On November 29, 2025, the seminar titled First Principles, MoGong Philosophy, and Engineering Education, jointly hosted by the UNESCO International Centre for Engineering Education (ICEE) and the School of Information and Communication Engineering of Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, was held at Tsinghua University. The seminar focused on the core paradigms and future directions of engineering education, and explored in depth the innovative application of first-principles thinking and MoGong philosophy in engineering education.

The meeting was chaired by Wang Sunyu, Professor at the School of Education of Tsinghua University and Deputy Director and Secretary-General of ICEE. Participants included Ji Yang, Professor and PhD Supervisor at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications and Deputy Director of the Ministry of Education’s Information Network Engineering Research Center; Yao Zhenqing, Second-Level Inspector of the Publicity and Cultural Department of the China Association for Science and Technology; Li Yifan, Professor at Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication and Chinese Member of the UNESCO Chair in Digital Innovation and Digital Publishing Transmission; Lei Qing, Vice Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and Director of the Institute of Higher Education, Professor and PhD Supervisor at Beihang University; Ma Xiaotong, Researcher at the Institute of Basic Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences; Lu Xiaodong, Researcher at the Graduate School of Education, Peking University; Zhao Ziqiang, Director of the Accreditation and Special Evaluation Division of the Higher Education Evaluation Center of the Ministry of Education; Zhao Peng, Party Secretary and Chairman of China SatNet Digital Technology Co., Ltd.; Wang Di, Executive Director of the WorldSkills Competition China (Shanghai) Research Center and Executive Deputy Director of the Engineering Education Development Research Center at Shanghai University of Engineering Science; Wu Zhenyu, Associate Professor at the School of Information and Communication Engineering, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, and Deputy Director of the Development Planning Office; Shen Ye, Assistant to Secretary-General of ICEE and Director of the Editorial Office of Engineering Education Review (EER); Feng Yechong, Editor at the EER Editorial Office; Zhang Lei, Executive Director of the Professional Degree Education Center, School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University; Zhang Youlin, Vice President of the Chinese Mozi Society; and Sun Ling, Chief Director of the CCTV program The First Lesson of School.

Welcome Remarks by Professor Wang Sunyu

Keynote Address by Professor Ji Yang

Professor Wang Sunyu delivered the welcome remarks, emphasizing the importance, in the context of the new era, of tracing the roots of China’s engineering heritage and integrating Chinese and Western engineering thought. Subsequently, Professor Ji Yang gave a keynote presentation, systematically expounding the Eastern rational approach embodied in the Mo Jing (Canons of Mozi) and its intrinsic connections with modern engineering education.

During the themed discussion session, experts and scholars engaged in in-depth and lively exchanges on topics including the theoretical systems of traditional Chinese thought such as Confucianism, Mohism, and Daoism; the contemporary value of ancient Chinese engineering thought; and the application of first-principles thinking in engineering innovation. The participants agreed that Mozi’s ideas should be integrated with modern engineering education practices in order to effectively cultivate students’ innovative thinking and problem-solving abilities.
This seminar conducted an in-depth exploration of the integration of engineering education philosophy with China’s fine traditional culture, providing theoretical support for the innovative development of engineering education in China and contributing to the building of an engineering education system with Chinese characteristics.

Zhu Pan and Li Chao from ICEE; Kong Jiangli, Wang Yu, and Qiu Boyu, doctoral students at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications; and Chen Zewei and Qin Jiahe, doctoral students at Zhejiang University, among others, also participated in the seminar.