the upsurge in researching on I Ching Learning in the Mainland of China. After that, the center successively held four times of “Mainland-Taiwan (or Taiwan-Mainland) Academic Seminar on Zhouyi” with an academic association in Taiwan in 1993, 1995, 1997 and 1999. From October 31 to November 2, 2000, the center sponsored “the Centennial International Academic Seminar in Retrospect & Prospect to Researches on I Ching Learning”, held just at the turn of the new century. The “retrospect” and “prospect” will certainly arouse significant inspiration and guidance to researches on I Ching at home and abroad.
Improving academic and cultural exchanges with overseas scholars. The center has always been striving to enlarge the academic exchange space, strengthen the academic & cultural exchange with overseas scholars. Since its foundation, the center (including its former institute) has received approximately 100 visiting scholars from Japan, South Korea, USA, Germany, Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong etc. Meanwhile, members of the center have been to Japan, USA, Germany, Britain, France, Belgium, Singapore, and Taiwan etc. many times to participate in academic conferences or engage in academic visit. All this has widened the center’s academic field of vision, extended the center’s influence, and reinforced the friendship with overseas academic circles. Basing on the above-mentioned efforts, and through co-operations with the Department of Philosophy of Shandong University, the center has been granted as a doctoral program which began to recruit students specialized in I Ching Learning under the major of the traditional Chinese philosophy. At the turn of the new millenium, the center was fortunately ratified as one of the 100 “Key Institutes of Humanity & Social Sciences” by the Ministry of Education of China.
Basing on the Key Institute’s foundation, the center will continue to enhance its academic research level, improve international academic & cultural exchanges, increase the quality of the Studies of Zhouyi, exert its function of fostering students of researches on I Ching Learning and guiding the direction of the research. Besides, the center will emphasize on substantial research on specific persons and specific subjects, storm difficult points to, in the near future, compose A History of Chinese I Ching Learning which will really represent update the highest research level, to exert the center’s authority and example function. To meet the demands of the Ministry of Education of China, the center will be built into a first-class institute in the world for I Ching Learning research with its name matching reality.
