Vice-Premier Liu Yandong (2nd from left), Ezra F.Vogel, former director of Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard University (3rd from left), China's Education Minister Yuan Guiren (right) and Barthélémy Jobert, president of Paris-Sorbonne University (left) attend the opening ceremony of the 4th World Conference on Sinology at Renmin University of China on Saturday. [Photo by Mao Yanzheng/chinadaily.com.cn]

The 4th World Conference on Sinology opens at Renmin University of China on Saturday, offering a platform for international cultural exchange and academic access to better understand China.

The conference, jointly held by Confucius Institute headquarter, or Hanban, and RUC, features the theme of "The Exchange and Learning between 'East' and 'West': 400 Years in Retrospect", has attracted 120 international sinology scholars from 39 countries and regions as well as more than 80 Chinese researchers for workshops on sinology research during the two-day conference.

China's Vice-Premier Liu Yandong, Education Minister Yuan Guiren and renowned oversea sinologists including Ezra Vogel, former director of Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard University, and Barthélémy Jobert, president of Paris-Sorbonne University attended the opening ceremony.

Sinology is the academic study of issues related to China through Chinese history, literature and language.

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Liu hails sinology as the window for international scholars to better understand China. In her opening remarks, she expressed the wish the age-old academic study to evolve with cultural exchanges and diversified approaches.

Carrying on the mission of expanding sinology's researching areas, this year's conference will cover a wide range of topics from Chinese literature and language to international relations as well as the social economic development of China.

Scholars will gather and reflect from various academic perspectives on the past 400 years of exchanges between the East and the West.

Chen Yulu, president of RUC, said sinology study will help the Chinese nation to strengthen self-understanding in traditional culture while expressing the value of Chinese civilization to the world from a different perspective.

The conference also features a young scholar forum, where 18 oversea sinology PhDs funded by the Confucius China Studies Program – a talent-fostering program of Hanban – will share studies on sinology.

The World Sinology Conference Council will be established during the conference with its headquarters at RUC.