Berggruen Institute China 2025 Annual Report
In 2025, the Center continued to launch a series of new projects centered around three main research areas. These projects encompassed “Cross-cultural and Metaphysical Explorations of ‘Consciousness’,” “Metaphysics of AI,” “Complexity Knowledge,” “Imaginaries of Immortality in the Age of AI,” “Quantum Planet: The Tiniest Carries the Vastest,” the “1994 ‘Mini’ Art Exhibition” and its accompanying dialogue series. Many of these projects were jointly initiated, planned, and organized by the Center and its longterm partner scholars and institutions, reflecting the innovative community the Center has cultivated over the years.
Another significant milestone this year was the successful organization and execution of the second Berggruen Prize Essay Competition by the Center. The theme for this year was “consciousness,” which attracted many submissions from scholars and the public worldwide. This interdisciplinary and cross-cultural theme, while presenting challenges to the judges, also brought pleasant surprises. Both the Center and the judges were heartened to read innovative arguments and bold visions from contributors of diverse backgrounds. We are confident that moving forward, the Berggruen Prize Essay Competition will continue to deepen philosophical inquiry while promoting intellectual exchange across Chinese and global networks of thought.
Another exciting development this year was the Center’s official move in March to our new permanent home—Yannan Garden No. 54. Rooted in the intellectual exchange between East and West, this building has become an ideal space for the Center and its community of thinkers to find inspiration and engage in profound discussion. We feel honored to have the opportunity to continue a new chapter in the long and distinguished history of Peking University.
This year, we were also privileged to invite Professors Wu Hong, Chen Dayue, and Peng Feng of Peking University to join the Academic Advisory Council, expanding its size from five to eight members. Our advisors’ academic expertise will greatly enrich the Center’s research themes.
As the first snow settles over Yannan Garden, we look ahead with eager anticipation to a vibrant and hopeful 2026, moving forward with “the vigor of a galloping horse.”
—Song Bing & Liu Zhe