How to avoid "either black or white"?, East West Question · Sino Foreign Dialogue | When Chinese and Western Civilizations Meet East West | Silk Road | East West

Beijing, August 28th (Xinhua) - When Chinese and Western civilizations meet, how can we avoid "either black or white"?

Author Li Jinlei, Gong Hongyu

The ancient Silk Road, which connects Eastern and Western civilizations, is a widely acclaimed historical legend. In the new era, in the context of building a community with a shared future for mankind, it is even more important to promote the spirit of the Silk Road and build modern civilization of the Chinese nation.

Regarding topics such as Silk Road culture, cultural exchange and inheritance, Professor Gao Yirui from the East Asian Department of the University of Cambridge, Cheng Sili, a researcher at the Needham Institute in the UK and an affiliated researcher at the East Asian Department of the University of Cambridge, and Sun Jicheng, an associate professor at the School of Foreign Languages at Shandong University of Technology and a visiting scholar at the Needham Institute in the UK, recently visited China News Agency's "East West Question: Sino Foreign Dialogue" to engage in dialogue.

Gao Yirui believes that the Silk Road does not simply refer to a practical road, but rather a phenomenon of interconnectivity. We want to recreate the Silk Road, not to engage in war, conflict, or religious struggle, but to open up channels for commodity circulation and intellectual exchange. Cheng Sili stated that the Silk Road is a "bridge". The spirit of the Silk Road means an open view of new things, advocating for contact and communication between people. Sun Jicheng believes that the ancient Silk Road was an attempt at early globalization in China. Now, China has put forward the "the Belt and Road" initiative, which has reconnected countries along the way.

The excerpt of the dialogue is as follows:

Gao Yirui from China News Agency: The Silk Road is not simply a practical road, but a phenomenon of interconnectivity. The circulation of goods between different countries clearly promotes the development and prosperity of the countries involved, and the interaction and exchange between different cultures also promote the development of cultural exchange and the generation of creativity.

China is one end of the ancient Silk Road, and the dissemination of information and technology along the Silk Road is two-way. The "the Belt and Road" initiative proposed by China can promote the economic development of the regions along the Belt and Road. In fact, countries and regions along the route have already benefited or will benefit from this initiative.

Gao Yirui from Zhongxin Society: Dunhuang has a unique geographical location, located in the Hexi Corridor of Gansu Province. This location is unique and not only serves as a dividing line, but also a place for cultural exchange and integration.

For centuries, the Hexi Corridor has served as an entrance for Western elements to enter the Central Plains of China and even spread to the eastern region. At the same time, Chinese technology and other elements have also spread to the West through this. The exchange between China and the West is two-way.

Cheng Sili from China News Agency: It is normal for humans to have conflicts. Conflict arises and then disappears, and life returns to normal. What I want to focus more on is the relationships between people.

Chinese Ming Dynasty envoy Chen Chengxing met Mohammad Khan in Central Asia. Mohammad Khan was a powerful and warlike person, but he warmly welcomed Chen Cheng and provided him and his entourage with food and wine. They spent a pleasant time together in the tent.

I believe that at the level of interpersonal communication, even in the presence of conflicts, individuals can still be friendly to each other and can convey friendship to each other. As long as the conflict does not reach its most serious level, we can help each other, and the forms of help may not be limited to any particular format. Mutual assistance is more common than conflict in communication.

Sun Jicheng: Conflict is a norm. In times of extreme material scarcity, conflicts may arise due to survival pressure. With the development of civilization, it may lead to coexistence and exchange in conflicts. Conflict is not scary, what's important is the attitude towards it.

Gao Yirui from China News Agency: These opposing ideologies are caused by economic factors and may also be influenced by political factors. Meanwhile, both the East and the West on the Eurasian continent have rich cultures, and sometimes conflicts are difficult to avoid.

However, the reason why the Silk Road has become what we know today is that even if there may be opposition, there is a demand on both sides, and this demand is large enough to generate some kind of sustained momentum. Without these exchanges, the conflict between the East and the West would become even more severe, with the possibility of intense war or cessation of communication.

Cheng Sili: The Silk Road is a "bridge" because traders can take the opportunity to visit various places along the route and bring back ideas and scientific knowledge. The spirit of the Silk Road means an open view of new things, advocating for contact and communication between people. As long as this kind of contact is peaceful and friendly, it can benefit all living beings.

Gao Yirui from China News Agency: When we say we want to recreate the Silk Road, we don't want war, conflict, or religious struggle, but to open up channels for commodity circulation and intellectual exchange. At present, modern trade between countries along the Silk Road is taking place and changing the global economic landscape.

Cheng Sili: We can learn from friendly communication and cooperation. As individuals, we need to respect each other and also respect the lifestyles of other countries and locals. At the same time, in order to inherit the spirit of the Silk Road, we must not only adhere to humanity, but also protect the natural world. Nature is crucial for our survival and happiness.

Sun Jicheng: On the one hand, technological progress has solved the existing difficulties on the Silk Road. Since China put forward the "the Belt and Road" initiative, more and more Chinese people in different industries have started to follow the Silk Road again, which not only strengthens the ties between countries along the road and China, but also enables local people to see the Chinese again and draw China back into their life circle.

On the other hand, I believe that the ancient Silk Road was an attempt at early globalization in China. It has carved out a "small path", and now we are walking along this "small path" again. Through comparison between ancient and modern, as well as internal and external comparisons, we draw more humanistic information that is worth paying attention to, so that the original appearance of things can be interpreted in a new way. This is the innovation of cultural inheritance.

China News Agency Gao Yirui: Joseph Needham wants to tell people that not only in the Middle Ages, but throughout history, China has achieved remarkable achievements in technological invention and use. I think his research is very important because he was the first person to start large-scale research on how technology or cultural elements can cross long distances.

Cheng Sili: Today, the responsibility of sinologists is to learn as much as possible about China's past and teach the acquired knowledge to others. This way, people will have a more detailed understanding of China, rather than looking at things in a black or white way. Do not treat certain peaceful partners as enemies for superficial reasons.

We should try not to see others as "others", but rather try to see them as people similar to us. We need to recognize our common humanity and common weaknesses. Confucius also told us that people should treat each other well and follow the virtues of benevolence, righteousness, and morality.

Sun Jicheng: Sinologist, sometimes dedicated his entire life to studying a very specialized field in China and becoming an expert. In my opinion, they are even more Chinese than Chinese people, and we can see the unique charm of Chinese culture in them. Chinese culture has conquered them. For example, American sinologist Rick spent 60 years translating Guanzi.

Gao Yirui from China News Agency: Essentially, in any culture, the past is a part of the present. Our current identity is not actually defined by the past, but by our understanding of the past. At any time, what we inherit is what we currently possess, as well as what a nation and a country hope to maintain.

Cheng Sili: China has a long and profound history, which is not commonly seen on a global scale. It is very important for the world to understand and develop China's long-standing historical and cultural values.

Sun Jicheng: China has a rich history, which is why we emphasize the necessity and possibility of cultural inheritance. Inheritance is not a natural occurrence, but a process of human selection. Therefore, it is a very good phenomenon for the academic community and government to advocate cultural inheritance now.