International conference on the meaning and significance of water in Eastern and Western philosophy and literature

On December 9 a conference entitled “The Cultural Significance of Water in Eastern and Western Classics” and organized by Ca’ Foscari University of Venice in collaboration with Soochow University took place in Suzhou, China. The conference explored the meaning and significance of the term “water” (水）in both eastern and western philosophy and literature, and an international group of professors from a range of institutions took part, including five from Ca’ Foscari, four from Soochow and others from Nanyang Technological University and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris.

The event is one of many being organized as a result of an active collaboration between Ca’ Foscari and Soochow University that was formalized two years ago and brought about the opening of the Ca’ Foscari Suzhou Office, which is hosted on the campus of the Chinese university. There are currently joint research projects being undertaken by professors from both partner institutions not only in the humanities, but also in environmental science and management studies.