China is a Friend, East West Question · Sino Foreign Dialogue | What China Needs is Cooperation News | China Germany | China
The cultural exchange between China and Germany has a long history. In the long river of history, what has been the transformation in Germany's way of viewing China? What Chinese cultural and artistic celebrities are well-known in Germany? On issues such as the "the Belt and Road" initiative, how can we eliminate the prejudice existing in the West?
Recently, China News Agency invited renowned European sinologist, Professor of Bonn University, and Distinguished Professor of Shantou University in China, Gu Bin, as well as the head of European studies at Shanghai Foreign Studies University and German researcher Hu Chunchun, to engage in a dialogue on the above-mentioned topic.
Two experts pointed out that dialogue is the key to eliminating misunderstandings and biases. Gu Bin said that although the image of China in the eyes of Germans is influenced by the United States, Germany and China are undoubtedly friends. Hu Chunchun stated that in the contact between the West and China, "Eurocentrism" runs through the entire process, and the key is how China responds to the concept of "treating China as the other" that has been formed in Europe for centuries.
The excerpt of the dialogue is as follows:
The Chinese perception of German society,
Influenced by Eurocentrism and the United States
Gu Bin from China News Agency: From a philosophical perspective, Germany is seeking a form of salvation, which first comes from theology, then from philosophy, and finally from China. But later on, as China became increasingly powerful, its image changed.
It should be noted that we often refer to the concept of "West", but there is a significant difference between the United States and Europe. I still remember that in the 1950s, German children and teenagers always loved watching American movies. At that time, they watched the "Dr. Fu Manchuria" series of films, in which Dr. Fu Manchuria wanted to control the entire world. It is ridiculous now that both German journalists and politicians feel that China is the new "Manchuria" and wants to control the entire world. China is not the new "Fu Manchuria", on the contrary, what China wants is cooperation, and China and Germany are friends.
The current problem for Germany is that it feels like it is a "weak person" and China is a "strong person". But Germany and China are friends, and what China wants is to be good friends with European countries including Germany and the United States, while the United States does not.
Hu Chunchun: In history, when Europe came into contact with China, there was no United States in the world. Europe was influenced by the American "China view", which happened after the 20th century.
I have attempted to study the contact between the West, Europe, Germany, and China. From the earliest Jesuit period to the present, I am marked by three scholars: the German philosopher and mathematician Leibniz, the German philosopher Hegel, and the French philosopher Michel Foucault. I have summarized a dualistic model of Europe and China.
My German colleague also believes that whether it is Leibniz, Hegel, or the German philosopher Jaspers, they are actually Eurocentrism. So what we need to discuss is how China should respond to and overcome the concept of "treating China as the other" that has been formed in Europe for centuries.
In contemporary German society, the sources of information and knowledge about China have been "think tanks" and are less likely to communicate with the Chinese research or sinology community. So it is very likely that there have been some surprising issues with the mainstream understanding and recognition of China in Germany.
Video: [East West Question: Dialogue between China and Foreign Countries] Scholar: Germany may want to strengthen communication with sinologists about Germany's mainstream public opinion. It may indeed be necessary to have a better understanding and understanding of China. Otherwise, there may be a significant gap between Germans looking at China, Chinese looking at China, and other non European and non Western countries looking at China, which may lead to misunderstandings.
Cultural giants from China and Germany, building communication bridges
Hu Chunchun from China News Agency: There are many similarities between Chinese culture, German culture, and European culture. The most fundamental reason is that China, Germany, and Europe all live in a modern order. The various advantages and disadvantages of modernity are actually commonalities.
For example, in both Chinese and Western cultures, there is a pursuit of goodness and the pursuit of better. And this kind of kindness and kindness, whether in a personal or social sense, does not make much difference, although different values may have different rankings.
Video: "East West Question: Sino Foreign Dialogue" Scholar: There are many similarities between Chinese and German cultures. Gu Bin from China News Agency: Confucius, Laozi, and Zhuangzi have a fixed position in the hearts of German readers. They can help German readers and readers from German speaking countries find their own path. Germans need spiritual salvation, and Confucius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, and others can bring them salvation. In addition, Germans also know Mo Yan, and his works are printed extensively in Germany.
Video: [East West Question: Dialogue between China and Foreign Countries] Famous European sinologist: Confucius Inspires the German People. Gu Bin from China News Agency: I have been in China for ten years, and I always emphasize the importance of dialogue. The importance of dialogue is the most important topic in contemporary German philosophy, and the possibility of dialogue began with Matteo Ricci of the Jesuits. In addition, from the perspective of Germany, there are also individuals such as Wei Lixian and Herman Hesse who promote exchanges between the two countries.
Hu Chunchun: Besides Matteo Ricci, when it comes to communicators and interlocutors between Chinese and Western cultures, I also think of Wei Lixian. For example, we can learn from the works of Wei Lixian how he viewed China during such a turbulent era before and after World War I.
Communication can be used between the East and the West to eliminate prejudice
Gu Bin from China News Agency: In the 1960s, the Ruhr area was a very prosperous industrial area in Germany, which declined for a while. Germany has yet to find a way to save the Ruhr area's economy.
But China's plan can "save" cities in the Ruhr area such as Duisburg. China has a very long view, and the "the Belt and Road" is an initiative that has a very long view and can bring benefits to all countries.
The epidemic is a too complex issue, and we should cooperate. All problems in the 21st century are cooperation, but the United States is not cooperating, trying to undermine Europe's fight against the epidemic, and also trying to undermine China's fight against the epidemic.
Contemporary German philosophers are all criticizing individualism in the West, believing that Germany should return to a collectivism and need a new collectivism that meets the needs of Europe.
Hu Chunchun: From the perspective of China, the "the Belt and Road" initiative itself is a good way to promote more connectivity and mobility of the economy. China is willing to share its experience in infrastructure construction, and the Chinese people's experience is "to become rich, build roads first.". But I didn't expect that the "the Belt and Road" initiative would be regarded as a "strategic threat" by some European politicians, which is absurd.
During the epidemic, many misunderstandings have arisen. The response of different societies and cultures to the epidemic is definitely different. China's response to the epidemic may not be understood by Europeans and Germans. We still need to communicate, and there should be no bias or obstacles in it.
Meanwhile, the United States has played a significant destructive role in the global fight against the pandemic. The fight against the epidemic was originally a matter for the whole society and the world, but it is very inappropriate for the United States to politicize the fight against the epidemic first.
