Cultural inheritance and development is of world significance
—— Professor Ai Kai, Professor of History at the University of Chicago, USA
October 12, 2023 09:46 Source: "China Social Sciences", October 12, 2023, Issue 2749, author: This reporter Bai Le

The history and development of the international academic community for Chinese civilization、Contemporary meaning of Chinese civilization,Always with a strong research interest。June 2,General Secretary Xi Jinping attended a symposium on the development of cultural heritage in Beijing and delivered an important speech,A series of major theories and practical issues of Chinese culture inheritance and development have been comprehensively systematically explained,Causes warm response in the academic community at home and abroad,once again set off a wave of Chinese civilization research in the international academic community。

The Chinese nation has a million -year human history、History of cultural history of 10,000 years、History of civilization for more than 5,000 years。Looking at the history of civilization of the world,Civilization Deadial、Civilized interruption、Civilized micro phenomena are common,Only the Chinese civilization has always stood in the oriental、Do not fall for thousands of years,Always passed on fire、Endless。Why does the Chinese civilization have stretched through the history of more than 5,000 years? How to understand the outstanding characteristics of Chinese civilization different from Western civilization?,Guy S. Alitto, a professor at the University of Chicago University of Chicago, accepted an interview with our reporter around the above problems。Ai Kai is the most active contemporary West、One of the most influential sinologists。81 years old, although he is old,Still tirelessly dedicated to the research of traditional Chinese culture。2015,Due to the outstanding contribution to the spread of Chinese culture,Ai Kai won the 9th Chinese Book Special Contribution Award from the Chinese government。

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"China Social Sciences": You think in previous research,Chinese civilization has strong continuity and tolerance,It is unique in the process of human civilization。From the perspective of Chinese and world history,How to understand the continuity and inclusiveness of Chinese civilization?

Ai Kai:I think,President Xi Jinping's refinement and summary of the five characteristics of Chinese civilization,It is very accurate and profound。The continuity and inclusiveness of Chinese civilization is unique in the process of human civilization,It is a unique feature that any other civilizations in the world do not have。

In my opinion,continuity is reflected as the strong diffusion of Chinese civilization in space,and the strong durability in time。Early Chinese civilization was not limited to the border and territory of various dynasties in ancient China,Instead, it has been widely spread around the world。centered on the current North China and Central China of China,Early Chinese civilization radiated to its maximum geographical limit that could diffuse -east to Pacific,Northwest to huge desert、Grassland、Frozen soil band,Southwest to Himalayas,Southern to Southeast Asian jungle。The strong diffuser of Chinese civilization has been clearly recorded in the Oracle of the Shang Dynasty。

until today,Some ingredients in other cultures in the world are still based on certain elements of Chinese civilization。In today's Japan、Korea、North Korea、Vietnam and other East and Southeast Asian bet365 best casino games countries,You can still find the shadow of Han culture。The contemporary culture of these countries has its own unique tradition and foundation,But it is undeniable that,They are younger Chinese civilization variants to some extent,All carry obvious traditional Han culture brand。other,When the Chinese civilization was destroyed by the invasion,The biggest difference from other civilizations is that it has strong toughness and vitality,It can always be self -reconstruction on the basis of its own elements、Self -repair -This is a major feature of the continuity of Chinese civilization。

Chinese civilization has been open and inclusive at the beginning of its origin,This universal mind that has been collected and stored has continued to this day。In Western civilization, such as the Mediterranean civilization,Whether it is a political group or a religious organization,Based on the binary logic of not this,Has a strong exclusion,Its member identity is highly clear -a member cannot participate in two political groups or religious organizations at the same time。In the military war in Western history,The defeated party is either slaughtered,Either slavery。In ancient China,The processing method of defeated party is more gentle,More principles for adopting follow -up cooperation and combat power absorption。The difference between the beliefs of religious organizations between different groups of human beings is mainly caused by cultural differences。In an ideal loose cultural environment,Private、Untinpassed religious beliefs can exist freely,As long as its behavior meets the relevant specifications of a civilized society。Traditional Chinese society holds such a loose attitude towards folk religious beliefs,The controversy of different religious scriptures among different groups,It does not lead to serious violence struggle like Western deed civilization。other,In ancient times, China's primitive tribe adopted an animal totem image as a symbol of the group。Dragon as a national totem of the Chinese nation,It is a sacred existence in the eyes of Chinese people。It is worth exploring is,Dragon Totem is a typical composite totem image,Composed of different limbs of different animals -Rabbit Eyes、Snake item、蜃、fish scales、Eagle Claw、Tiger palm。饕 ornaments that appear on the Bronze of the Shang Dynasty (a animal -shaped pattern representing the kingship) is also a synthetic of different animals。The completely different animals are combined into a whole in a harmonious way,This composite animal image can be regarded as a multi -group cooperation in ancient China、Products of fusion of different ethnic groups,instead of the result of eliminating others。As an early sacred symbol,They emit a tolerance spirit of Chinese civilization。

  Dialectical Thought Enlightenment Building a Peaceful World

"China Social Sciences": mentioned the tolerance of Chinese civilization,Is the dialectical thought explained in the Book of Changes is also an embodiment of tolerance? What is the inspiration for the tolerance for the construction of a more peaceful world?

Ai Kai:The theory of yin and yang in the Book of Changes reflects an inclusive dialectical thinking mode。"Book of Changes" explained the changes in the world of heaven and earth,This ancient classic can be called the most ancient Chinese classics,Condensing the great wisdom crystal of ancient Chinese people,Many scholars regard it as the general program of Chinese traditional culture wisdom。The profound and simple natural laws contained in it constitute the basis for the formation of Chinese cosmic theory 2500 years ago,It also constitutes traditional Chinese medicine、Military Law、Basis of disciplines such as astronomy。

In Chinese traditional culture,The concept of the universe does not exist in a foreign "true god" or "God" as the creator or legislator of all things and the universe sky。Chinese believes that the existence of the universe is its overall generation as an independent overall、Development、evolution、Results of changes。

The Book of Changes revealed the fundamental way of the universe and the development law of everything,A clear picture of heaven and earth map becomes the wisdom blueprint of future thoughts。This cosmology concept believes,The world is always developing and changing,All things are in seconds in seconds and seconds,Weekly start、Endless,Nothing is constant。But,The liquidity brought by this sustainable change is to follow a certain mode、Some principles occur,No trace to find、No chaos,This is the original source of the concept of yin and yang。Yin Yang theory in the Book of Changes,That is "one yin and one yang.",All things in the world are composed of two basic attributes of yin and yang,Yin and Yang Xiangxiang Xiangke,The two are interconnected and interdependent,To a certain extent, penetrate and transform each other。This concept of understanding and grasp of nature from the whole is very different from other cultures,It has had a very profound impact on Chinese philosophy and thoughts of Chinese dynasties。But,Looking at the Christian culture of Western culture, especially from classical Greek philosophy,Human and Nature、God and Man、There are many differences between nature and the concept of God,They are regarded as two absolute branches of two completely different entities,There is no common point between each other。

The dialectics of yin and yang in the Book of Changes is essentially a non -binary theory,It has an important enlightenment significance for the development of the world today。According to the ideological essence of the Book of Changes,The spirit of compromise and reconciliation should become the way to get along with the diplomatic attitude and relationships pursued by the country and the country,Unfortunately, the international relationship in reality is far from this。Just as the pessimistic concept held by the American political philosopher Reinhold Neibuhr,Any form of virtue has nothing to do with modern international relations,The selfish motor and the country's pursuit of power from human nature,Make struggle and conflict the basic feature of modern international relations。If countries can recognize the important value of the Chinese classics "Book of Changes",Complexation that can be revealed by the theory of yin and yang、reconciliation、The natural law of harmony is used as the basic principles of state -to -state communication,Humans will usher in better、Peace、Bright Tomorrow。

  World history proves the peace of Chinese civilization

"China Social Sciences": You once said,Ancient China was once one of the richest and powerful countries in the world,China has the ability to become the most advanced today、The richest、The most civilized country。What do you think is the reasons for many prosperous times in China?

Ai Kai:Ancient Chinese history is like a bright long river,Many dynasties have become the most powerful national status in the world,Its prosperity makes the world envy,More civilized and advanced than other countries in the same period。Take the Han Dynasty, one of the most brilliant and strong dynasties in ancient China as examples,I think the following points of objective and quantified factors can be used to measure and prove the leading position of ancient China in the world。

The first indicator is the population scale,This is one of the most intuitive indicators that meters the prosperity of a country and their social development。If a certain social system does not work,The population living in this system will be reduced or even died。If a certain social system is effective,Accompanied by this system will be population reproduction and population growth。This is basically applicable to any era。As early as 200 BC,The Han Dynasty in China is already the country with the largest population in the world,Having the world's largest human group。The Roman Empire was in its heyday,Whether it is a territory or a population scale,Far less than the Han Dynasty。Alexander Empire can be called a world -class empire,Although there is a short time, it has brilliant achievements,However, the size of its population is still not as good as the Han Dynasty。The Persian Empire is the first empire in the history of the world to cross Asia, Europe and Africa,But it is not comparable to the Han Dynasty in terms of population。

The second indicator is technology development,Including various types of technologies such as social production technology and daily life。As early as the Warring States Period,Chinese iron technology has a wide range of use。To the Han Dynasty,Iron Instrument Technology has been promoted and popularized in various fields of society,Far leading in the world at that time,and the spread of this technology is faster than the countries along the Mediterranean at the same time。One of the reasons is,The Mediterranean civilization at that time still based on slavery as the economic foundation,A large amount of land is occupied by the noble class,Land cannot be freely circulated and traded,Therefore, the objective social soil is missing from the technology of iron。To the Han Dynasty,The power of the nobles is very weak,At the same time, the court allows land transfer and trading,This means fair and free business competition,This competition drives land owners to pursue advanced technologies such as iron production technology。This is an important factor in the rapid spread of the iron technology of the Han Dynasty。

The third indicator is the basic economic level,The level of material production。As early as the Spring and Autumn Period,China's slavery economy has gradually disintegrated with the development of the well field system,The feudal economy was formally formed during the Warring States Period,The European region of the same period is mainly based on the relatively backward slavery economy。To the Han Dynasty,China's socio -economic level is much higher than other countries in the world in the same period。other,In China,The time node of the production of commodities must also be earlier than the Mediterranean area。10-12 centuries,banknotes called Jiaozi as paper financial tools began to use in the Northern Song Dynasty,China has become the earliest country in the world to use banknotes。To the 16th century,Almost all products already have a broad market in China。

The fourth indicator is the effectiveness of the government mechanism,The effectiveness of the government (the court)。In this regard,The Han Dynasty was obviously far better than the Roman Empire。Qin Dynasty unified the world,Using the county system,It marks the beginning of establishment of the bureaucratic system。The Han Dynasty basically followed the government organization structure of the Qin Dynasty,Due to the excellence and efficiency of its political Bet365 lotto review mechanism,The territory of the Han Dynasty can expand to a farther area,And more people gather under the same political unit that belongs to the court management。The consolidation of the bureaucratic system of the Han Dynasty enables the country to have a comprehensive centralized bureaucracy,Responsible for managing various regions of the country。The Roman Empire of the same period is mainly composed of local forces alliances,Rome did not directly manage the entire empire through a bureaucracy,There is no direct control of specific local areas,This directly leads to its low effectiveness of its government management mechanism。

  "China Social Sciences": The traditional western historical narrative considers,Chinese civilization has long been ahead of Western civilization,This advantage has been maintained until modern,until Western civilization dominated by science and technology began to colonize the expansion worldwide。For this,How do you interpret it?

Ai Kai:After the Han Dynasty,In Chinese history, there has been again emerging from the Tang Dynasty in the Tang Dynasty,After a few centuries of centuries,The advantages of Chinese civilization on the world territory have not disappeared。The mainstream view of the academic community thinks,Until the 17th century Western European Social experience scientific revolution、Enlightenment and other major events occur after major events.,The long -term advantage of Chinese civilization "halo" faded。18th century,European countries led by Britain set off a boom in the industrial revolution,Science and Technology progress brings unprecedented opportunities for European industry development,The influence of Chinese civilization in the world has begun to weaken。

Recent,Some scholars have shifted a lot of time nodes in the study of European countries surpassing China in the world history。For example,Kenneth Pomranz pointed out in The Great DiverGence,Some scholars have shifted a lot of time nodes in the study of European countries surpassing China in the world history。Another research data estimation,At least before the middle of the 19th century,Chinese civilization has a profound impact on the outlook on life and values ​​of many people in the world,The number of people influenced and shaped by Chinese civilization in the world is more than 5 times that of any other recognizable civilization。

Wish to know,13th -century Italian traveler Marco Polo's degree of economic development to China、The completeness of the setting of government agencies and the maturity of the business mechanism have been deeply shocked。When we move our eyes to the early 15th century,Another example that can be used to compare European civilization and Chinese civilization is Zheng He, who is a miracle of the world's navigation history,While spreading advanced Chinese civilization to overseas countries,It opened the prelude to human beings to the ocean。Zheng He led the huge fleet seven to the West,The farthest arrives at the East Coast of Africa。What is amazing is,The fleet has the ability to produce foods,Almost completely self -sufficient,The Ming Dynasty shipbuilding technology used by the fleet is at least one hundred years advanced than the shipbuilding technology in other countries in the world。other,The success of the huge fleet of these 27,000 people is not only a shipbuilding technology、Navy Power、Signs of the superiority of navigation,More shows that the Ming Dynasty has a huge social wealth that can create these technologies,and the efficiency of government mechanism that can mobilize various navigation resources and achieve long -distance bet365 best casino games navigation。Except China,No other countries in the world at that time could achieve such a peak of navigation achievements。

People often compare Zheng He's go to the West and Columbus.。First,Columbus's sailing is much later,About Zheng He only carried out for more than 80 years after Zhenghe's lower west。Second,Columbus's navigation distance on the Atlantic Ocean is much shorter。again,In terms of navigation equipment,Zheng He's fleet is far better than the Columbus fleet。The Columbus fleet has three ships,Among them, the largest "St. Maria" is only one -fifth of Zheng He's "treasure boat",This data comparison is quite eye -catching。

mid -16th century,Out of ambition to invade Britain,The Spanish Empire formed a large fleet,The famous invincible fleet,The fleet is composed of soldiers。On the way to conquest from the invincible fleet from Portugal,Because it is impossible to fight the disease、Discontinued sailing for severe weather and other reasons and ended with a tragic failure。In contrast,Zheng He's fleet enters the Persian Bay from China,Various unfavorable factors on the way to sail,Finally arrived smoothly to the East Coast of Africa。So,To some extent,Zheng He's fleet is unparalleled。

What's more noteworthy is,and Columbus fleet、The invincible fleet and other European fleets are different.,The members of the Zhenghe fleet are mainly workers and craftsmen。This is mainly composed of non -military personnel,Do not plunder wealth、Overseas colonial、The fleet that the purpose of performing military tasks has never appeared in the modern history of human beings and even in modern history。It can be said,Zheng He seven to the West not only shows the strong national strength of the Ming Dynasty,More powerful proved the peaceful nature of Chinese civilization。

  Chinese excellent traditional culture has important practical significance

"China Social Sciences": Intellectuals are important inheritors of ideological and culture,You have compared Chinese and Western intellectuals,What do you think are different?

Ai Kai:If we look closely,I will find that the thinking of many intellectual elites in the West is based on the dual logic thinking of this is not the other is。For example,Huntington proposed a civilized conflict theory after the World History Water River Calls Cold War,and predict the civilized form of the future world。This believe that civilized conflicts will dominate global politics that fits the mentality of the general anxiety of people after the Cold War in the future.,Due to satisfying the trend of a specific era, it has a wide range of influences in the international community。But,The law of historical development and the development trend of human civilization has proved the error of civilized conflict theory。

The thinking of traditional Chinese intellectuals、Character、The temperament is very different from the traditional Western intellectuals。Since ancient times,Chinese intellectuals have a kind of eclecticism,A spirit that reconciles and impartiality,That is, Mencius said the Golden Way。Treat different cultural perspectives,Chinese intellectuals always hold an open mindset of compatible and packed。

I think,This mentality can be traced back to the pre -Qin period of the prosperity of China。Wish to know,High developed thoughts in the pre -Qin period,There have been genre presences、The grand occasion of the hundreds of contention,Confucian、Taoist、Mo Jia、Many ideological schools and other ideological schools and sons doctrine blooms。It is worth mentioning bet365 best casino games is,Representatives of each school are more independent thinkers,Not just a member of a certain school。If you are an apprentice of a school master,You can also explore the thoughts of other schools。"Qi" in "Hundred Flowers" means homogeneity or unity,This nature is reflected in the cultural tendency to integrate。

  "China Social Sciences": There are many important elements in Chinese excellent traditional culture,The outstanding features of Chinese civilization together,How do you comment on this?

Ai Kai:I really appreciate the effort of the Chinese government in recent years.,and firmly support President Xi Jinping's decision -making in the cultural field。I think,From the perspective of overall and long -term perspective,The inheritance and development of the excellent traditional culture of China is greatly beneficial to the future of China and the world.。

For decades,The growth rate of China's economy is rare,Created a miracle in human history,It is also far beyond the expectations of mainstream economists。American scholars、Nobel Prize winner Gary Becker (Gary Becker) has proposed,Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago is not enough to predict the amazing rise of the Chinese economy。I think,This rise is inseparable from the deep traditional cultural root in China。

In fact,Consider cultural factors when predicting economic growth,The prediction results can be more accurate。From the late 1960s to the 1990s,South Korea and Singapore have also achieved miracles of economic growth,and have never experienced a large -scale social turmoil that West experienced。Research Discovery,The common characteristics of the two countries are deeply influenced by Chinese Confucian culture。However,They rarely realize the importance of culture for economic growth。

Today,The benevolent love contained in the traditional Chinese thought、etiquette、Filial Tao、Actualism、Afraid of ancestors and other "Words of the Sage",The advocated self -cultivation、Qi Jia、Governing the country、Political ideals of Pingtianxia,Whether it is the goal of reaching the construction of a harmonious society in China,Still realizing more peace for the world、Beautiful、The future of prosperity,It has important practical significance。

Editor in charge: Zhang Jing
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