Questions of perspective

One of the highlights of the collections housed at the Hubei Provincial Museum is a sword, upon which are inscribed words showing it belonged to Goujian, a king of the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). Although preserved underground in a tomb for more than 2,000 years, the weapon is in extremely good condition without any corrosion.

Researchers have tried to copy the rhomboid decorative patterns on it, which they infer can help to inhibit rust. At first, they applied known ancient techniques to do it, but failed. Then they tried using modern technology, but still could not replicate the pattern. In the end they had to publish an article speculating on six possible ways it could be done, but with the caveat that all of their attempts were ineffective.

"It means that ancient people had some techniques which, even with our advanced technology, we don't know how to master. We should never look down on ancient Chinese techniques," says Jiang Xiaoyuan, a professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in the audio course Understand China: Chinese Civilization in a Global Perspective, which was uploaded recently to Sanlian Zhongdu, an application developed by Sanlian Lifeweek, a Chinese lifestyle magazine.

"We try to show overseas Sinologists' research on China in a course about Chinese culture given by Chinese scholars. It is about how China developed from an ancient civilization to a modern country－especially the problems we met when facing globalization," says Yu Lisha, the producer of the course.

Based on some classic questions raised by famous Sinologists, like the one famously posed by British biochemist and Sinologist Joseph Needham: Why had China been overtaken by the West in science and technology, despite its earlier successes? And that of German economist and sociologist Max Weber, who questioned why capitalism did not develop in China. The course introduces the intellectual history of modern China from angles like geography, economy, technology and Confucianism.

"We invite Chinese scholars to answer such questions in the course, and they also introduce the background to the raising of such questions and provide their own answers to them," says Yu.

Liu Dong, director of the Sino-West Academy of Zhejiang University, introduces US research on China in the first chapter of the course, and he focuses on American historian John King Fairbank's Chinese studies.

According to Liu, during Fairbank's rise at Harvard University in the 1930s, he adopted a regional study method of researching China. Different from the traditional Sinology research in Europe, which focused on ancient Chinese classics, Fairbank's group conducted a comprehensive interdisciplinary study on modern China. This involved economics, politics, psychology and many other social and human sciences, which became the mainstream of Sinology study.

Fairbank's studies on China tend to be "general", and it is related to his leading role in this area, according to Liu. He liked and often accepted new ideas, so that his works kept progressing. He had the ability to organize scholars to do research with the funds he applied. And although his research was in the interest of the United States, he didn't sacrifice objectiveness.

"Even when the US and China had a close relationship, Fairbank and his colleagues didn't conceal their critiques of China, but when McCarthyism came, they refused to speak against their academic conscience and condemn China," says Liu.

In the fourth chapter, Jiang also talks about Needham's research on Chinese technological history. He believes Needham's research focused on the relationship between technology and the society, which is different from another group of Sinologists who focused on the history of technology, but without caring about its link with the environment.

China's research on the studies of Sinologists is a work in progress, represented by Chinese Studies Overseas, a collection of research on China, which has been published by Jiangsu People's Publishing since the 1980s. The collection has more than 200 books, and it is the basis for the audio course.

"Our research has proved that these studies cannot be ignored. The study of our own country by domestic scholars offers an internal view, while they offer an outside perspective. Together, they help us enhance our understanding of China," says Liu.