Global China Insights ISSUE 4 January 2015 COLOFON Deciphering the Myths about China Published by: Groningen Confucius Institute Advisory Board Members: Dick Cavett: You had quite a trip. Can you, uh, tell us, uh, what was China like? Su Zhiwu (苏志武) Forrest Gump: Well, in the land of China, people hardly got nothing at all. Hu Zhengrong (胡正荣) John Lennon: No possessions? Pang Zengyu (逄增玉) Forrest Gump: And in China, they never go to church. Ruud Vreeman John Lennon: No religion, too? Hendrik Jan Pijlman From the 1994 film Forrest Gump Sibrandes Poppema WENTY YEARS AGO, the Hollywood blockbuster Forrest Gump’s memorable dialogue had Co-publishers: Liu Jingyi (刘婧一), struck a chord with many Chinese people about the West’s perception of China. The words of Xuefei Knoester-Cao (曹雪飞), the somewhat mentally-challenged character Forrest Gump resonated with many superficial Jan Klerken Tideas held by some Westerners. Gump’s description of China indeed surprised and also impressed many Editor-in-Chief: Liu Jingyi (刘婧一) Chinese students in the late 1990s. It reflected a humorous but uneasy commentary on China, the Senior Editor: John Goodyear communist country, easily associated with a ‘myth’ created and perpetuated by Western media. Editors: Ingrid Fischer, Sylvie Poirier Editorial Assistants: Hao Cui (郝翠), Ding Xiyuan (丁喜媛), “The media are disseminating perceptions about China that the general public assumes to be true. Xu Wenjia (续文嘉), Xiao Yingying (肖盈盈), Guo Xin (郭新) Which of these are just that – myths – and which are indeed reflections of reality?” These were the Editorial Office Manager: Jasna Ros stimulating opening questions of a panel session at the 10th Horasis Global China Business Meeting, Designer: Nynke Kuipers Grafisch Ontwerp BNO (Kuenst) which took place on 13-14 October 2014 in Italy. In my capacity as Editor-in-Chief of Global Layout: Zheng Jing (郑晶) China Insights, I was invited and honored to chair this particular session titled Deciphering Myths Photographers: Xu Shun (徐顺), Wang Shu (王舒), about China. Amazingly, each panelist approached the topic from a very different perspective and Jelte Oosterhuis and others understanding that ensured a lively discussion on a variety of points. The five panelists, business elites Printer: Zalsman Groningen Media from Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Australia and China all had their unique story and insights to Editorial Office Address: Oude Boteringestraat 42 share. Yet they agreed on one point: there is a certain gap between what is depicted about China in the 9712 GL Groningen, The Netherlands Western media and what they themselves have observed and experienced in the country. Tel: +31 (0)50 - 36 34 688 Email: [email protected] This naturally prompted the participants to raise key questions: why does the gap exist and how to fill Editorial Email: [email protected] this void between media reporting and the reality in an attempt to better understand China? These Advertising Email: [email protected] are persistently relevant questions in my mind. Disregarding fake content or distorted media reports Subscription Email: [email protected] (another important discussion topic in its own right) and presenting objective news remains a major Website: www.confuciusgroningen.nl challenge. Even when the media strive for objectivity, subjectivity is unavoidable—from the decision about what event to cover to choosing the angle from which to tell the story. Besides, news media Available at: reporting on the latest news and events cannot alone feed people’s need and interest in understanding The Netherlands: a foreign culture. Assigning newsworthiness to more typical and common aspects of Chinese life may Groningen Confucius Institute also contribute to this purpose. Municipality of Groningen Germany: The ever-increasing worldwide curiosity to understand China definitely encourages us at Global China City of Oldenburg, China Office Insights to continue our unceasing efforts to offer a balanced coverage in sharing knowledge and Academy of English, The China Room revealing typical, up-to-date and multidimensional facets of China, hopefully to help close the gap and China: understand the real China. Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban) Communication University of China Digital version available at www.confuciusgroningen.nl www.hanban.org Liu Jingyi Editor-in-Chief © Wang Shu 2 3 CHINESE WISDOM CHINESE WISDOM | EDITOR: INGRID FISCHER Confucianism and Buddhism: The Most Tolerant World Views It is generally agreed that religion strongly promotes social cohesion. But, Jan B.F.N. Engberts from a historical viewpoint, it looks unavoidable that religion can lead to human conflict, discord and intolerance between different groups and tribes with different religious traditions, particularly during times of hardship. The recently published book Religion, Intolerance, and Conflict (Clarke et al., 2013) contains a thorough scientific and conceptual investigation of the no human-like figures or objects are relations between religion, intolerance and conflict. One of the main findings used to represent these concepts. is that a lack of tolerance for other beliefs, other cultures and other social - Spirit Finitude. The supreme © Xinhua groups is the key factor that causes conflict between the different religions. supernatural beings can be person-like The White House Temple, Luoyang, Henan Province but do not possess omnipotence and omniscience nor are any all-loving, all- good. Also there is no punitive, creator - Respects for rituals, customs, good and the first Buddhist temple 白马寺( , the in a beautiful way (Engberts, 2010): Let us first look what tolerance means. A extensive investigation of religious God. manners (礼); White Horse Temple) was built by Emperor good, but rather academic, definition of beliefs over a long historic period, that - Honesty, justice, righteousness (义); Ming of the Eastern Han Dynasty (东汉 古 塔 曙 光 新. tolerance has been provided by Andrew Confucianism (at present about 1.5 billion Confucianism and Buddhism are perhaps - Discernment (keen insight) and 25-220) in 68 AD close to the capital Gŭtă shŭguāng xīn Cohen (2004): “An act of tolerance is an followers) and Chinese Buddhism (about not religions as defined in the Abrahamic phronesis (智, practical wisdom). Luoyang (洛阳). Many Buddhist scriptures agent’s intentional and principled refraining 400 million followers) are more tolerant, cultures. Confucianism originated in a were translated into Chinese, and, Literally, it means: (Standing on) the from interfering with an opposed other less conflict prone and less warlike than largely agricultural society and developed These ethical qualities are the basis particularly after the arrival of the monk ancient pagoda, (you can feel) the first concept or activity (or their behaviour, the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, a deep feeling and worship for nature. of Confucian morality and involve the Bodhidharma (菩提达摩) from India in the light of dawn is brand new. We have etc.) in situations of diversity, where the Christianity and Islam). This conclusion The natural forces are often expressed as assumption that all people have the same fifth century AD, there was a remarkable reformulated that into the following English agent believes that she or he has the power applies particularly to China and perhaps heaven (天, the structure of the universe) or good human nature, which automatically growth of Chinese Buddhism, also in interpretation1: to interfere”. In other words, tolerance is less to Japan and some other neighbouring the mandate of heaven (天命), and followers leads to considerable tolerance in dealing the surrounding countries. The new when you are in a situation that you do not countries. of Confucianism often lead an impersonal with other people. Buddhist world view had a tremendous My permanent home is in like, or that is not your favourite one, but lifestyle which is based on a natural influence on the entire Chinese culture, the ancient pagoda, you do not take action and just let it happen, Daoism and the Chinese folk religions teleology. The gentle human being of high Buddhism was first introduced in China in including philosophy, poetry, painting where every puff of existence in cases where you have the possibility to can be placed in the same category as morality (君子), educated by extensive the first century BC and was well received. and architecture. Different schools were is tenderly renewed at dawn change a situation. Of course, everybody has Confucianism and Buddhism. All four studies of the sage kings, is the ideal person Shakyamuni (释迦牟尼), the later Buddha, developed, the most popular being the in the glorious sunshine. to make their own choice how far his or her traditions have different customs and to govern the country. Following Dao (道), saw the human beings go through an Chang Pure Land (净土宗), now better known tolerance can be extended. beliefs, but share the following features the way of heaven, is a moral law in which endless series of lives, better and worse, as Zen (禅宗). In the year 500 AD, there We can see in this poem the Buddhist which are essential for their religious morality involves one’s personal choice to depending on their karma and constantly were about 80,000 Buddhist temples in withdrawal into a monastery to seek Although there is a clear link between tolerance and larger respect for other world live and behave according to the following suffering because of their attachment to China. enlightenment of the mind and the idea that religion, intolerance and conflict as views (Flanagan, 2013): major virtues: everything around them. The Buddha taught no beings and phenomena have an intrinsic exemplified in the book mentioned above, people how to reach liberation from the A poem written on a wall by a Chinese existence but are in a process of continuous there are religions and world views that - Impersonality. The supreme concepts, - Humaneness, benevolence, reciprocity cycle of sufferings and how to realise the monk found in the Big Wild Goose Pagoda exhibit remarkably tolerant behaviour.