Yangming Wang v.s. Martin Luther: Symposium of Renovation of Thought and Turn of History in the East and the West of the Early Modern Age Held in CAH

　　President Jinping Xi expressed his expectation to Chinese historians in his congratulatory letter for the establishment of CAH, CASS. He hopes that Chinese historians can inherit the good academic tradition, organize research of Chinese history, world history and archaeology well, improve their ability of research and innovation, and promote the cooperation of different historical researches. Researcher Xiang Gao (president of CAH) frequently emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary study, communication among different institutes and subjects, as well as the improvement of macroscopic understanding and grasp of history of mankind as a whole. 

　　On January the 21st, 2020, the symposium of “Yangming Wang v.s. Martin Luther: Renovation of Thought and Turn of History in the East and the West of the Early Modern Age” was held in Junshi Hall, Institute of Ancient Chinese History, CAH. Researcher Guoqiang Li (vice president of CAH), Researcher Xianqun Bu (president of Institute of Ancient Chinese History), Wangjing Rao (vice president of IWH) as well as dozens of scholars from Institute of Ancient Chinese History, IWH and other academic institutes took part in the symposium. 

　　In his speech on the opening ceremony, Guoqiang Li (vice president of CAH) points out that the symposium held by Section of Ming Dynasty, Institute of Ancient Chinese History and Section of Global History, IWH is a historical dialogue of the comparison between oriental and occidental civilizations. The valuable attempt reflects the aim of CAH, and will set up an example for the interdisciplinary studies. Yangming Wang (Shouren Wang) and Martin Luther are two contemporary talents. Martin Luther is praised as a giant in his time. And President Jinping Xi used to point out that “Yangming’s Xinxue is great treasure of the traditional Chinese culture and one source of Chinese cultural confidence. As Chinese we must not forget Yangming Wang.” The thoughts of Yangming Wang and Martin Luther are grand, historic and highly influential. And it is worth noticing that two great thinkers emerged simultaneously in China and in Europe respectively. 

　　The two key-note lectures were presented by Researcher Xianhai Zhao and Dexiang Jing. From the macroscopic perspective of world modern history, they point out that both Yangming Wang and Martin Luther advocated for individual liberation, made a breakthrough against conservative tradition, and deserved to be called Gemini in the early modern age. Nevertheless, due to different social contexts, The thought revolutions started by them received contrasting destiny in China and the West. In China, the traditional Lixue revived quickly and remained orthodox in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. On the contrary, Protestantism made a powerful challenge against Catholicism in the West. It damaged the traditional political, social and psychological orders, and greatly promoted the development of capitalism, scientific revolution and nation states. On the other hand, we should not forget that the unified ideology of Lixue also provided thought basis for the unification and stability of the Ming and Qing Empires. And the Western Europe fell into conflicts and divisions by the Reformation and other factors. In sum, historians can only fully understand the original intention, reception and influence (positive or negative) of thinkers when they take a macroscopic and historical perspective. 

　　Other participants of the symposium took an active part in the discussion, which is both lively and illuminating. The communication between scholars of Chinese history and world history broadened their visions and enriched their academic experience.