Australian scholars push to rekindle interest in China

Building understanding

What do Chinese students gain from Australian Studies?

"They gain cultural literacy and language capability," Hu said. "At the same time, they learn Australian history, literature, culture and indigenous history — all elements to better understand a people."

One Chinese professor, Li Yao, has translated 50 Australian novels, including some by the country's indigenous writers, into Chinese over the past 40 years, he said.

"I tell some of my Australian colleagues that Patrick White and Henry Lawson are read more in China than Australia," Hu said of the two renowned Australian authors.

Cui Xuehai, a faculty member at the East China University of Political Science and Law's School of Foreign Studies in Shanghai, studied for his doctorate at Western Sydney University from 2018 to 2022.

Cui did a comparative study of two novels — A Journey to Steppe Mongolia by Uljiburin, an author from the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, and Carpentaria by Alexis Wright, an Australian Aboriginal writer.

"It is the shared similarities and nuanced differences of these two works that offer insights into why Australian Studies matter for us," Cui told China Daily.

"In their unique ways, both authors rework the major language that their novels are written in, to represent or reflect the language, culture, mythology … of their distinctive cultures."

The two works look at different forms of oral traditions that have historically helped with the intergenerational transfer of knowledge and wisdom in both China and Australia.

"Such a comparison illuminates many aspects of a strengthened unification among the many ethnic groups in China while maintaining their diverse linguistic and cultural heritages," he added.

Cui said it is important for young people in China to take Australian Studies to enhance ties between the two nations as "knowledge of another culture and its people always precedes understanding of it".

He cited Australian and Chinese media coverage of bush fires that ravaged areas of Australia as an example of differing perspectives on the relationship between humans and nature. "While the Chinese media was more concerned with how the natural disaster affected flora and fauna. The Australians seemed to place more emphasis on how mankind influenced living things by causing phenomena such as global warming," Cui said.

He views Australia as a rapidly rising country geographically close to China with its economy, culture and national strategies growing in importance.

Cui said it is in Australia's interests to build friendlier and closer ties with China. "So, it is very worthwhile for Chinese students to do Australian Studies and be dedicated to it (the pursuit)," he said.

Australian Aboriginal culture is incredibly rich and diverse, encompassing a wide range of traditions, languages, and art forms, Cui added.

"It is one of the oldest continuous cultures in the world, with a history that spans over 50,000 years," he said.

"Its key feature, as represented in literature, is its deep spiritual connections to the land — a fundamental concept in Aboriginal spirituality called the 'Dreamtime'."