Mainland university launches college dedicated to 'forgotten knowledge'
The University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences has established China's first 'College of Obscure Knowledge' to study ancient scripts and endangered texts. The college will use a master-apprentice model and digital tools, sparking debate about career prospects for graduates.
The University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences has established the country's first 'College of Obscure Knowledge,' dedicated to deciphering ancient scripts and studying endangered historical texts, sparking widespread interest on mainland social media.
The college, launched on Wednesday, will focus on ancient writing systems and classical Chinese documents, adopting an intensive master-apprentice model to train students from undergraduate through to doctoral levels, the university said. Simultaneously, the university is spearheading a national alliance with over 80 higher education institutions, research institutes, and museums to ensure these niche disciplines are not lost to history.
The college's highly specialised curriculum covers core subjects such as Oracle Bone script, bamboo and silk manuscripts, and ancient Turkic, Tangut, and Manchu texts. It has established dedicated teaching and research departments for northern and southwestern ethnic minority scripts, alongside an advanced digital intelligence laboratory to aid in the translation and comparative study of rare manuscripts.
To boost academic rigour, students will be guided by both a principal mentor and an interdisciplinary co-mentor. The university stressed that students will be encouraged to 'sit on the cold bench'—a Chinese idiom for enduring lonely, painstaking basic research—while also utilising modern digital technologies to innovate.
The launch ignited debate online. While some netizens worried that graduates would face 'unemployment upon graduation,' others pointed out the lack of competition in such niche fields. 'Given the vastness of Chinese civilisation, we really need dedicated people to pass this on generation after generation,' one supporter commented.