History of early religious and philosophical exchanges between China and Europe

Author: Zhang Xiping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-08-01
Features: This article explores the author's views on cross-cultural Chinese-Western communication and cultural transformation through a review of Zhang Xiping's new work. The author points out that the greatest feature of Zhang's work lies in using a two-way interactive and cultural transformation perspective to describe the Sino-Western cultural exchange during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. It provides academia with a relatively complete panorama of Sino-Western cultural exchange during that period and highlights the egalitarian nature of this exchange, thereby correcting previous research tendencies. The author notes in the text: According to the general principles of cultural diffusion, dominant cultures inevitably flow into weaker cultures, ultimately overwhelming and replacing them. The acceptance of this view leads many scholars to believe that no cultural exchange can truly be equal and that cultural diffusion inevitably leads to cultural conflict, making genuine convergence and integration impossible. However, if it is acknowledged that there have been equal cultural exchanges in history, then "water flows downhill" is no longer an immutable law of cultural diffusion, and the replacement of weaker cultures by dominant ones is no longer a universal principle of cultural diffusion. The author also points out in the text: In cultural systems, religion and philosophy share the core level of spiritual culture. Whether cross-cultural cultural diffusion involves exchange and integration at the level of religion and philosophy is one of the markers of its depth. To achieve better diffusion effects, the transmitting side adjusts and modifies the religious and philosophical ideas of the receiving side in terms of form and content, while the receiving side translates, interprets, and re-creates foreign ideas according to its actual needs. This two-way interpretive and creative activity provides opportunities for the integration of spiritual culture. In today's world, under the trend of globalization, Chinese scholars should embrace the lofty ideal of reaching the pinnacle of the world and approach exchanges and dialogues with Western scholars with a calm and equal mindset.