Confucius and Socrates "dialogue" across time and space

Divine Encounter - Dialogue between Confucius and Socrates (sculpture) Wu Weishan

People's Daily (Yangzi) On September 16, local time, as one of the important links of the opening ceremony of the "Year of Chinese Greek Culture and Tourism" in 2021, wu Weishan, director of the National Art Museum of China and sculptor, unveiled his bronze group sculpture "Divine Encounter - Dialogue between Confucius and Socrates" (hereinafter referred to as "Divine Encounter") in Athens, Greece.

"Divine Encounter" takes "dialogue" as the theme, and Wu Weishan expresses the wisdom and style, spirit and philosophy of Confucius and Socrates with the technique of "freehand sculpture", with a grand view of time and space. The two sages, who represent the Chinese and Greek civilizations respectively, have exchanged ideas and conducted soul dialogues across the millennium, which not only expresses the concept of mutual learning and common development of the civilizations of China and Greece, but also embodies the solidarity and common destiny of mankind.

The Greek government selected the ruins of the ancient market in the heart of Athens as the site for the work. It was an important place for the exchange of ideas in the ancient Greek city-states, where Socrates' famous square debate took place. The settlement of "Divine Encounter" reflects the respect and importance of the Greek government for Chinese art, and also carries the deep expectations of China and Greece for deepening people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

Source: People's Daily Overseas Edition