Archives of Peking University News - PKU English - 北京大学

北京大学英语新闻网/Peking University News
TU Weiming: Cultural China—How
Should China Face Cultural
Confrontation in the Modern World
By Zhang Yuan
PKU NEWS 2006—10--28
http://ennews.pku.edu.cn/news.php?s=162048443
Peking University, Beijing, Oct. 28, 2006: Due to some slight change in the schedule
of Beijing Forum 2006, we gladly hear the enlightening speech of TU Weiming,
famous professor from Harvard University, in the afternoon session of the sub forum
―Mapping Chinese Civilization in a World Context‖ at the Sunny Hall of Yingjie
Exchange Center, Peking University.
Prof. TU‘s topic is how China should face cultural confrontation in the modern world.
He started his speech with the concept of ―cultural China‖ which was first brought up
in the 70s as a concept in contrast with ―economic China‖ or ―political China‖. TU
proposes that attention should be paid to the relationship between Confucianism and
the concept ―cultural China‖. Neither of the two can cover the other in connotation
totally, he says, but they overlap to a large degree.
According to TU, in the development of modern civilization, there is a trend that the
concept of viewing a human being as an economic entity is prevailing into every field
of human life. Since man is animal rationale, he has the ability to identify his own
interest and to realize his value through a free market. Under this model, core values
of modern civilization turn out to be ―freedom‖, ―right‖, ―rationality‖, especially
―instrumental reason‖, ―legal system‖ and alike, which, if not refined by other values,
will definitely bring the civilization to a blind alley. And it is just in this sense that the
unique perspective of Confucianism may provide new inspiration to a modern
dilemma. It can enlarge the modern value system with totally different ideas such as
sympathy and compassion.
Although he regards Confucianism as an important component of human civilization,
TU also realizes its weak point compared to other religious or philosophical thoughts.
According to TU, a good religious or philosophical thought should contain two
aspects: self-awareness of one‘s inner spiritual world, and self-awareness as a world
citizen (that is, as a citizen of the real world we live in). But Confucianism only has
the latter, whose concern lies in ―this life‖ only, but not ―the life beyond‖. Every coin
has two sides. TU argues that this can be also viewed as an advantage because in
740