300-year-old legend sets an example

In an age when traveling overseas was an exception for Chinese people, Shen Fuzong was a larger-than-life hero. Born in 1657 in Nanjing, he had a modest beginning and died on his voyage back home from what is now Mozambique in 1692. Little is recorded about him in his native country, but this man is remembered for his decade-long adventure in Europe in the 1680s.

Shen landed in Portugal in 1682, when his legend began to unfold. He was summoned to Rome by Pope Innocent XI and the gifts he presented became the first collection of Chinese books in the Vatican Library. He demonstrated Chinese calligraphy and the use of chopsticks for Le Roi Soleil Louise XIV of France and presented the latter with Latin translations of Confucius classics. He was the first recorded Chinese person to ever reach Britain and he met its King, James II, who commissioned a portrait of Shen and placed it in his bed chamber. That portrait survives to this day in the collection of the royal family.

Shen was not the first Chinese person to make it to Europe, nor was he on a quest for sensation. However, his presence was celebrated at the time and his contribution to the knowledge of China in Europe was certainly not matched by anyone in his lifetime, nor indeed was it for a long time afterwards.

Shen's success may have been inadvertent, but not accidental. He was in Europe just in time for the budding Enlightenment when everything Chinese was adored. With his "authentic" knowledge of oriental languages and philosophy, he literally broadened the horizon of Europeans who were open-minded enough to learn things different from their own. He had a working knowledge of Latin, the lingua franca of the time, making Chinese culture and philosophy less "foreign" and easier for Europeans to relate to.

But while Shen's story is captivating, it did not really develop into anything more than a diverting anecdote. For the most part of the 330 years since, the European perception of China has been dominated by stereotypes and biases, some of which are still with us today, despite renewed interest in "looking East" as China makes its way back to the world's center stage. While there are definitely minds to be opened and efforts to be made on the other side of the vast landmass we share, it is always a valid question to ask ourselves, "What else can be done and done better?"

Compared with 300 years ago when Shen visited, Europeans now are generally more open and tolerant towards other cultures, but they still hold tight to their own core values and their vigilance against any "invasion" by foreign cultures remains as strong as ever. A Western-centric view is still deeply embedded in the European consciousness.

The younger generations of Chinese people have a great opportunity to boost people-to-people exchanges with Europeans, but the challenge to shape and polish their perception and understanding of China is probably as big as ever. To accomplish this, we need bold ideas, patient efforts and smart approaches that work, and work well.

It is precisely from this perspective that the curious legend of Shen Fuzong could be a fountain of inspiration, 330 years after he embarked on his adventure of a lifetime.

The author is a Beijing-based scholar of international relations.

(China Daily 04/09/2012 page8)