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Letters and Blogs
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-09-18 08:37 Openness of Chinese culture Commenting on "Tapping the world for cultural resurgence" (September 11, China Daily) The article "Tapping the world for cultural resurgence" touches the question of cultural closedness versus openness in today's world. Though the author refers to Emperor Qianlong, who firmly denied the British Empire its request to open up trade in China, obviously that decision implied, to a certain degree, also the refusal to accept cultural "barbarian things" in general, not only commodities. The author goes on with a reference to the sense of identity and heritage that the Chinese diaspora have with their ancestral land. Yet, even during the end of the 18th century, China was admirably open to the true victims of the true diaspora, i.e. the Jews, chased and persecuted all over Europe. Just go to Harbin, or elsewhere in China, to find proof of the unique, amiable acceptance on Chinese soil of all kinds of cultural contributions coming from abroad. Commercial paper money is just one the most prominent. The author, being "one of the Chinese diaspora", naturally adds further psychological strength to his argument: the way China will deal with overseas Chinese communities is destined to have a special impact on the cultural resurgence of China. For sure, any big chapter of cultural progress is created by synthesizing cultural contributions originating abroad: The marvelous emergence of the ancient Greek scientific concepts about the atomic nature of matter and about the uncreated origin of the universe was possible only because of the capacity of the Mediterranean islanders to receive and elaborate on information, ideas and technological works form Egypt, China and India. The European Renaissance is even more indebted to external cultural contributions, ranging from the introduction of zero by the Arabs, to the Chinese compass, gunpowder, paper making and printing techniques. What is worth noting is that China never expelled cultured men from its boundaries. Instead of exiling their own talents, the Chinese simply let them migrate, and were pleased to accept any useful foreign contribution from Marco Polo's expertise in identifying valuable horses to Marxism-Leninism. Confronted with the ambivalent nature of Western imperialism, Qianlong was trying to avoid for his country the fate then faced by India. To stop an uncontrollable penetration of aggressive foreign influence in China, he decided to practice a closed-door commercial policy. But any Western nations, including Great Britain, Germany and others, couldn't have started their own industrial development without recourse to trade protectionism. In that sense, Qianlong was a prophetic economist and statesman. Today China is following a completely different line of conduct. The majority of the well-informed international people are favorable to China's reform and opening up - in their own interest. And surely, one of the most vibrant response will be fueled by "the excitement with China's future" of the overseas Chinese - equally excited with their own future, set to become even better with a progressive China. Whether they are of ancient, or recent emigres as in the case of the excellent actress Gong Li, or the less attractive (for me), yet excellent Jet Li, let's avoid making a fuss. Cervini via e-mail (China Daily 09/18/2009 page8) |
