On December 8, the “Reading The Works of Mencius” program was launched. It is part of the series of programs of the “Chinese Classics and Confucian Governance Workshop” initiated by Fang Zhaohui, a distinguished expert of the Chinese Confucius Research Institute, Taishan scholar in Shandong Province and professor of history in the School of Humanities of Tsinghua University.

　　Professor Fang Zhaohui presented the first lecture of the program, entitled “Overview of The Works of Mencius”. He gave an in-depth explanation of the background and biography of Mencius, as well as The Works of Mencius. This lecture offers guidance for students to understand Mencius and The Works of Mencius, and to grasp the methods of studying the classic book.

　　“Chinese Classics and Confucian Governance Workshop” is one of the important component of Professor Fang Zhaohui’s Shandong Taishan Scholars Program, aiming to explore the governance of Confucianism through studying traditional classics. Up to now, two parts of the workshop have been completed, namely “Studying The Geography of Thought by American Social Psychologist Richard Nisbett”, and “Studying the Confucian Classics of Zuo Tradition”. “Reading The Works of Mencius” constitutes the third part of the project.