Classics keep enduring in modern times

He Fangying, director of the Research Center for Classical Civilization at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

Each generation has its own ancient past, and every ancient generation responded to the challenges of its time, as well as those of earlier times. From this perspective, classical studies are constantly being renewed. We are always preceded by earlier generations, and we always look toward the future. …Whether it is Homer from more than 2,000 years ago or China's Confucius, they were figures from distant eras, yet they can also be our friends in the modern age.