On June 28, 2025, the "Transcultural and Interdisciplinary Discussions on Tairan and Wellbeing" workshop, hosted by FHSS and organized by DCom - CCGC, was successfully held at BNBU. Prof. Tze-ki HON and Dr. Jianing CHEN initiated the event. Prof. WEI Gang, Director of the National Engineering Research Center for Mobile Ultrasound Detection at South China University of Technology, was particularly invited to attend. 

The workshop brought together 16 academic experts and many students from the humanities, social sciences, artificial intelligence, medicine, art, and other fields in the Greater Bay Area. The attendees conducted in-depth discussions on cutting-edge topics such as cross-cultural dialogue and interdisciplinary integration and explored innovative approaches to constructing contemporary social mental health.

Participants of the workshop

Dr. Kar Bo WONG began by systematically introducing the audience to the underlying symbolic system of the I Ching. He started with the basic reading of the two lines of yin and yang, then moved on to the generation and superposition rules of the eight trigrams and sixty-four hexagrams. He provided a classic textual basis for cross-cultural philosophical discussions by supplementing the interpretation methods of the hexagrams of Tai and Fu. 

Then, Prof. Hon used Heidegger's philosophy and the I Ching to explain the intrinsic connection and tension between the Chinese phrase "tàírán rènzhī" and the German word Gelassenheit. He pointed out that Gelassenheit advocates discarding the mindset of "subject insistence," relinquishing excessive control over things, and returning to the true coexistence of humans and the world. This forms an attitude of composure regarding the availability of technology. In a "calm" state of mind, individuals can overcome cognitive limitations, make their own choices, and "let it be," opening new paths to well-being.

Prof. Tze-ki Hon delivered a speech

Dr. Kar Bo Wong

Dr. Jianing Chen's presentation was titled "The Distortion of the Philosophical Views of Well-Being in Religion and Its Transcendence." Citing Chinese Buddhist and Taoist texts as examples, Dr. Chen pointed out that religious practice has distorted philosophical views of well-being. 

He explained that religious organizations require standardized rituals to survive; however, in daily practice, some people mistakenly consider almsgiving, prayer, alchemy, and other means to be the ultimate goal. Through institutionalized practice, religion distorts philosophical notions of well-being into utilitarian means. Only through critical reflection and a return to original wisdom can true spiritual transcendence and well-being be achieved.

Dr. Jianing Chen

Prof. Wei Gang presented "AI Music Aesthetic Education: Innovation and Practice," which is part of the "Autonomous Knowledge System of Chinese Music in the AI Era" project that his team is exploring. Prof. Wei began by discussing the connection between music and many historical scientists, such as Guan Zhong and Pythagoras. He explained scientific principles in music in an accessible way, making science more approachable for the audience. He then discussed the challenges of aesthetic education in remote areas in China, including the scarcity of music teachers and musical instruments, and the limited access to formal music education for many children. 

To address this issue, his team developed the "Sound-hand Music Score" using AI technology. This new tool is inexpensive to produce yet highly practical. Children do not need expensive instruments and can quickly recognize musical symbols and locate the keys through simple voice and gesture interactions. This innovative teaching method gives children in remote areas the opportunity to experience the charm of music and the joy of learning. 

Finally, Prof. Wei showed the short film "Hi, AI Music," which was produced by the Tsinghua University Alumni Association in Guangzhou. In the video, children learn to sing and play music with the help of AI and bright smiles on their faces. These children, who originally lacked music education opportunities, are now getting close to music for the first time thanks to AI technology. Seeing the children's happy faces in the video deeply touched the audience and made them truly feel the warm changes that technology has brought to education.

Prof. Wei Gang

Prof. IP Kim Ho and Dr. HUANG Yu, from the Wong Bing Lai Music and Performing Arts Unit at the School of Interdisciplinary Studies at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, presented a special topic titled "Five Senses, Six Arts, Seven Emotions, and Eight Trigrams: Intergenerational Inclusion Well-being." Dr. Huang began by interpreting the cultural origin and core content of the topic, and then she elaborated on how her teaching and research team has promoted cross-regional and cross-generational integration and interaction in community practice. They have done this by building a knowledge-sharing platform between the young and the elderly. 

Their teaching and research activities prove that, based on the multimodal integration practice of the "five senses experience," the "six arts practice" at BNBU can achieve "seven emotions resonance" and effectively promote well-being improvement among different age groups. 

At the end of the session, Dr. Huang mentioned the significance of delving into the philosophical wisdom of the "Tongren Hexagram" and the "Dayou Hexagram" in the I Ching for achieving the ideal state of "Yuán hēng" (smooth going) in group relations. She called on relevant university institutions participating in the meeting to collaborate in building the Greater Bay Area study network.

Dr. Huang Yu spoke

Dr. TAN Lian, from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), presented the topic of "Cross-Cultural Translation of Traditional Art Symbols: From Anxiety Relief to Well-Being Construction." She noted that the visual order contained in traditional symbols, such as symmetrical compositions and repetitive patterns, essentially provides psychological anchors for modern people. When disordered visual elements are presented in a regular form, viewers can gain a sense of security, build a stable cognitive framework, and achieve non-pharmaceutical anxiety intervention. 

Symbolic systems of natural imagery and auspicious metaphors have greater emotional empowerment value. They trigger positive associations through cultural memory and allow people to perceive the beauty of nature and hope for life in symbols. This strengthens the psychological foundation of happiness. 

Regarding cross-cultural translation practices, Dr. Tan emphasized the core essence of "activating the contemporary healing power of art symbols." Through deconstructing and reconstructing traditional patterns, organically integrating cultural contexts, and innovatively breaking through modern expressions, traditional symbols, such as the ancient word fú and the grape (symbolizing "many children"), are transformed into visual solutions that relieve anxiety in contemporary society. This transformation of value from cultural inheritance to psychological healing rejuvenates ancient symbols and provides a visual solution that combines historical depth and innovative vitality for constructing modern people's sense of well-being.

Dr. Tan Lian

Dr. NIE Duluo of Sun Yat-sen University's School of International Translation began with a fragment from the Homeric Epics that reflects the medical knowledge of the time, the battle between Thetis and Aeneas. He then moved on to the tradition of witch doctors, represented by the worship of Asclepius. Finally, he illustrates the intricate relationship between Ionian philosophy and the emergence of rational medicine, as exemplified by Alcmaeon of Croton and Hippocrates of Cos. 

Dr. Nie further depicted the dynamic intellectual map of the mutual exclusion and integration of ancient Greek rational medicine, as well as music, mathematics, and other subjects, and the religious and philosophical traditions behind them.

Dr. Nie Duluo delivered a speech

Dr. FENG Li, associate chief physician, and Dr. YANG Daya, chief physician, both from the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, presented a report on "The Well-being of Medical Students." Dr. Feng explained that well-being is a comprehensive state based on subjective experience and covering health, happiness, and prosperity. 

Well-being can be divided into five dimensions: emotional, physical, social, workplace, and societal. Despite having to work on the front lines of hospitals for extended periods, emotional support from social relationships remains an important source of well-being for medical students. Dr. Feng cited data indicating a grim well-being situation among medical students worldwide. 

In the report, Dr. Feng systematically introduced the theoretical model of well-being, focusing on the analysis of the core elements of the PREMA model: Positive Emotions, Relationships, Engagement, Meaning, and Achievement Experience Accomplishment. By combining theory with clinical practice, she helped the audience deeply understand stressors and pathways to constructing happiness in different medical industry scenarios, providing a line of thinking that is both theoretically profound and practically valuable for improving the professional well-being of medical students.

Dr. Feng Li, an associate chief physician

Dr. Chia-Ying YEH from BNBU presented a special topic, "Nurturing the Mind with Music and Cultivating Character with Etiquette: Physical and Mental Well-Being Cultivation in the Teaching of Refined Music." Drawing on her years of experience teaching classical music, Dr. Yeh posed a profound question to the audience: What is well-being to students? If well-being means forgetting worries, does that mean inner unease has not been resolved, rather than achieving true physical and mental peace? Dr. Yeh pointed out that well-being and joy are often confused in everyday contexts. 

However, in the court music teaching system, there is an essential difference between the two. The court music curriculum does not pursue instantaneous sensory pleasure. Rather, it guides students to stabilize their inner self through the immersion of melody and etiquette. This process gradually builds sustainable well-being. 

Dr. Yeh explained that, from the movements of the Book of Songs to court music, the "balanced and peaceful" rhythmic quality is achieved through the synergy of rhythm, melody, and etiquette, which helps learners form an inner order through repeated practice. This state of mind, nourished by music, goes beyond superficial emotional satisfaction. Ultimately, it points to the Confucian concept of "reaching the middle" (zhì zhōnghé), making well-being a sustainable life state rather than a fleeting emotional experience.

Dr. Chia-Ying Yeh

Prof. LI Yun, from the School of Foreign Languages at South China University of Technology, led the audience in exploring the topic, "Seeking New Well-being: Tracing the Origins of Digital Aesthetics." "What is beauty?" Prof. Li began the conversation by posing this question. "From natural beauty to artistic beauty and then to game aesthetics, what paradigm shift has the human perception of beauty undergone?" 

She systematically compared Ruan Sici's three core concepts of active aesthetics ("harmony between self and world," "disinterested interestedness," and "practical practicality") with Kant's four propositions of natural aesthetics ("pleasure without utility," "purposiveness of nature," "purposiveness without purpose," and "coordination of the senses"). The free play of imagination and intellect leads the audience through the fog of aesthetic theory, focusing on aesthetic innovations in the digital age. 

During the interactive discussion, Prof. Li analyzed how game aesthetics breaks through the traditional aesthetic framework. How does this new aesthetic paradigm redefine "beauty" when beauty in a virtual, interactive scene is not dependent on natural objects or artistic representation but is instead generated through the dynamic interplay between the player and the system? In the context of gamification, what contemporary connotations are given to "well-being" due to new traits such as "real-time coordination between the self and the world" and "the immersive satisfaction of non-utilitarian experiences"? 

Prof. Li pointed out that the "interactive aesthetic-well-being construction" path pioneered by game aesthetics shifts "beauty" from static viewing to dynamic co-creation. This provides a new dimension of thinking that integrates technological rationality and humanistic perception for human well-being in the digital age.

Prof. Li Yun

Prof. SU Ping from the School of Foreign Languages at South China University of Technology presented the topic "Using Water as a Medium: Greater Bay Area Water Culture, Empowering a New Picture of Modern Happy Life." She focused on the contemporary value of water culture in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao GBA. 

Through a two-year field investigation of villages in Guangzhou, she revealed the deep impact of water resources, spatial layout, and historical heritage on modern life. Using two villages as case studies, Prof. Su examined the various water sources and spaces, from the deep integration of century-old wells with community life to the influence of water cultural landmarks, such as ponds and docks, on production and lifestyle. 

These seemingly ordinary water elements are actually spiritual bonds that maintain regional cultural identity and collective consciousness. She found that wells are not only practical water sources, but also emotional hubs for social interactions among villagers. Leisure and entertainment by the pond, festivals by the river, and commercial activity at the docks all use water as a medium to construct a rich, historical, and warm picture of well-being. 

Prof. Su pointed out that the Greater Bay Area's water culture provides a local solution to the modern urbanite's happiness dilemma through spatial narrative and cultural inheritance. When individuals reconnect to the memory of water, they can find harmony between people and the environment, tradition, and modernity in the flowing cultural context.

Prof. Su Ping

Dr. MA Yueling from the School of Foreign Languages at South China University of Technology presented the topic "Technological Alienation and Poetic Redemption: A Cross-Cultural Dialogue Between Fahrenheit 451 and Zhuangzi's Philosophy." Dr. Ma noted that Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 resonates deeply with Zhuangzi's philosophy in its critique of technological alienation. 

Together, they reveal the progressive process of technological alienation: "external technological control — institutional behavioral discipline — internal mental dullness." The dystopian society in the novel, which burns books to destroy intelligence, bears a striking resemblance to the world of "ingenuity" that Zhuangzi criticized — both of which dissolve the depth dimension of the human spirit under the pretext of supreme efficiency. 

Dr. Ma further explained that Zhuangzi's philosophy emphasizes the true return of perception through "physical technical practice" (such as Butcher Ding's skillful dissection of an ox). This concept of "preserving the original life" resonates with the narrative of Fahrenheit 451, which uses memory books to counter technological hegemony. Spanning more than two thousand years of time and space, the two works have reached a consensus on the proposition of "redemption of man." 

True dystopian resistance lies in guarding the freedom of the mind. Zhuangzi described this freedom as "communicating with the spirit of heaven and earth." In an age of technological hegemony, when the world is simplified into quantifiable objects, one can only anchor the spiritual coordinates of being human in the abyss of technological alienation by regaining poetic perception and philosophical speculation.

Dr. Ma Yueling

The last speaker of the workshop was HAN Xuanyue, a junior majors in CCGC program at BNBU. Her presentation was titled "The Serenity of Women: Exploring the Manifestation of Female Subjectivity in History Through the Evolving Sword Dance." She focused on the historical origins of the sword dance from early to medieval China. 

She attempted to return the interpretation of "well-being" to the women who disappeared from history and explored the unique "well-being state" of women. She did this by reviewing how women transformed from objects being gazed upon to people standing with a sword. At the end of her presentation, she performed a beautiful sword dance incorporating elements of I Ching divination.

Han Xuanyue's speech and performance

The workshop concluded with cross-cultural and interdisciplinary exchanges of ideas. Scholars and students provided multiple perspectives on the construction of well-being and injected contemporary vitality into traditional wisdom through their innovative presentations. Together, they painted a picture of the integration of the humanities and science.

Reporter: Ye Jingtian

Photographer: Lu Guanzhong, Wei Anqi, Han Xuanyue

Translated and reviewed by Chen Jianing