Scholars at the ICLP focus their research on five main areas, including classical Chinese literature, modern Chinese literature, Chinese philosophy, comparative philosophy, and the Chinese classics. Current research projects focus on Ming-Qing Literature, Literature and Religion, Sinophone Literature, Cross-cultural Philosophy, Confucianism across East Asia, History of the Chinese Classics, and the Study of Classics in East Asia. Research in recent years has focused on literary and intellectual exchanges between modern East Asia and the world.
