Our Mission

Date: 2021-10-26

       Classics are the root of an ethnic group, the spiritual home where the group lays down its core beliefs. Such is a universal case with all humans, from remotely ancient legends of hunting-gathering tribes passed on by word of mouth to the Bible of a Western monotheistic religion which has long been existing till this 21st centry.

        The Chinese cultural classics The Book of Poetry, The Book of History, The Book of Rites, The Book of Music, The Book of Changes and The Spring and Autumn Annals are called “The Six Canons”. They are the root and spiritual home of the Chinese people.

        As is different from other peoples’ classical works, The Six Canons represents the only one thought system that is based on a kind of social stratification that embodies fundamental human ethics and transcends religious belief, mythical legends and regional culture. It treats the metaphysical and physical world as one consistent system and covers both inner character cultivation and external feats in running a family, a state and a world of peace.

        Therefore, we do not embrace any idea about the otherworldly paradise but conform to the nature-following Dao, cultivate our inner character and be ready to follow the natural course of things, not to contradict the Dao in the choice of orientation and timing, that is, to emulate Heaven and Earth so as to become saintly as the goal of life. This process starts with the reading of classics. Master Xunzi said: “Where should we start our learning and where to finish? The answer: In terms of courses, we should start with reading the classics and finish with The Book of Rites; and in terms of purpose, we should first become a scholar and finally a saintly person.” (《荀子·劝学第一》)

     Unfortunately, however, The Six Canons has been reduced to less than half of the original texts and become something difficult to read during the 2500 years after they were edited by Confucius, in spite of the discovery of such classical texts as The Book of History of Pre-Qin Version in Confucius’ residence. As a result, The Six Canons has even been surpassed by The Four Books in their importance to scholarly studies ever since Soong dynasty.

     While people on Earth did not cherish the treasures, nonetheless, Heaven bestows on the former the opportunity to re-discover the latter.

        During the past half century, one after another “library” of ancient books have been discovered, such as books on bamboo slips and silk from Han tombs at Mawangdui in Changsha of Hunan Province, those on bamboo slips from a Chu () tomb at Guodian (郭店) in Jingmen Municipality of Hubei Province, classic texts on bamboo slips in Qing Hua University’s custody, those in Shanghai Museum’s custody, and those on bamboo and wood slips from the tomb of Western Han dynasty’s Marquis Haihun (海昏). All these have greatly enriched the literature of classics. For example, the over 5200 bamboo slips and 170 wood slips excavated in 2015 from Marquis Haihun’s tomb in Jiangxi Province presenting such classic texts as The Book of Poetry, Spring and Autumn Annals and The Book of Rites are all of high academic value.

        In this era of unprecedented disorders with superabundant material wealth in contrast to severe spiritual poverty, the West, lacking in ideological resources for sustainable human development and lasting world peace, is no longer able to pretend as the beacon light pointing to our future. Therefore, more and more people of insight turn their attention to China and her thousands of years long undisrupted cultural tradition.

        The current times are such that we need to cling to our tradition and develop the new from it, so as to reform our cultural landscape and provide the world with the much-needed spiritual resources.

        This is the very purpose called for by history in our starting The Expanded Six Canons project.

     This grand project concerns the root of traditional Chinese culture and requires the involvement of many more scholars of vision, as individuals are always restricted in ability when compared with our nation’s great centuries-old accumulated wisdom and only a united collective can work wonders.

        Whoever devote themselves to the Dao are at one with the Dao.

        Let us work hard for The Expanded Six Canons project, an immortal monument of human civilization!