History shows importance of 'willingness to learn' in China-Europe ties

Increased understanding among different cultures remains crucial amid growing challenges faced by the global community, as the early years of East-West interaction clearly show, according to a major think tank.

The observations by the Center for China and Globalization are based on its analysis of British academic Kerry Brown's new book China Through European Eyes: 800 Years of Cultural and Intellectual Encounter, published by Singapore's World Scientific Publishing.

At a book launch in Beijing on Wednesday organized by the center, more than 28,000 participants and viewers online and offline were involved in discussing the major issues raised by the book, which was co-written by Chinese diplomacy and communication researcher Gemma Chenger Deng.

The book "comes at a very poignant time and is helpful for both China and Europe to understand each other and deepen their bilateral relationship", according to the think tank, which is also working to launch a Chinese version of the book to be published by China Translation and Publishing House later this year.

"How the 'East', which has traditionally been portrayed as remote and shrouded in mystery, came to figure in the imaginations and minds of Europeans is an interesting and important story, with significance not just for Europe but the wider world as well. At the heart of the European understanding of the 'East'－as the engagement and dialogue in this collection testifies－has been how best to manage the pervasive sense of 'difference'," according to the think tank's analysis of the book.

"The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted and changed the way we communicate, but it has also made communication more important than ever. China's Belt and Road Initiative and Trans-Eurasia Logistics platform require cooperation with Europe, which in turn needs to partner with China to drive business and trade," it said.

The book offers a timely way to deepen East-West ties and understanding amid global challenges such as the pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the think tank's president Wang Huiyao said during the launch event.

Brown looks at the lessons of history through the writings on China by Europeans from the time of Marco Polo in the 13th century through the 1970s. The book covers the views of 16 key European figures including Matteo Ricci, Voltaire, Karl Marx and Bertrand Russell.

Brown said at the launch event that the important lesson from these figures was how they had "a strong sense of curiosity and a willingness to learn" from the Chinese side.

"We might take inspiration from these early hundreds of years of the relationship between China and Europe, to think of ways in which we did, often, in the past, work more harmoniously and have more curiosity about each other," said Brown, who is professor of Chinese studies and director of the Lau China Institute at King's College, London.

Angela Lixi Dong, assistant director of World Scientific Publishing, said the conceptualization of China by Europeans showcases the long, rich history of interaction between the two sides, providing an inspiration for continued dialogue.

The next step may be to look at the important period after the 1970s, covering China's reform and opening-up and beyond, to help further analyze and face global trends and challenges, said Qiao Weibing, president and editor-in-chief of China Translation and Publishing House.

Brown said the challenges show how differences must still be solved by cooperating with and learning from each other.

"Today, we have wonderful translations, we have great access to different writers of Chinese history, we have many studies and centers in Europe, which specifically look at China," he said. "That should give us a great foundation to continue this mutual education."