(Xinhua) -- Historians are known to butt heads, but on the opening day of the 22nd International Congress of Historical Science (ICHS) in the eastern Chinese city of Jinan, the consensus was that China's history mattered.

This year is the first time that the ICHS, arguably one of the most important events for historians, has been held in Asia. Known within academic circles as the "Olympics of Historical Sciences", the seven-day conference, which started on Sunday, has attracted more than 2,600 scholars from around the world.

Established in 1900, the event could be accused of being eurocentric. Until now, 18 of the 22 conferences have been held in Europe. The location, and themes, of this year's event, however, seem to signify a shift away from the prominence of European culture.

China is the world's second economy, and reviewing its history will help us understand the current environment, said Marjatta Hietala, president of ICHS.

On Sunday, 14 historians presented sinocentric papers on the theme "China from a Global Perspective", covering topics such as Europe and China in the long enlightenment, and internationalism of contemporary Chinese diplomacy.

"I noticed that many people mentioned trade relations between China and the rest of the world from the 18th to 20th century," Hietala said.

Although the ICHS has been on the radar of Chinese historians for more than a century, the first Chinese historian did not attend the event until 1938. Moreover, Chinese historians did not participate regularly in the congress until the late 1970s, according to president of the Association of Chinese Historians Zhang Haipeng.

"We didn't even present any papers until the 17th congress," said Chen Fupo, head of China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification. "Chinese culture has had a great impact on history, but our voices have not been heard accordingly."

Zhang was upbeat that the 22nd ICHS will increase the influence of China's social sciences.

Wang Jianlang, head of the Institute of Modern History under the China Academy of Social Sciences voiced similar optimism.

"The emergence of China has drawn world attention, therefore, more academics are interested in it," Wang said.

Sinologist Kenneth Pomeranz from the University of Chicago said that historians need to understand China, and the role it has played in history.

"When I first studied history, it was eurocentric. China at that time was not fully opened up. It was quite far away from us," said Robert McCaa from the University of Minnesota, who is working on a demographic project with statistical institutions in several countries. China is a member of the project.

In his opening speech, ICHS secretary-general Robert Frank said this first conference in Asia will help to move away from the eurocentrism in historical studies; creating a new angle for historical sciences.

"Chinese historians have accepted western research paradigms just to be a part of the community," said Wang Xuedian, executive vice-president of the Advanced Institute of Confucian Studies of Shandong University.

It is now time to return to a more local way of studying our own history and rebuild our own academic system, Wang said.