Speech on the theme of East Asian civilization: diversity, importance, and mutual influence | Xu Jian | Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
On May 19-23, 2023, the "Construction and Development of the East Asian Academic System: Diversity and Exchange of East Asian Civilizations" and the establishment conference of the Asian Civilization Research Center, hosted by Shanghai Normal University, were successfully held. More than 80 scholars participated in a heated discussion on the diversity and exchange of East Asian civilizations.
Focusing on the wholeness, uniqueness, and world status of East Asian civilization
Professor Chen Heng, Vice President of Shanghai Normal University, emphasized the importance of East Asian civilization in his speech, pointing out that Asia has many worthwhile topics to study in various fields such as ideology and religion. The diversification of Asia is the current trend, and the position of East Asian civilization in world civilization should not be ignored; The uniqueness of East Asian civilization still requires high attention; The overall characteristics of East Asian civilization still require in-depth research. The Asian Civilization Research Center of Shanghai Normal University will focus on exploring and organizing new content, new methods, and new historical materials, in order to quickly release the latest high-quality research results on Asian civilization.
The interaction between Japanese history and foreign cultures is worth studying
In his keynote speech, Researcher Xu Jianxin from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences gave a report titled "East Asian Civilization, Japanese Civilization, and Japan as a Frontier Civilization". He believed that Japan has close ties with the outside world, and modern Japan chose to approach the West. The United States positioned Japan as a benchmark for promoting Western style modernization in Asia, but whether Japan always plays the role of the West's "Frontier Civilization" is still a question worth considering. Japan's attitude towards foreign cultures during its own development is worth studying. The interaction between Japan and North Korea, China, the Netherlands, and the United States in its history has played a very important role in understanding Japanese culture. Professor Xu Jingbo from Fudan University comprehensively reviewed the formation process of Chinese language education in modern Japan, and elaborated on his thoughts on the national identity and modernization process of modern Japan.
The Development of Indian Buddhism and Its Relationship with Chinese Culture
Professor Sun Yinggang from Zhejiang University explored the relationship between Gandhara and East Asian civilization, believing that Gandhara is a place where Buddhism flies, and Buddhism has had a huge impact on East Asian civilization through Gandhara. The Mahayana Buddhism that was introduced to China actually went beyond religion itself and deeply influenced China. Researcher Dong Shaoxin from Fudan University examined the relationship between East Asian waters and the Western world from the 16th to the 18th century. He believes that Europe played an important role in the process of global modernization, but the importance of Asia cannot be ignored. Global modernization is a historical process jointly promoted by Europe and various parts of the world.
