At the lecture, Prof. Cheng started with the classical wisdom of the parallel ways of Confucianism and Taoism, and identified the spiritual essence of the doctrine of mean and nature as different paths leading to the same end. He pointed out that the doctrine of mean advocated by Confucianism refers to an impartial, ordinary and unchanging state of mind, emphasizing the return to inner peace and stability through continuous self-cultivation and moral education. The Nature cherished by Taoism, by contrast, is the innate state of Tao following Nature and all things generating and transforming spontaneously, advocating the abandonment of artificial contrivance to return to one’s original nature. Prof. Cheng further explained that whether it is the self-knowledge attained by Confucianism through vigilance and awe and examine oneself three times a day or Taoism’s awareness of the boundaries of cognition in the vague and unfathomable, the core lies in the consciousness of the limits of human reason and vigilance against over-reliance on one’s rational capacity.

Prof. Cheng integrated the essence of Confucian and Taoist thought. It not only reviewed the intellectual tradition of Confucianism and Taoism as “All roads lead to Rome” but also confronted the spiritual disorder of contemporary people caused by rational arrogance and cognitive bias, showing a broad academic vision and rigorous logical speculation. The lecture was accessible and incisive, combining profound academic accumulation with vivid life experiences.

During the interactive session, the audience raised questions enthusiastically, creating a lively atmosphere. A young audience member asked Prof. Cheng how to avoid internal friction while striving proactively, so as to balance “diligent pursuit” and “inner peace.” A primary school student also asked: “Why were Confucius and Laozi so wise when there were not many books in ancient times? Will we become wiser than them if we read more books?” Prof. Cheng responded to each question with profound yet humorous remarks, integrating classical Confucian and Taoist wisdom with real-life reflections, leaving the audience enlightened amid speculation and laughter.

Tang Hao, Member of Party Working Committee of Lin-gang Special Area and Full-time Deputy Director of Lin-gang Special Area Administration , attended the event and presented a commemorative plaque to Prof. Xia. More than 900 citizens attended the lecture on site.

PKU-DSLLH is a series of lectures initiated by PKU-IICSH, jointly with the Office of Science and Technology Development and Office of Humanities Social Sciences, Peking University under the initiative and support of Lin-gang Special Area Administration. It is deeply involved by units such as Peking University Press and the Peking University Alumni Association. Relying on Peking University's profound academic accumulation and expert resources in the fields of humanities and social sciences, it focuses on economic development, humanistic art, and social governance.

Since August 2023, well-known professors or experts from Peking University was invited to Lingang Special Area monthly to give special lectures and have in-depth exchanges with the builders of the Lingang Special Area, promoting the aggregation of high-quality humanities and social science resources from Peking University in Lingang, effectively enhancing the cultural image and urban competitiveness of the Lingang Special Area, and better meeting the diverse and high-quality spiritual and cultural needs of the people. The PKU-DSLLH has become an important cultural brand activity in the Lingang Special Area, allowing every Lingang striver to release their youthful passion, pursue their youthful dreams, and achieve all-round development in the nourishment of culture, and outlining a richer cultural texture and injecting stronger spiritual strength into the Young City for the Youth.