Things to ask | Talk! How can the ancient civilizations of the East and the West continue to write the new friendship on the Silk Road?

(East-West Questions) Dialogue | How do the ancient civilizations of the East and the West continue to write the new friendship on the Silk Road?

　　China news agency, Beijing, October 24 -

　　China News Agency reporter Wan Shuyan

　　More than 2,000 years ago, the ancient Silk Road between the Western Han Dynasty and Ancient Rome was one of the earliest windows for the exchange of civilizations between the East and the West; more than 700 years ago, Marco Polo lived in China for 17 years. The “City of the City” departed from Quanzhou, Fujian, and returned to the hometown of Venice along the Maritime Silk Road. Today, the “Belt and Road” initiative has given new vitality to the friendly exchanges between China and Italy that have lasted for thousands of years.

　　The current global situation is complex and changeable. How can the two ancient civilizations of the East and the West continue to renew the Silk Road friendship?

Luo Hongbo, a researcher at the Institute of European Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and winner of the Order of the Knights of Italy, and Allesandra Lavagnino, a well-known Italian sinologist and Italian dean of the Confucius Institute at the National University of Milan, recently launched a conversation in the “Questions of East and West” column of China News Agency. Make an in-depth interpretation.

Data map: Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou.

Photo by Wang Dongming

China News Agency reporter: China and Italy are representatives of Eastern and Western civilizations.

What do you think the two ancient civilizations have in common?

Luo Hongbo:

Chinese and Italian civilizations have many commonalities.

Although separated by thousands of mountains and rivers, the two countries have had a good relationship and appreciation for each other since ancient times, and they have continued to this day.

Although the two countries have had dynasties and population migration, there has been no major historical fault, and both countries have focused on historical and cultural inheritance.

Chinese culture has influenced more than half of the East, and Italian culture has influenced more than half of the West, and both have made outstanding contributions to world civilization.

　　There are many similarities between Chinese and Italian civilizations.

Beginning in the Qin and Han Dynasties and ancient Rome, the two countries have had sound political systems, and both have experienced a long period of farming. Agronomy is very advanced, and education is very important.

Although Chinese and Western medicine have different origins, they all respect science.

Italians value the concept of family, which is the closest to China in Western countries.

There are also many similarities in diet.

Ranshand:

Ancient Greek and Roman civilizations were the cradle of Western civilization.

The Roman Empire had a unified law, government system, and convenient transportation system.

This is no different from ancient Chinese dynasties. For example, there was such a unified system in the Qin and Han dynasties.

The two empires were located at the two ends of the Eurasian continent. There was no direct communication at the time, but they had a wonderful resonance and a similar civilization.

　　In the modern era, both countries have inherited ancient cultural genes, and both have a strong cultural foundation and cultural identity.

Data map: Tourists visiting Venice, Italy.

China News Agency reporter: "Civilization is splendid because of exchanges, and civilization is enriched by mutual learning."

In your opinion, what influence did Chinese culture have on Italy?

What influence did Italian culture have on China?

Luo Hongbo:

The exchange of civilizations is an important factor in promoting the development of civilizations.

　　During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, envoys represented by Zhang Qian began to explore the Western Regions. Although they did not reach Europe, silk, porcelain, and bronzes spread to Europe.

In the "Han Han · Western Regions Biography", Rome is honored as the Great Qin: "Its people are all grown up and upright, like China, so it is called the Great Qin."

　　Western scholar Rahe believes that "Renaissance painters' pursuit of true depiction of nature was undoubtedly influenced by the East."

　　Italy is also actively exploring the East.

Starting in the 13th century, a large number of Italian businessmen and missionaries came to China and introduced Chinese culture to the West at the same time.

　　The ancients who traveled between the two countries saw the commonality of China's eagerness to explore the West and the West's eagerness to explore China.

The China Millennium Monument has statues of 100 celebrities that have influenced the development of Chinese history. Among them are two foreigners: Marco Polo and Matteo Ricci. They can see the breadth and depth of the cultural exchanges between China and Italy.

　　Italian writers such as Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio had a great influence on Chinese intellectuals.

After the reform and opening up, a large number of Chinese students went to study in Italy, and Italy opened the "Marco Polo Project" and "Turandot Project" for China through train programs for international students.

Lan Shande: The

two ancient civilizations "stretched together" through the ancient Silk Road.

Ancient Chinese bronzes were unearthed on the coast of Italy, and they reached Rome through the Silk Road on the sea.

Chinese silk was once the most popular luxury item of the Roman nobles. The ancient Romans called China the "Sires" (Seres).

Chinese silk textile technology was introduced to Italy in the 13th century, and the silk patterns produced by Lucca, the Italian silk textile center in the 14th century, have obvious Chinese elements.

　　The imperial examination system was introduced to Europe by missionaries in the 16th century. The British sent envoys to China for inspections many times. They believed that compared with the hereditary system of Western aristocrats, the imperial examination system embodies the equality of everyone.

Western countries successively established civil service examination systems around the 19th century, which was influenced to some extent by the imperial examination system.

Data map: People walking through the Colosseum wearing masks in Rome, the capital of Italy.

China News Agency reporter: "Western centrism" has many prejudices and misjudgments against Chinese civilization.

In your opinion, why does the West always misunderstand China?

How should the world better understand and understand China?

Luo Hongbo:

China and Western European and American countries are far apart, and their history, culture, customs, and values ​​are all different. They attract each other, and can also cause prejudice and misjudgment.

　　In recent years, more and more Italians have traveled to China. After they have visited China, they will gradually understand China.

But this is still a minority. Italians understand China mostly through television, newspapers, and the Internet. A lot of information is distorted and one-sided.

More work for ordinary people should be done and exchanges should be strengthened.

　　How can cooperation between the two countries satisfy the interests of both parties to the maximum without harming the other party?

This requires more in-depth and meticulous research, making friends with Italians, and establishing a relationship of mutual benefit and trust in order to cooperate in friendship.

　　How can the world better understand and understand China?

Matteo Ricci is a good example.

After he arrived in China, the first Chinese book he wrote was "The Theory of Making Friends".

China has also emphasized "making friends" since ancient times, and the way of making friends is discussed in the "Analects of Confucius".

China's adherence to the principle of "peaceful coexistence" means "making friends extensively", and this is the same.

　　In today's international situation, China and the West should promote the "friendship theory" in exchanges, learn from history and strengthen mutual learning among civilizations.

Lan Shande:

Different languages ​​and cultures do not understand each other enough and it is easy to cause misunderstandings.

Therefore, to understand each other more, this requires intermediaries to strengthen communication and interpretation.

Therefore, we must strive to cultivate more people to understand each other's language and culture, and they will become a bridge between the two countries.

The international situation is becoming complex and sensitive. China and the West should strengthen communication and exchanges to increase opportunities for people to contact.

　　The "China Threat Theory" is a new formulation in the West, especially in the United States in recent years.

The world is facing many new challenges, such as climate change.

We live in the same world, and all countries should strive for common goals, strengthen communication, and live in peace.

　　Politics is one-sided, and culture is not one-sided. We should start from a common cultural foundation and carry out constructive dialogue. Dialogue is becoming more and more important.

China News Agency reporter: In recent years, more and more people in China and Italy are learning each other's language.

How well do people accept each other's culture?

Faced with differences in language, culture, customs, etc., how do you think we should better understand each other?

Luo Hongbo:

In recent years, mutual understanding between the people of the two countries has increased.

The Chinese are familiar with Italian art, sculpture, music, football, and food.

Italian fashion clothes are very popular in China.

China has also imported many technological products from Italy, such as railway signal technology, helicopters, and lamps.

The Italian majors of Chinese colleges and universities offer cross-cultural communication courses. In addition to language, they also need to understand the etiquette and culture of the other party.

The exchange of books, movies, and art between China and Italy is also increasing.

　　Italians not only like Chinese silk, porcelain, and tea, but are also very interested in Chinese medicine. Some people go to China to study Chinese medicine and acupuncture.

They also learn about China's rural culture through Chinese movies and literature.

　　How can a clash of civilizations turn into communication and integration?

Communication is very important.

The more complicated the situation is, the more communication is needed to understand each other, learn from each other, and enhance consensus.

Lan Shande:

My father is a composer. In 1957, he went to China to participate in the filming of the documentary "The Great Wall". When he returned home, he brought a lot of gifts: Chinese books, records, silk, etc. He also told a lot of stories.

Since then, I have been attracted by this mysterious country.

I studied Chinese major in college.

In 1974, I was sent to Shanghai International Studies University as a foreign teacher, and since then I have been engaged in work related to Chinese language and Chinese culture.

　　I am very interested in ancient China and translated "Wen Xin Diao Long" into Italian.

After the translation was published in 1995, it caused considerable repercussions in the Italian literary world.

　　In the 1990s, I had the opportunity to stay in China for another 4 years, when I began to study contemporary China, especially literature, poetry, art and film.

I also translated books such as "Lingshan", "The Story of the Golden Lock", and "Camel Xiangzi".

I made some good friends in China, such as Mo Yan, Zhang Yimou, Yu Hua, Professor Luo Hongbo, etc.

　　After the establishment of the Confucius Institute at the National University of Milan in 2009, I served as the Italian dean.

In recent years, the number of people from the two countries learning each other’s language has gradually increased. This is a great thing. Language is a window of cultural exchange.

　　The Confucius Institute at the National University of Milan has many teaching materials, including Chinese, ancient culture, movies, poetry, music and other topics, introducing Chinese culture from multiple angles, so that young people can understand China better.

　　We also help Italian primary and secondary schools to set up Chinese classes.

In recent years, more than 50 primary and secondary schools in Lombardy have opened Chinese courses, and many teachers are graduates of the National University of Milan.

It is an important task for me to train a new generation of Chinese teachers and pass them on from generation to generation.

Data map: Audiences visit the exhibition "Raphael's Art: Impossible Encounter" at the China Millennium Monument in Beijing.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Hou Yu

Reporter from China News Service: Following the footsteps of ancient friendly exchanges, China-Italy relations continue to be full of vitality.

Italy is the first G7 member country to join the “Belt and Road” initiative.

What are the new developments and new connotations of China-Italy exchanges and mutual learning today?

Luo Hongbo: The

exchanges between China and Italy have a solid foundation, and the mutual attraction of culture creates convenient conditions for exchanges.

　　Italy’s participation in the “Belt and Road” initiative is in its national interest.

Italy has withstood the financial crisis and the European debt crisis, and its government debt remains high. Italy is an export-processing country and hopes to cooperate with China to bring new growth points.

Similarly, China needs Italy.

　　The ancient Silk Road is a bridge for communication between different civilizations, and the “Belt and Road Initiative” should carry forward the exchanges and mutual learning of civilizations.

　　In recent years, China-Italy exchanges in the fields of film and television, literature, art, sports, science and technology have blossomed in an all-round way.

The exchanges between the two countries have not stopped since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the two sides still hold many cultural activities. The Raphael Painting Exhibition will be exhibited in China this year.

　　In the 1970s, there were fewer than 10 universities in China that taught Italian. Today, there are more than 20 universities and some middle schools also offer Italian.

The two countries continue to expand the scale of exchanges between foreign students.

　　The world pattern is forming a new balance.

Italy attaches great importance to China and advocates maintaining a balance of positions between China and the United States, rather than choosing sides.

It is believed that China-Italy cooperation will be strengthened.

　　The exchange and integration of different civilizations can achieve global governance and world peace.

In this process, China-Italy exchanges and mutual learning will inject new connotations.

Lansand:

Italy has always been very supportive of China.

The two countries need to deepen their understanding. They still lack understanding. They must learn to appreciate each other's strengths and jointly meet the challenges of global climate change. Only by working together can we succeed.

We must work hard to build a common future for the next generation.

　　There are now many Chinese students studying in Italy. This is a good trend. I hope to consolidate and develop such exchanges and learning so that both parties can find common goals and achieve a win-win situation.

(over)

About the interviewee:

　　Luo Hongbo: female, researcher and doctoral supervisor of the Institute of European Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, director and professor of the Institute of Italian Studies of Heilongjiang Institute of Foreign Languages, and concurrently president of the Italian Studies Branch of the Chinese European Society.

The research direction is EU/Italy economic research and China-Italy economic and trade cooperation research.

In 1993, he was awarded the Knights of the Republic by the President of Italy; in 1998 he was awarded the Culture Award by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and he was awarded the Knights of the Republic of Italy in 2005.

The academic works written and edited by him include "The Kingdom of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises-Italy" (1996), "Western European Public Enterprises" (1994), "Industrial Zones Facing Economic Globalization-A Comparative Study between China and Italy" (2008), "Italy in Change" "(2017) and more than 20 parts.

　　Allesandra Lavagnino: Female, a well-known Italian sinologist and Dean of the Confucius Institute at the National University of Milan. She teaches Chinese and Chinese culture at the National University of Milan.

He taught at Shanghai International Studies University in the 1970s, and worked as a press counselor at the Italian Embassy in China in the 1990s. He translated and published the Italian Chinese literary masterpiece "Wen Xin Diao Long", as well as "Golden Lock" and "Golden Lock". "Lingshan", "Camel Xiangzi", etc., wrote numerous reviews and articles on contemporary Chinese culture.

Served as a council member of the Sinology Research Association, a leading member of the Italian Chinese Studies Association, and a member of the editorial boards of "China World" and "Culture" magazines.