This article argues that ideas from the ancient past supply insight about the future of Chinese universities. I make this case by outlining three claims about the nature and purpose of education in Homer, Plato, and Augustine. I propose that conversations based on these ideas illuminate central underlying problems facing Chinese higher education today: Educating the next generation to be properly assertive and make complex judgments, and helping faculty see their own motives and impact clearly. To show this, I explain why discussions of ancient Western authors are useful for the present moment, explaining what vistas these texts open. I conclude by clarifying how the exercise can help China achieve its educational goals.