Historical China and Contemporary China from a Global Perspective

The role, nature, and importance of China studies are undergoing a profound transformation, reflecting China’s own developmental trajectory. Twenty years ago, the face of China studies was completely different. At that time, constrained by the stage of China’s development, both domestic and international academic circles focused their research on China relatively narrowly on China itself, and the research subjects were mostly sinologists. With China’s rise and its growing status as a global power, its influence around the world is increasing daily. China studies, and attention to China studies, have already become a global phenomenon. As China becomes a key player in global economic growth, climate change, global governance, technological innovation, and affairs of the “Global South,” China studies has also become increasingly important and increasingly characterized by interdisciplinary integration. Even those who are not experts in the field of China studies will develop a strong interest in and seek in-depth understanding of the role China plays in these and even more areas. As China goes global, China studies has also gone global. Understanding China and grasping China’s dynamics is increasingly becoming a necessary quality for global experts across different disciplines.

中国学的角色、性质及其重要性正在经历一场深刻的变革，映射了中国自身的发展轨迹。二十年前，中国学的面貌截然不同。彼时，受中国发展阶段所限，无论是中国国内学界还是国际学界，对中国学的研究相对集中于中国本身，且研究主体多为汉学家。随着中国的崛起并日益成为全球性大国，在世界各地的影响力与日俱增，中国学以及对中国学的关注已然成为一种全球现象。当中国在全球经济增长、气候变化、全球治理、科技创新以及“全球南方”事务中成为关键角色时，中国学也变得愈发重要并且日益呈现出跨学科融合的特征。对于中国在这些乃至更多领域中所扮演的角色，即便不是中国学研究领域的专家，也会产生浓厚兴趣，并进行深入了解。随着中国走向世界，中国学也走向了全球。了解中国、掌握中国动态，正日益成为不同学科全球专家的必备素质。

If in the past the centers of China studies outside China were mainly in Western countries, now this situation is rapidly changing and increasingly declining. As China’s interactions with “Global South” countries deepen, numerous developing countries such as Chile, Brazil, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, and Saudi Arabia need to deeply understand China and establish connections with it, whether in the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Four Global Initiatives, or in trade with China or Chinese investment. Given that the vast majority of the world’s population lives in “Global South” countries, and these countries are increasingly closely linked with China, the “Global South” has now become the main growth region for the development of China studies. More foreign students studying at Chinese universities come from “Global South” countries than from the United States or Europe. We are witnessing the globalization of China studies, and with it, the gradual decentering of Western influence in the field of China studies. Although Western attitudes toward China still have some influence in developing countries, this has clearly weakened, because “Global South” countries interact with China more frequently and, as a result, form their own views based on personal experience, accumulated knowledge, and independent research, thus relying less and less on Western media narratives.

如果说以往中国以外的中国学研究中心主要在西方国家，那么现在这一情况正在迅速改变，且愈发式微。随着中国与“全球南方”国家的交往日益深入，智利、巴西、马来西亚、尼日利亚、巴基斯坦、哈萨克斯坦、沙特阿拉伯等众多发展中国家需要深入了解中国并与之建立联系，无论是在共建“一带一路”倡议、上海合作组织、“四大全球倡议”，还是对华贸易或中国投资等方面。鉴于世界人口绝大多数生活在“全球南方”国家，且这些国家与中国的联系日益紧密，“全球南方”如今已成为中国学发展的主要增长区域等方面。在中国大学就读的外国留学生，更多来自“全球南方”国家，而非美国或欧洲。我们正见证中国学的全球化，以及随之而来的西方在中国学领域影响力的逐步去中心化。西方对华态度在发展中国家虽仍有影响，但已明显减弱，因为“全球南方”国家与中国的互动日益频繁，并因此基于亲身经历、知识积累和独立研究形成了自己的观点，因而越来越少依赖西方媒体的叙事。

The growing importance of social media, and currently the particularly critical technology of artificial intelligence, will have a profound impact on China studies, just as they already have in various fields of knowledge. We are all familiar with the concept of the “global village,” where air travel, smartphones, and instant communication make the world closely connected. In the era of artificial intelligence, we are witnessing the birth of a “knowledge global village.” Today, vast amounts of information are readily available, the research work of experts is undergoing transformation, and universities and research centers are in the early stages of profound change. Distinctive Chinese artificial intelligence technology will play a very important role in this process.

社交媒体日益增长的重要性，以及当前尤为关键的人工智能技术，将对中国学产生深远影响，正如它们已经在各个知识领域所展现的那样。我们都熟悉“地球村”的概念，航空旅行、智能手机和即时通信使世界紧密相连。在人工智能时代，我们正见证“知识地球村”的诞生。如今，海量信息唾手可得，专家的研究工作正在转型，大学和研究中心也正处于深刻变革的初期阶段。具有鲜明特色的中国人工智能技术会在此进程中扮演非常重要的角色。

One of the core difficulties facing China studies lies in the paradigm gap between China and the West—most Western scholars and experts believe that China should be understood through the prism of the West. Ultimately, they attempt to measure China’s performance in various fields by Western standards, based on the degree of China’s “Westernization.” Of course, measured by these standards, China will always “fail.”

中国学面临的一大核心难题在于中西方之间的范式隔阂——多数西方学者和专家认为，应通过西方的棱镜来理解中国。归根结底，他们试图依据西方标准，以中国“西化”的程度来衡量中国在各个领域的表现。当然，以此标准衡量，中国永远“不及格”。中国不是西方，从前不是，也永远不会是。研究的出发点只能是基于中国自身的国情来理解中国，而不是否认中国的特殊性及其深厚的历史与当代差异性。在我看来，这仍然是西方知识界的主流态度，并且仍体现在西方各国政府、政党、媒体和大学的对华态度中。

This point, perhaps more than any other factor, explains the West’s negative view of China — China always “fails” the West’s “test” by not being Western. This attitude is deeply entrenched, a product of the West’s two centuries of global hegemony. The West holds a singular worldview and cannot tolerate difference — every country must follow the Western path. This mentality has already caused serious damage to the West; it means the West does not understand China, and its predictions about China are almost always wrong. The problem facing the West is that, despite their repeated denials, China continues to rise, surpassing the West in one field after another, and is becoming a new bearer of modernity. In short, China is replacing the West. This mode of thinking has left the West culturally and intellectually impoverished; it prevents the West from understanding and learning from the logic, wisdom, values, and achievements of other cultures and civilizations.

这一点，或许比其他任何因素都更能解释西方对中国的负面看法——中国总“通不过”西方的“测试”，认为它不是西方。这种态度根深蒂固，是西方两个多世纪全球霸权地位的产物。西方持有单一的世界观且无法容忍差异——每个国家都必须走西方道路。这种心态已对西方造成严重损害，它意味着西方并不理解中国，其关于中国的预测几乎总是错误的。西方面临的问题是，尽管它们一再否认，但中国持续崛起，在一个又一个领域超越西方，正成为现代性的新承载者。简言之，中国正在取代西方。这种思维方式使西方在文化和智力上陷入贫瘠，它阻碍了西方理解并学习其他文化与文明的逻辑、智慧、价值观及其成就。

As the world seeks to understand China, cooperate with China, and learn from China, China studies is entering an era of great development, and we are only at the beginning of this process. Even at present, China’s splendid history, extraordinary culture, efficient governance system and traditions, and the essence of its foreign policy remain largely underappreciated. The immense thirst for understanding China already exists and will grow even stronger in the future; this is the major challenge facing China studies in the coming decades.

随着世界试图理解中国、与中国合作，并向中国学习，中国学正进入一个大发展的时代，而我们仅仅处于这一进程的开端。即便是在当下，中国辉煌的历史、非凡的文化、高效的管理体系与传统，以及外交政策的本质，在很大程度上仍未被充分理解。了解中国的巨大渴求目前已经存在，在未来将更为强烈，这正是未来数十年中国学所面临的重大挑战。

(The author is a well-known British writer and commentator)

（作者系英国知名作家、评论家）

Online editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧