Chongqing - In this conversation, Professor Alan Macfarlane, Emeritus Professor of Anthropological Science at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of the British Academy, reflects on more than two decades of visiting and studying China.

The discussion examines how Macfarlane’s repeated encounters with China have reshaped his view of relational and individualist societies, and how Chinese civilization has integrated elements of the West while preserving its deep-rooted traditions. Drawing on field experience and philosophical reflection—from Confucius to quantum theory—he explores how different civilizations understand meaning and coexist.

He also offers a broader anthropological perspective on artificial intelligence as a turning point in human development, and suggests what individuals can ultimately still do: through education, friendship, and creativity, to maintain agency in a rapidly changing world.