Starting with reading, building bridges through dialogue, and fostering connections, the project seeks to gradually develop an open international learning community that transcends disciplines, cultures, and geographical boundaries.
Celebrity Media reports from Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Celebrity Media Foundation recently established a project media base within the learning and international exchange environment surrounding the Harvard University campus and officially launched the “Global Cross-disciplinary Reading Sharing” initiative. Following a developmental path of “Read, Reflect, Dialogue, Connect, and Act,” the project aims to break down barriers between disciplines, cultures, and regions. It connects universities, scholars, young people, professionals, and members of the broader community to create a global platform for shared reading and intellectual exchange.
Dr. Hu Dan of Harvard University Discusses the Creation of the Global Cross-disciplinary Reading Sharing Initiative
In an era marked by the rapid development of globalization, digitalization, and artificial intelligence, knowledge is expanding at an unprecedented pace. Yet significant gaps in information and understanding remain among different professions, cultural traditions, countries, and social groups. The Celebrity Media Foundation launched this initiative with the hope that reading will no longer be limited to the personal acquisition of knowledge, but will instead become a gateway to promoting understanding, building relationships, and advancing collaborative action.
From Reading Activities to a Global Learning Community
The “Global Cross-disciplinary Reading Sharing” initiative is not a conventional single reading group, but a cross-disciplinary learning and international exchange platform built around reading. The project plans to invite participants from philosophy, religion, medicine, public health, education, technology, business, the arts, the social sciences, and other fields to read thought-provoking works together, engage in discussions from diverse professional perspectives, and discover new questions and opportunities for collaboration through dialogue.
Founding Members Begin Campus-Based Activities
The project also designed and presented certificates to its first group of founding members. Centered on the theme “Knowledge · Dialogue · Growth,” the certificates reinforce members’ sense of identity and shared responsibility for developing the initiative. During its first phase, the project moved from concept to membership, from individual reading to collective reading, and from single-discipline study to cross-disciplinary discussion. This created an initial model for connecting participants across universities, cities, and countries in the future.
From August 5 to 8, 2026, Ms. Long Wei of the Celebrity Media Foundation visited the project team to learn about the launch and development of the “Global Cross-disciplinary Reading Sharing” initiative and to meet with its first group of members. Dr. Hu Dan delivered a special presentation on the project’s vision, progress to date, and next-stage plans. The exchange further clarified the project’s direction in areas such as international membership development, cross-disciplinary reading, brand communication, and the long-term growth of the community.
The project encourages cross-disciplinary, cross-cultural, and intergenerational participation. The same book can be interpreted from the distinct perspectives of readers with different professional backgrounds. Different intellectual traditions can engage in deeper civilizational dialogue through reading, while young students, scholars, professionals, and community leaders can bring their varied life experiences into a shared discussion space.
2026 Themes Focus on Technology, Life, and Global Governance
In 2026, the “Global Cross-disciplinary Reading Sharing” initiative will introduce a series of forward-looking themes in phases, focusing on changes in medicine, society, and global governance arising from the rapid development of technology. Rather than separating technological advancement from ethical discussion, the project will invite participants from different academic and professional backgrounds to consider a central question: As artificial intelligence, neurotechnology, gene editing, and synthetic biology continue to expand the boundaries of human capabilities, how should we protect human dignity, rights, and privacy while establishing governance mechanisms and ethical responsibilities capable of keeping pace with innovation?
These topics will be explored progressively through curated reading lists, expert presentations, cross-disciplinary conversations, and member discussions. While supporting innovation, the project will continue to ask who designs technology, whom it serves, who bears its risks, and how the international community can build sustainable frameworks for cooperation amid differences in values and conflicts of interest.
The Next Phase: Building a Global Network of Reading Circles
According to the project plan, from the second half of 2026 through 2027, the Celebrity Media Foundation will advance the project toward greater institutionalization, internationalization, and brand development, with a focus on the following areas:
- Establishing a consistent schedule of monthly or quarterly thematic reading and sharing sessions;
- Expanding the international membership network by inviting participants from different universities, countries, and professional fields;
- Developing thematic reading series focused on artificial intelligence and bioethics, medicine and public health, biotechnology, human rights and privacy, global health equity, international governance, and other emerging fields;
- Building an online communication platform to organize and share project content, event archives, and outstanding contributions;
- Inviting scholars and professionals to participate as guest speakers, enhancing the expertise and intellectual depth of discussions;
- Exploring the establishment of Reading Circle locations at different universities and in different cities;
- Producing annual recommended reading lists, cross-disciplinary dialogues, and research outcomes, while planning an annual global reading and sharing event.
Rediscovering the Meaning of Reading in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
The project’s founding team believes that as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly capable of providing rapid “answers,” people must become better at asking genuinely important questions, listening to different voices, understanding different cultures, and building connections across differences. Beginning with one book, one conversation, and one human encounter, the “Global Cross-disciplinary Reading Sharing” initiative hopes to gradually grow into a global platform connecting knowledge, ideas, cultures, and people.
The Celebrity Media Foundation stated that the project will continue connecting universities, scholars, young people, and members of the broader community. Its goal is to transform reading from an individual activity into public dialogue and to turn intellectual exchange into deeper understanding, cooperation, and action—jointly building an open, shared, and continuously evolving international learning community.
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