The first set of keynote lectures at the 7th World Conference on Sinology was chaired by Professor Yang Huilin of Renmin University of China. Professor Chen Hong of Nankai University lectured on "Contemporary Inspiration of Zhou Yi", which was responded by Ilya Kanaev, a Russian researcher at the Department of Philosophy of Sun Yat-sen University.

Chen Hong explained the contemporary inspiration of Zhou Yi. He briefly described the most fundamental logic of thinking in Zhouyi, such as opposition and unity, change and balance. Through vivid examples such as "San Yang Kai Tai三阳开泰” (Spring comes in full form) and "Pi Ji Tai Lai 否极泰来” (After a storm comes a calm). He explained the great wisdom of Zhou Yi that remains effective in today’s life.

"Wei-ji 未济"

Ilya Kanaev, a young sinologist interested in Chinese traditional ideas, has been engaging in related research for many years. Inspired by the trigrams of Zhou Yi, he created a large number of Chinese ink paintings and Western oil paintings. In his response, he focused on the inheritance of the oracle bones divination practice in Zhou Yi and argued that in this practice lied successive progress of cognitive methods and expressed the idea of mutual balance between the world and human beings in a casual manner.

"Wei-ji 未济"

In the Q-A session, Professor Solonin (Russia) from the School of Chinese Studies, Renmin University of China, introduced Russian sinologists’ studies of Zhou Yi, while Professor Wen Haiming from the School of Philosophy, Renmin University of China, expounded on the significance of the ideas "Ji-ji Wei-ji既济未济" (already but not yet) in the dialogue between Chinese and Western cultures.