(Question from East and West) Zhang Guogang: What path can Eastern and Western civilization take to get closer?

　　China News Service, Beijing, December 20th. Title: Zhang Guogang: What path can Eastern and Western civilizations take to get closer?

　　Author Qiu Yining

　　In the Chinese order of the world, "Western" has a special meaning.

From the simple geographical reference to the aggravation of its cultural connotation, from the development of commerce on the ancient Silk Road to the modern Western learning, the development of Chinese civilization has always been accompanied by the exchange and mutual learning between Eastern and Western civilizations. force.

Today, however, some opinions believe that Chinese civilization is incompatible with Western civilization, and even the same, and China’s rise is regarded as a signal of “hegemonism”.

Looking at the historical context, how should we respond to the "clash of civilizations" doctrine?

What path can Eastern and Western civilization take to get closer?

Professor Zhang Guogang of the School of Humanities of Tsinghua University accepted an exclusive interview with China News Agency on "Question of East and West" and gave an in-depth interpretation of this.

In November 2021, a symphony concert named "Between East and West" was held at the David Kirk Theater at Lincoln Center in New York, USA. Nearly ten musical works allowed the audience to experience the charm of the integration of Eastern and Western art.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Liao Pan

China News Agency reporter: Looking at the trajectory of human development, is there an inevitable connection between the emergence of different civilizations?

How did the early Eastern and Western civilizations meet?

Zhang Guogang: The

ancestors of modern humans walked out of Africa three times in the stages of capable men and craftsmen, and entered Asia and Europe.

By the Paleolithic age, 250,000 years ago, humans entered the Homo sapiens stage, divided into groups of different skin colors and body types, and gradually separated culturally.

From 12,000 to 10,000 BC, as the earth’s climate warmed, the agricultural revolution promoted the birth of ancient human civilization.

Homologous humans have the same intellectual principles, so the material civilizations created by humans in various places have not only fundamental and macro similarities, but also regional and differences in technology, nature, and materials.

　　From 1000 BC to 2000 BC, the ancient civilizations of East and West in Eurasia had a large-scale exchange driven by the migration of nomads.

The earliest part of the interaction between Eastern and Western civilizations originated from the ancient Indo-Europeans. One of them invaded the Mesopotamia, the other invaded India to the southeast, and the other migrated to northern China via Central Asia.

The Great Migration brought impacts and new changes. Civilizations exchanged, learned, and merged with each other, and grew up in the alternation of war and peace.

In May 2018, the Italian "Yi•Si" Modern Dance Company performed the "Distance Formula" in the dance poetry world series "Distance Formula" in Beijing. The dance perfectly combines Tai Chi and Western modern dance, achieving the perfect effect of the integration of Eastern and Western cultures in the fierce collision. .

Photo by Song Jihe, China News Agency reporter

Reporter from China News Service: The history of cultural exchanges between China and the West is also a process of mutual understanding between the two sides. Which historical stages can the exchanges between Chinese and Western civilizations be divided into?

Zhang Guogang:

The exchange and interaction between human civilizations began in the Mangyuan era. Due to natural conditions, their scale and form are greatly restricted.

After entering a civilized society, especially after the birth of a country, the exchanges and interactions of civilizations are more affected by multiple factors such as political power and economic society.

In this process, China's understanding of "the West" has also undergone a gradual change.

　　In different historical periods, China's enthusiasm and approach to foreign exchanges are also different.

The exchanges between traditional Chinese and Western civilization can be roughly divided into three stages.

　　The first period before the 15th century can be called the classical period.

During this period, China has long been ahead of neighboring countries in the fields of economy and science, and has always been in a relatively active and strong position in cultural exchanges between China and the West.

Since the Han Dynasty, the East and the West have opened up a direct connection channel, and material and cultural exchanges have followed one after another.

　　The three centuries between 1500 and 1800 can be counted as the second period, namely the historical periods of the late Ming and Qing dynasties.

The opening of the new route has expanded the content of Sino-Western exchanges to the levels of religion, technology, art, ideology, and politics, and the content is more complete.

During this period, China and the West were in a politically equal position, and the spread of Western culture to the east and the spread of Chinese culture to the west maintained a mutually beneficial pattern.

　　The period from before and after the Opium War to 1949 can be counted as the third period, that is, in the modern period, China was in a passive and weak position.

China News Agency reporter: You once pointed out in your book that Chinese and Western civilizations are truly two heterogeneous civilizations. How do you understand?

While there are differences among civilizations, do they also have commonalities?

Zhang Guogang: In the

ancient Roman era, the sea and land passages around the Mediterranean Sea were unobstructed; West Asia and Europe, as well as South Asia and North Africa, have had close contacts since ancient times.

Only distant China, separated by mountains and deserts, is in a relatively independent geographical area and has developed a unique Chinese civilization.

For the Western world, the East that is truly heterogeneous with the "other" is China to the east of the Tianshan Mountains.

All civilized entities west of the Tianshan Mountains have some common historical, religious, language, and war connections, which together reflect the uniqueness of Chinese civilization.

But the difference does not mean that there is no commonality.

Zhang Guogang's "General History of Sino-Western Cultural Relations", "The Frontier of Civilization" and other works.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Bian Zhengfeng

　　In fact, the common feature of all civilizations is to solve the problems of the relationship between man and nature, man and god, man and society, and man and man.

To put it simply, the interests of the world are both conflicting and connected, so governance is needed.

In the process of governance, the West emphasizes individual rights, autonomy, and freedom; China pays more attention to group interests, collective concepts, and restricts individual rights.

Different governance tendencies are the result of long-term historical traditions. China and the West have chosen different paths in the permutation and combination of the elements of human civilization. Priorities will be different, but the ultimate goal is to solve the problem of human survival and development and continue to improve. The quality of life makes the relationship between man, nature and society more harmonious.

China News Agency reporter: You have mentioned more than once that there is a "Ying Shuyan" interpretation in the process of mutual learning between civilizations. How does this self-demand-oriented mutual influence affect the history of cultural exchanges between China and the West?

Zhang Guogang:

"Ying Shuyan Theory" refers to selective interpretation or "misreading", which is everywhere in history.

A certain civilization absorbs and learns from foreign civilizations, and then creatively transforms it, enriches the connotation of local civilization, and also pushes local civilization to a new stage of development.

　　As far as foreign civilization is concerned, the process of local civilization's selection and reference of some of these elements highlights the possibility that this foreign civilization contains different directions from the original, and this is also the discovery and reminder of its civilizational elements that transcend time and space.

　　Demand is an important aspect that affects cultural exchanges.

As far as Buddhism is concerned, the story of Sakyamuni’s original life has been reinforced in China with the content of "filial piety". In the late Tang and Five Dynasties, Chinese Buddhists compiled the story of "Twenty-Four Filial Piety"; Indian Zen was developed into Buddhist Zen in China.

Yuan Zaju "Orphans of Zhao Family" was adapted by Voltaire into "Chinese Orphans". The moral demands to be expressed meet the needs of European society and are consistent with those expressed in Adam Smith's "Theory of Moral Sentiments".

The chronicles of ancient China took Fuxi as the ancestor, and European enlightenment thinkers found favorable evidences that challenged the authority of Catholicism, so they accepted and used them.

　　The same goes for commodities.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the West had a demand for Chinese porcelain. Porcelain and its production technology were passed to the West, and they were digested and produced higher-quality porcelain than China.

The compass was invented in China, but Westerners transformed the compass into a sailing compass; in the Qing Dynasty, China introduced the compass.

　　There is a flow between civilizations, and the recipient only needs to communicate.

After the different experiences of different civilizations are interpreted, they usually add their own practical needs. This is a kind of reference and transformation, which plays a role of localization and instrumentalization.

Today, I will talk about "Ying Shuyan's Theory" again in order to give you a warning that 100% copying of Western experience will not work, and it needs to be reformed and used for my use, for my use, and for my application.

China News Agency reporter: Today, the earth has become a village. How can civilizations realize mutual recognition and integration through exchanges and mutual learning?

The so-called "Great Harmony under Heaven", in your opinion, if there are common values ​​in the world today, what is it?

In March 2021, the original dance poetry drama "The Great Harmony of the World" premiered at the Shanxi Grand Theater.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Wei Liang

Zhang Guogang:

Since the West took the lead in industrialization, Western civilization has shown strong characteristics in the past few hundred years.

However, most developing countries in the world are still struggling with poverty and backwardness, which shows that Western civilization cannot completely solve the development problems facing mankind.

　　Different civilizations have their own characteristics, coexist and complement each other; the world cannot be unified in a certain civilization.

From a realistic perspective, outside of Western civilization, a characteristic civilization is needed to break the asymmetry that has existed for a period of time.

Whether from the perspective of history or reality, Chinese civilization can help achieve balance.

The development of human civilization requires more ideas and more tolerance.

　　China has helped 1.4 billion people to lift themselves out of poverty and move towards modernization. This is a major achievement of human civilization.

China’s dream of becoming a powerful country has never been to seek hegemony, but to solve the balance of the world and help mankind achieve common prosperity.

　　Respect each other's civilized characteristics, first, we must change our thinking: the world is changing, don't be complacent and self-righteous.

Second, reform: The West needs to resolve issues such as ideological disputes and populism, while China needs to further improve the rule of law, marketization, internationalization, and modernization of national governance capabilities.

The concepts of freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law are also expressed in the core values ​​of Chinese socialism.

Complementarity and mutual balance are the meaning of exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

(Finish)

About the interviewee:

　　Zhang Guogang is the Dean-appointed Professor of the School of Humanities, Tsinghua University, a doctoral supervisor, and a distinguished professor of the Yangtze River Scholars of the Ministry of Education.

As a Humboldt scholar in Germany, a researcher at the University of Hamburg and a professor at the University of Trier, he has been engaged in European sinology history and the history of Sino-Western cultural exchanges in Europe for more than ten years.

He has served as a member of the History Teaching Steering Committee of the Ministry of Education, the president of the Chinese Society of Tang History, and the vice president of the Chinese Society of History of Sino-foreign Relations.

His most recent works include "General History of Sino-Western Cultural Relations", "Hu Tianhan Moon Reflecting in the West: Three Thousand Years of Vicissitudes of the Silk Road", "Zizhitongjian" and the Rise and Fall of the Family and Country", "The Frontier of Civilization: From Ancient Times to Modern Times" and so on.