“O Muse, tell me of that man of many ways, who travelled…” echoes through the classroom as students chant the opening lines of Homer’s “The Odyssey” in ancient Greek. Elliniki Agogi is a small private school founded in 1994 that teaches ancient Greek interactively to children and adults in Athens, Greece. Eugenia Manolidou, as the school’s director, is a key contributor to civilisational exchange between China and Greece, particularly among young people.
Manolidou’s story with China first began in 2008 through her work as a composer and conductor for the Olympic Games in Beijing. She was commissioned by the organising committee to compose a concerto for the Olympics. For six months, she studied everything related to Chinese music such as traditional instruments, songs, and dances. She was particularly captivated by the pipa for its eloquence, range, and distinctive sound. “It reminded me of ancient Greek plucked instruments,” she says.
Eugenia Manolidou (Photo/Patrick Shead-Simmonds)
Manolidou’s hard work culminated in a concert called Two Cultures, One Spirit for a symphony orchestra, choir, and pipa soloist. “The message is its title”, she explains. “I want to share how China and Greece, as two seemingly different cultures, each with its own identity, rich history, and philosophical tradition, come together through a shared spirit of humanity, collaboration, and peace”. The composition itself embodies this message by bringing together the pipa with traditional Greek rhythms, creating a musical dialogue between the two cultures.
Since 2017, Manolidou has dedicated her career to promoting ancient Greek by leading Elliniki Agogi. She believes that “ancient Greek is a language very similar to modern Greek and can be easily acquired through education”. Her artistic background has given her a hands-on approach to teaching ancient Greek. On the day of the interview, the school was holding a class on “The Odyssey.” Rather than reading and reciting, she introduced the first 10 lines of the poem to students through song and music. “Music is a common language for everyone, not only between professional musicians, but also between a teacher and a student”, she shares.
In the field of classical studies, Manolidou continues to contribute to Sino-Greek cultural exchange. Ahead of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Manolidou and her colleagues organised an online event bringing together students from Elliniki Agogi and the Beijing Academy. The event, like the concert she conducted in 2008, aimed to bring together two of the world’s most ancient civilisations through a common spirit. This time, philosophy was chosen as that common spirit. Chinese and Greek students exchanged philosophical ideas by reciting texts on a wide range of subjects, such as friendship, justice, and collaboration. Recently, Manolidou hosted a team from Tsinghua University. Together, they discussed philosophy, history, and leadership, as well as what the ancient past could teach us today.
Beyond the classroom, Manolidou is also dedicated to fostering exchanges in the field of classics with scholars from all over the world. In June 2026, Manolidou took part in the Second World Conference of Classics in Athens. The event followed the First World Conference of Classics in Beijing in 2024, where she spoke about the importance of teaching ancient Greek to young people. As part of the programme of the second conference, she gave a presentation in Marathon on wheat as a seed of civilisation and a symbol of contact and exchange among ancient cultures. Manolidou praises the serious efforts China has made to promote the study of both Chinese and Greek classics, and she looks forward to the next conference.
For Manolidou, “The value of classics is something that no one can argue about. Classics continue to answer timeless questions for every human being. Classics are like a very wise grandparent, who tells you lovingly what is best for you.” She encourages young people to encounter classics no matter what they do in their professional lives.
From music to classical studies, and from the concert hall to the classroom, Manolidou sees civilisational exchange as a way of bringing people together across cultures and generations. Looking ahead, she wants to build stronger ties between China and Greece through fostering more collaborations with Chinese schools and universities.
(Web editor: Hongyu, Wu Chengliang)
