Zhu Rongzhi, born in 1949, earned his doctoral degree in literature from National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) at the age of 32. He later taught at NTNU and Yuanpei University of Medical Technology, dedicating himself to the study and spread of traditional Chinese culture. As a renowned professor in Chinese classics in Taiwan, he used to serve as the director of the Cultural Services Department of the Straits Exchange Foundation and participated in the Wang-Koo Talks in 1993 — a historic meeting between Wang Daohan, then head of the mainland's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, and Koo Chen-fu, then chairman of the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation, which marked a major step forward for cross-Strait relations. After retirement, he has lived in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, for over 10 years, studying, teaching and researching Chinese classics.

China News Release: As a scholar in Chinese classics and advisor to the International Confucian Association, you have long been engaged in cross-Strait cultural and educational exchanges and made significant contributions to the education of youth on Chinese classics. What unique spiritual nourishment do you think Chinese classics provide to contemporary young people? How can we guide them to overcome the barriers of the times and truly connect with traditional Chinese culture?

Zhu Rongzhi: Classics are the genes of the national spirit and the accumulated wisdom of over several thousands of years. When young people read The Analects of Confucius, they learn the life principle of "do not do to others what you do not want others to do to you"; when they read the Taoist classic Zhuangzi, they grasp the life philosophy of "enjoying themselves in a natural environment"; when they read Di Zi Gui (Standards for Being a Good Student and Child), they practice the ethical foundation of "being a good son at home, and a good citizen in the society." These works are not lifeless words but answers to life refined by the ancients through their lifetime.