I believe that philosophy now faces the following task: to extract itself from its own history and to reconsider itself from the perspective of other traditions of thought than those it has developed itself. In return, this detour through an external perspective will not only clarify its own pre-decisions and starting points; it will also prompt it to return to experience - to the "things themselves" - in order to think about life, which philosophy is known to often evade by isolating itself within the academy. This is the aim of the Chantiers, as I take a step aside - towards the great Chinese side. Between China and Europe, which have remained so externally distant for so long, one cannot simply "compare" in a flat and sterile manner, categorizing the differences. For it is only in the open confrontation of the two.