Chinese culture is both rich and long-established
johnners  Updated: 2004-08-16 08:48

I think the question about "ranking" various cultures is fraut with difficulty, and might serve as encouragement to the Neanderthals who frequent this forum to take up their indiscriminate cudgels.

Nevertheless, the depressing effect of a rain-soaked English Summer, together with the incessant drilling emanating from my neighbouring office, leaves me in a particularly fractious state of mind, so I will sally forth on this issue.

Chinese culture is both rich and long-established. As a sinophile I could not be more in awe of China's cultural legacy.

But, having travelled the world, read fairly widely, and exercised my fundamental curiosity to try "something different" on myriad occasions, I am minded to assert the supremacy of European culture.

Based on two magnificent civilisations - Greek and Roman - Europe's cultural diaspora got off to a blessed start. The word "democracy" stems from the Greek word "demos", which means "people". Democracy was pioneered in the Greek city-state of Athens. Perhaps Rome's greatest gift to the world was the development of the notion that the rule of law was crucial to any ordered society. Both societies also highly prized the arts, with many artefacts and buildings still existing as testament to their visionary brilliance. Indeed, the bulk of the technocrats who ran the world's largest empire in the 19th century were schooled in the Classics; thereby using the empires of antiquity as their blueprint. The linguistic currency of this CD forum, and the lion's share of international discourse, is one result of this latter empire.

Europe's cultural wealth appreciated and diversified through the centuries in eras such as the Renaissance.

In the current era, Europe continues to excel. English literature (arguably the richest canon anywhere) continues to stimulate the mind and soul as it attracts authors from differing cultures around the world. This canon is given fuller majesty on the stages of the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Radio, television, the computer, the train, the Internet, the jet engine and chocolate digestive biscuits were also British innovations. Modern music has also been significantly enhanced through the contribution of acts such as the Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Coldplay and Oasis. On the Continent, Franco-German achievements in philosophy (take a bow Descartes, Rousseau, Heidegger, Camus et al) built on the solid foundations of Hellenistic thought, went hand in hand with general artistic excellence that richly endows museums throughout those lands. French accomplishments in the gastronomic and vinous fields are also widely acknowledged as peerless (French - sorry "freedom" - fries, aside). Apologies to the good burghers of Beijing, but Italian Opera is a more dramatic and polished musical art form. Classical music festivals in Europe, from Wales's Eisteddford to Austria's Oberammergau, maintain noble ancient traditions.

European couture also holds the world's attention. On a recent visit to that zenith of consumerism that is Hong Kong, I could easily have been in Paris, Rome, Vienna or Madrid, such was the conspicuous prominence of European brands. On another design front, architecture, Europe has always been at the forefront of innovation and style, from the classic themes such as Gothic (Cologne Cathedral is a genuine marvel) , through to the post-modern intrigue of the Pompidou Centre in Paris, the Guggenheim Musuem in Bilbao, and the London "Gherkin". The Pearl of the Orient TV tower that dominates Shanghai's waterfront is also a German design, as is the magnificent 400kpm magnetic levitation railway in Pudong. Indeed, if I am killed by the chaotic traffic on one of my visits to China, it is almost certain that the instrument of my demise will be of Teutonic origin.

On a political level, European countries also serve as an exemplar to the world, through the hugely ambitious project that is the European Union. After learning the hard way through two catastrophic conflagrations, Europe has learned that co-operation (with the odd spat) is eminently preferable to confrontation - China and the Bush Administration please note.

I have only scratched the surface, but hope that the cameo I have sketched is indicative of Europe's rich, and ongoing, cultural affluence.

The drilling has now stopped, and the sun has broken through the rainclouds, so I will step back from asserting that Europe occupies the pinnacle of this planet's cultural heights, and merely state that on the basis of the foregoing, I feel privileged to live in Europe.

The above content represents the view of the author only.

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