Young-Seo Baik, emeritus professor at Yonsei University, South Korea and an expert in East Asia and China's modern and contemporary history, suggests that the world should seek new paths for modern civilizational transformation from classical Chinese thought.

"To achieve the coexistence of tradition and modernity, we need to introduce the perspective of civilizational exchange," he says.

He proposes the integration of Chinese philosophy into daily life to break rigid self-perceptions and reshape interactions between individuals and the world, and combine Neo-Confucianism with institutional innovation to explore how traditional culture can better drive reform and development.

Robert Chard, emeritus professor at St Anne's College, University of Oxford and a visiting professor at the Peking University's Department of History, shares his observations from decades of teaching Chinese students.