Julius Vaitkevicius:Can Lithuania understand China: possibilities for cultural dialogue
http://www.newdu.com 2024/07/19 04:07:51 中国社会科学网 Julius Vaitkevicius 参加讨论
 Julius Vaitkevicius 【作者简介】 I am from Lithuania, Kaunas city. We, Lithuanians, speak one of most archaic but still living Indo-European languages - Lithuanian. I attained my master's degree in Chinese Philosophy back in 2006 in Nanjing University. My PhD thesis was on comparative philosophy and the concept of qi（气）in Ancient Chinese thought. My research focus is on the understanding of self-improvement in Classical Chinese Thought and how this can be applied in present day life. Can Lithuania understand China: possibilities for cultural dialogue In this speech, the researcher discusses the possibilities of a deeper cultural dialogue between Lithuania and China. The author divides his report into the main three parts. In the first part, he gives a concise summary of the main features of Lithuanian identity - its culture, history, and language. In the second part, the researcher discusses how Lithuanians, in general, see China and Chinese people. He thinks that there are at least three different tendencies or Lithuanian perspectives of China: the "negative" or Euro-Lithuanian-centric, the "neutral" or ignorant and the "positive" or enthusiastic one. All these perspectives and attitudes shape how they - Lithuanians – see and understand or misunderstand China and its culture. In the third part, the author explores the possibilities and ways of communication between Lithuania and China. He discusses the elements of Chinese culture that often have a strong appeal to certain Lithuanian people and finally attempts to answer the question what Lithuanian culture could learn from the Chinese one. He also mentions the possible challenges that create obstacles for such mutual communication and understanding. All these topics the researcher discusses within the framework of a practical philosophy of life. (责任编辑：admin) |