Asking the right questions

Understanding Chinese civilization holds the key to explaining its contemporary development

Last semester I taught a short course on Sinology at Beijing Language and Culture University. Over half the students were Chinese, and the others were from various countries. The students had not studied Sinology before, and I soon realized that most did not fully understand its purpose. It reminded me of the time when I began my studies at the Beijing Language Institute in the autumn of 1975. Therefore, I focused on explaining the purpose of studying Sinology, which is to understand the special characteristics of Chinese civilization, explain them and contribute to its continuing success in a multicultural world.

Generally, for Chinese people, the prevalent Western thinking that there are eternal truths that do not change is nonsensical, as they are convinced that nothing lasts forever and everything is subject to change.

I have spent my whole life studying China as a student, teacher, radio reporter, journalist, translator and diplomat since I first arrived in Beijing. Now I have returned as a professor of Sinology. I translated The Analects of Confucius and Tao Te Ching into Icelandic. I have even translated the first two volumes of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China. It is a never-ending process. I have had to repeatedly revise my understanding of China.

In fact, people around the world, including the Chinese people themselves, are engaged in trying to understand the characteristics of Chinese civilization. My various occupations have always been related to China one way or another, giving me different perspectives to view the nation from various angles. They have helped me understand China and its characteristics, which are critical for comprehending its development.

Studying contemporary policies is not enough. It is necessary to delve into China’s ancient past and the deep characteristics of its civilization.

European scholars from France, Germany and England began using the word “Sinology” as a name for Chinese studies in the early 19th century. Others have studied Chinese civilization since ancient times. For instance, Japan’s written history began with learning Chinese characters and copying China’s social structure, with Buddhism adding an additional layer to Japanese warrior culture from around the fifth century onward.

Sinology began as Eurocentric studies of Chinese civilization by Jesuit missionaries and scholars who arrived in China during the 16th to 18th centuries. They were fascinated by the morality and culture of the Chinese people. The Jesuits’ task was to convert the Chinese to Christianity, which they believed would save souls and open the gates of Heaven. This was difficult because China had developed its own system for explaining the world and the relationship between humanity and nature, which did not include an almighty God.

The Jesuits studied Chinese civilization extensively. They befriended the educated elite and presented gifts to high officials, seeking a way to accomplish their mission. Eventually, they found a pathway for their missionary work by changing or adding new meanings to many basic Chinese words and concepts. These and many other words entered dictionaries compiled by the missionaries, thereby enriching and changing the language. This allowed them to translate Christian texts into Chinese. They also translated classical Confucian literature into European languages based on their own understanding, introducing these texts to leading European scholars. This opened the door for mutual learning and cultural interaction between Europe and China.

Generally, the Chinese concepts used in the Jesuit translations maintained their original meaning within the Chinese context. However, the European concepts chosen for those translations often shifted the meaning, reflecting the Jesuit interpretation, which stressed the moral content of these texts over aspects of governance. This has influenced the modern Western understanding of some of these classical texts.

Sinology continued to be predominantly Eurocentric until recently, when the rapid rise of a green and economically dynamic China showed that it cannot be explained by Western development models. There has been a decisive shift within classical Sinology since China’s reform and opening-up started in 1978. Some Western China specialists have concluded that China must be studied on its own terms, as a distinct civilization. Traditional Western interpretations of Chinese civilization and modern analyses based on Western models cannot adequately explain China’s path toward its present model of green and commercial development and poverty alleviation.

For decades, many thought that the purpose of China’s reforms was to copy the social and economic systems of the Western civilization. When that did not happen, many educated people tried to explain the cultural difference with reference to different customs and tastes. Teachers at Chinese universities tried to explain that Chinese culture was not really that different from Western culture: “The Chinese people have to learn to tell the Chinese story so that Western people can understand it, using Western examples and concepts.” “We are all humans; some people like Italian opera, but the Chinese like Peking Opera; some people like coffee and some like tea.”

Most Chinese have stopped trying to convince the Western world that China is basically very similar to Europe. European countries started talking about the importance of green and sustainable development more than 20 years ago. They are still having trouble adjusting their policies and achieving the goals they have set.

In the new era of green development, technical and social transformation focusing on new productive forces, the emphasis on similarities between Chinese and Western civilizations is not convincing. China has shifted the direction of its development to green development and poverty alleviation. China has become an active participant in international conventions on clean and sustainable development.

China has made sweeping unilateral commitments to the environmental goals of the United Nations and has urged other countries to do the same. Furthermore, China is determined to stand by its commitments, while many other countries are revising or even abandoning theirs.

In short, China has risen from being a developing country to becoming a world leader in green development and poverty alleviation. It is improving its health services rapidly. At the same time, it maintains rapid economic growth and is by far one of the biggest contributors to global economic growth. How is this possible?

Sinology must focus on these questions to contribute to peaceful development, cooperation and a prosperous world community of colorful civilizations.

The author is a sinologist and Iceland’s former minister counselor to China.

The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

Contact the editor at editor@chinawatch.cn.