The Influence of Chinese Culture on Europe

Author: Wang Ning, Qian Lin, Ma Shude; edited by Ji Xianlin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-08-01
Features: The 20th century has already swiftly passed us by, but many of the issues it explored and studied remain lingering in our minds. As Professor Ji Xianlin once said, the issue of Sino-Western cultural exchange not only involves studying how to "bring in" Western culture but also how to "send out" Chinese culture. It requires expertise that spans both East and West, connecting ancient and modern knowledge. It is not only considered one of the "tough nuts to crack" in academic research but also seen as a "must-complete" "internationalist obligation." The newly published book, The Impact of Chinese Culture on Europe, edited by Professor Ji Xianlin and written by Professors Wang Ning, Qian Lin, and Ma Shude, is a concise work dedicated to studying the "spread of Chinese culture to the West."
The series The East Goes West: The Impact of Chinese Culture on Europe does not dwell on "nostalgia for the past." Instead, it faces the reality of "globalization" and the collision of diverse cultures, placing the history of China's impact on Europe in the context of current theoretical hotspots in the international academic world. It not only refutes the fallacies of the "binary opposition" understanding models such as Western "center" and Eastern "periphery," "Orientalism," and "cultural relativism" but also traces the "Chinese image in the eyes of Europeans" to seek the correct understanding and attitude for the "new patterns of cultural development in the 21st century"—"dialogue and a certain degree of convergence achieved after different cultures collide with each other."