Dialogue on Views on Civilization | Shen Xiangping

Elucidating and Spreading Chinese Civilization through the Method of Humanity

The Report of the 20th National Congress of the Party emphasizes, "We will stay firmly rooted in Chinese culture. We will collect and refine the defining symbols and best elements of Chinese culture and showcase them to the world. We will accelerate the development of China’s discourse and narrative systems, better tell China’s stories, make China’s voice heard, and present a China that is credible, appealing, and respectable." This requires us to articulate and disseminate Chinese civilization from the standpoint of Chinese culture. However, for a long time, there have been issues of confusion between methods and objectives or oversimplification in the process of explaining and disseminating Chinese civilization to the outside world, resulting in the failure to achieve the expected impact in many cases.

For example, "adhering to the position of Chinese culture" is both a starting point and an inherent principle and method. However, many times it is oversimplified and externalized, which can appear rigid. We should consider how to make this inherent principle and method itself the objective and better achieve it through external methods that may not directly align with it—of course, these external methods should also be highly reasonable. 

In the exposition and dissemination of theories, determining the objective and method is a comprehensive issue that determines the overall nature and rationality, legitimacy and effectiveness of theory and practice.

In the process of modernization under the backdrop of globalization, the discussion by Japanese scholars Yoshimi Takeuchi and Mizoguchi Kozo regarding "Asia as Method" and "China as Method" has emerged as an important research paradigm in contemporary times. Looking back, this paradigm was proposed in response to the approach of "studying China by using the world as a method".

In fact, both Western Sinology and Orientalism in the Saidian sense, while making significant contributions to the exploration of civilization and the dissemination of culture, suffer from inherent issues of Western-centricism.

At the same time, the advanced individuals in China who advocated "opening their eyes to the world" and being "oriented towards the world" also consciously or unconsciously regarded the West as the world. In the process of modernization, there was a period when catching up with the West and integrating into the world were considered synonymous, and the trend of embracing the "wholesale Western" ideology was once prevalent.

This leads to a sort of "conspiracy" in world history: the West being considered as the world, setting the standards and methods for China and non-Western entities. Even today, there is no shortage of such examples, such as the textbook illustration incident in 2022 and the creation of "slant-eye" characters at a certain university, which reflect incidents related to international aesthetics. Whether internally or externally, the existence of these phenomena is an important reason for us today to emphasize the need to adhere to the position of Chinese culture.

As a counterbalance to the approach of using the world as a method, the so-called "using China as a method", as pointed out by Chinese scholar Wang Hui, demands the transformation of China into an "active subject". It entails placing one's own interests or the interests one represents within the context of political analysis, thereby generating political mobilization. Within this lies a strong sense of universal concern. In other words, using someone as a method implies the process of making someone a subject or enabling them to become a subject.

In the 1990s, following the rise of indigenous Orientalism in China (where Said's notion of "the Orient" does not include China), there emerged discussions on "Chineseness" within the academic community. These discussions emphasized the conscious differentiation from Western modernity, representing an academic self-awareness of "using China as a method". Presently, many studies on Chinese characteristics, the Chinese model of modernization, the Chinese mode of modernity, and the enhancement of the subjectivity of Chinese philosophy and social sciences embody this purpose. This also applies to our emphasis on adhering to the position of Chinese culture in the exposition and dissemination of Chinese civilization.

Undoubtedly, the emphasis on subjectivity in "using China as a method" is both necessary and inevitable. However, China faces two interconnected issues in its external exposition and dissemination: first, how to differentiate "using China as a method" from general nationalism, and second, how China's "universal concern" can address accusations of the "China threat theory".

Faced with the question of the century, "What is happening to the world, and what should we do?", China puts forward the promotion of common values for all humanity, the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind, and the creation of a new form of human civilization. Throughout these endeavors, the logic of "humanity" is interwoven, addressing the challenges and destiny of humanity in this era and serving the purpose of benefiting all of humankind.

Placing humanity as the objective actually highlights the primacy of the nation-state and individual, distinguishing it fundamentally from narrow individualism, nationalism and regionalism that instinctively prioritize self-interest without considering humanity as a whole. However, in the present era, people need to consciously adopt a human-centric approach. China's series of propositions inherently embody this understanding, or one could say that only by understanding these propositions in this way can they truly be persuasive, rather than merely interpreting them as China's method or wisdom with humanity as the objective. This understanding holds true in external exposition and dissemination as well.

1. Using humanity as a method entails adopting a holistic perspective and embracing a sense of compassion for all of humanity. It requires maintaining a broad-mindedness and a global outlook.

To take a human-centered approach means, first and foremost, acknowledging the existence of differences among individuals and groups as an established fact. It also means relativizing oneself while recognizing and respecting these differences, rather than considering oneself superior. China has put forward the promotion of common values for all humanity and the advancement of building a community with a shared future for mankind. It particularly emphasizes "having a broad-minded understanding of the diverse interpretations of values in different civilizations, respecting the exploration of different nations' paths to realizing values, and concretely and practically incorporating the common values of all humanity into the pursuit of the interests of the Chinese people." It consistently emphasizes solidarity and harmonious coexistence. Therefore, in our interpretation and communication with the outside world, we should avoid presenting differences as superiority and stating that one of the diverse approaches is the only correct answer. What we offer to the world is the Chinese approach, and an approach always implies having multiple possibilities.

2.Taking a human-centered approach means a conscious recognition of the common subjectivity of humanity, emphasizing the unity of all human beings.

Taking a human-centered approach means, apart from considering individuals, ethnic groups and nation-states as collective entities, to consider humanity as the primary subject and consciously construct a collective subject at the human level. In the words of Marx, it means transcending the old materialism based on the "citizen" society and replacing it with a new materialism based on the "socialized human society" as the foundation. Today, humanity more than ever needs to have a consciousness of being a common subject, a shared will to accomplish common tasks, to safeguard common interests, and to sustain common life. This is precisely the significance of actively constructing a community with a shared future for humanity.

A strong impression from studying the reports of the 20th National Congress is the emphasis on "unity and struggle". This is not only relevant to China itself but also has great practical relevance for all of humanity. Unity and struggle entail consolidating as a collective entity to undertake shared endeavors, and this is precisely what constructing a community with a shared future for humanity entails. It also enlightens us that in our external explanations and communications, we should consciously emphasize unity, highlighting "us" rather than "me", and tell more human stories that emphasize commonality, sharing and unity.

3.Taking a human-centered approach means adhering to a high standard of human principles and emphasizing the importance of reflection and learning.

Methods are not only means and approaches but also standards. Taking humanity as a method implies observing nations, countries and individuals from a human perspective, forming the basis for the rationality and legitimacy of their actions. Laozi once said, "Observe the self to understand the self, observe the family to understand the family, observe the village to understand the village, observe the state to understand the state, observe the world to understand the world. How can one understand the world? Through this." When we consider "the world" as a method, it is not only necessary to observe the world as a whole but also to observe the state, the village, the family and the self within the context of the world. In other words, this is the essence of "observing the world through the world" as stated in the question. The new form of human civilization created by China should not be simply understood as adding another member to the existing forms of human civilization. Instead, it should be understood as being established on the basis of humanity as a method and principle, incorporating positive achievements of modern civilization from all of humanity. Only then can it truly be regarded as a "new" form of "human" civilization. In presenting and disseminating this to the outside world, we should not only highlight our own merits but also emphasize what we have learned from others. It is through learning and drawing from the strengths of others and receiving their assistance that we can truly improve ourselves.

4.Taking humanity as the method implies adopting a narrative approach featuring localization, emphasizing the primacy of the local context.

Taking humanity as the method entails employing and utilizing anthropological approaches, such as the actor-oriented perspective. Rather than answering how researchers should interpret the behavior of those being studied from their own standpoint, it is about understanding their experiences from the perspective of the local people being studied and focusing on how they perceive and make sense of their own actions within their lived world. "How do they perceive and classify the world? What rules do they use to explain behavior? What holds meaning for them? How do they imagine and interpret various things?" (Kottak: "Cultural Anthropology: Appreciating Cultural Diversity"). This enlightens us to genuinely consider questions from the standpoint of the host country and the masses of the respective nation when explaining and disseminating Chinese civilization abroad, rather than substituting our own thinking for theirs. We should seek to understand their thoughts, desires and needs, while avoiding subjective and presumptuous errors. It is important to present China's stories and promote the Chinese voice in ways that are appealing and enjoyable to people of different ethnicities and nations. In particular, we should unite with those nations and ethnic groups that have long been marginalized by Western-dominated discourse, assisting them in enhancing their own discourse power, firmly believing that their self-clarification ultimately resonates and aligns with us at the deepest level.

In short, the ideas put forward by General Secretary Xi Jinping, such as the construction of a community with a shared future for humanity, the promotion of common values for all mankind, and the creation of a new form of human civilization, embody the "humanity" logic and are the wisdom of "observing the world through the world". They serve as an action plan that considers both the purpose and method from a human perspective, and within them lies the methodological inspiration for us to explain and disseminate Chinese civilization.

Enhancing the subjectivity of Chinese academia and upholding the position of Chinese culture should not be simply understood as strengthening national identity and making general contributions to humanity. Instead, it should consciously strengthen the elevation of national identity based on humanity, achieving a higher level of unity between national identity and humanity. In other words, in the present era, the highest level of taking China as a method and adhering to the stance of Chinese culture precisely requires a conscious approach from a human perspective. By following this principle, our explanations and dissemination to the outside world can be more effective.