Western Perspectives on Chinese Civilization - Essay Example

RuningHead: WESTERN PERSPECTIVES ON CHINESE CIVILIZATION Western perspectives on Chinese civilization Name Course Tutor Date Western perspectives on Chinese civilization Introduction China is a large nation in East Asian that is often recognized for its large territory, population and ancient history. Along side Egypt, India and Babylon, China is considered to have one of the most ancient civilizations in the world that can be traced back to four hundred decades in history. Nevertheless, China is the sole ancient civilization that continues to date. (Gernet, 1996). This paper seeks to examine the perspective of the westerners on Chinese civilization. Apparently, for Westerners Chinese civilization epitomizes the “other people of human existence.” Therefore this paper will discuss the ways in which western observers have represented China. Foremost, this paper will highlight key aspect of Chinese civilization thereafter it will examine the ways in which western observers have represented China. Chinese Civilization China is considered as one of the early centers of human civilization and a cradle for human race. Fossils of the first Homo erectus dated to have existed 1.7 million years ago and fossils of the Lantian man date to have existed 750,000 years ago were found in China. China’s civilization is among the few nations such as Maya, Greece and Egypt who are known for inventing writing (China.org, 2001). The first signs of Chinese civilization can be traced back to 7,000 to 8,000 years ago as apparent by the ruins of the Majiapang culture in Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces. Archeological studies show that 5,000 years ago China was in the stage of a patriarchal society with the appearance of small cities and villages. This showed that during these times the population was high and thus people started to venture in agriculture. As a result, early discoveries herbal medicine to cure illnesses took course. Other inventions during this time include the invention of compass by the Yellow Emperor and the discovery of silk worms as a source of garments thus replacing the traditional use of tree leaves and animal skins for clothes. Moreover, The Chi You tribe in the south learned how to make weapons and vessels using copper (Gernet, 1996). Prior to the 15 the century China emerged as one of the most powerful nation in the world. It occupied a leading position in technology and the development of productivity. Ancient China thieved in agriculture due to its advanced systems of irrigation, it also thrived in advanced knowledge in botanicals and traditional medicine. Some of the inventions that can be attributed to China include; gunpowder, compass, paper making and flexible kinds of printing. Additionally, China thrived in silk textiles and ceramics, over time these inventions have made a great impact on the world (China.org, 2001). Western representation of China The perspective of the westerns towards China can be described as a cyclical pattern that fluctuated between negative and positive representations of China as “the other pole of human existence.” A good example of this kind of cycle of Western representations took place between the 13th and 18th centuries. These representations comprise of four key different stages namely; the awe of the early explorers, the admiration and documentation of the Chinese culture by Jesuit missionaries, a philosophical admiration of Confucianism and cynicism over China’s changelessness nature. Apparently, western presentation of China is based on a cyclical pattern that is influenced by factors such as experience, information and expectations. Generally, people from the western world perceive China as “the other pole of human existence.” As they always say, “first impressions form a lasting impression” the first impression of the explorers from the western world built the foundations of China’s representation as “the other.” Prior to the 15 the century China emerged as one of the most powerful and advanced nation in the world. China thrived in areas such as technology, arts, political and social institutionalization (Zheng, 1980). Moreover, China had a fortified military, a high level of cultural advancements and its level of literacy were unmatched to other nations around the world (Mungello, 2009). This came as a surprise to most of the explorers since it was embedded in their minds that Europe was the most superior civilization in the world (Buchan, 2007). The astonishing advancement of the Chinese civilization to the explorers and their lack of understanding on the socio-cultural condition of the Chinese brought about an exaggerated representation of China as a mythical and exotic utopia (Zhang, 1988). The astonishment and the lack of understanding on the part of the explorers concerning the advancement of China created the impression that China was another world, thus the allusion of China as “the other” was created (Spence, 2000). Marco polo was one of the well-known early explorers in China in the 13 the century. Polo accentuated on the differences between Chinese and western civilizations by arguing that China was endowed with numerous resources that could not be compared with those in the west, this in turn rendered China the richest nation in the world (Zheng, 1980). Polo alluded to China’s displays of luxury that had by far surpassed all the splendor of Europe in the thirteenth century. For instance, Polo described that the walls of the place in China were covered with silver and gold and that the designs of the buildings in China were more beautiful and superior than those in Europe (Dawson, 1967). As a result of Polo’s description of China in his travel book to Europeans, the utopian and colorful representation of China became deeply embedded in the minds of people in the western world (Dawson, 1967). China’s state of prosperity was distinct from that of Europe during this time, Europe was struggling with overpopulation in the cities, spread of diseases and the lack of proper sewerage systems. This condition came as a result of growth in population and trade. Despite the fact there was no substantial evidence showing that Polo’s descriptions of China were valid in his travel memoire, “The Travels of Marco Polo” , his travel memoire was widely used in Europe such that it helped to shape the outlook of Europe towards China (Shen & Wu, 1996). The introduction of Chinese products into the European market further helped to build the image of China’s “otherness.” Early explores came to Europe with arrays of unusual Chinese products such as goldfish, objects made from porcelain, wall papers, fans and silk fabrics (Zheng, 1980). The exclusiveness of these items received good reception in Europe, moreover, these items helped to emphasise on China’s exoticness. This further builds the impression that China is a majestic and mysterious dreamland. These items distorted the perception of the west towards China thus China was considered as “the other pole of human existence” (Zheng, 1980). Jesuit missionaries played a crucial role in influencing Western representations of Chinese civilization. Their attempt to understand the Chinese and convert them to Christianity brought about a need for them to have cultural contact with the Chinese (Needham, 1970). In the course of their interactions with the Chinese, Jesuit missionaries produced a number of reading material that depicted their encounters with Chinese civilization. In an effort to gain financial support for their missions in China, Jesuit missionaries disseminated these reading materials throughout Europe (Guy 1990). These reading materials depicted that despite the lack of Christian faith in China, the Chinese people were highly civilized. Furthermore, the reading materials depicted that the Jesuits missionaries admired China for its social organization, order in governance and unique products. The extensive praise of China created a sense of rivalry between the Chinese and western civilization. Despite the differences between China and the west, China was seen as an equal to the Western nations. The example of China was always used as a mirror to the failure of the Western nations (Zhang, 1988). Consequently, China’s status as “the other pole of human existence” became a thorn in the flesh to the West. The 18th century witnessed Europe’s rapid growth and development this in turn exposed the changelessness of the Chinese civilization. As a result of this the positive idealization of China gradually started to fade. China’s status as the world’s most continuing civilization changed instead China was viewed as static nation. China was now being perceived as a nation that is stick in an “eternal stand still” (Dawson, 1967). Furthermore, the perspective of the west concerning the stagnation of China was further extended to the connotation of backwardness and rigid traditions. As a result, China became the target of ridicule on the basis that its civilization lacked uniqueness since it was deemed as a nation that aped European principals of excellence (Spence, 2000). Matteo Ricci was amongst the key founding missionaries in China in the 16th century. Unlike the previous explorers Ricci provided balanced sentiments concerning Chinese civilizations by making comparisons between Chinese and European values. Ricci noted that despite the fact that China did not want to share similar desires with the Western with regards to military prowess and a desire to conquer the world. China had managed to preserve and pass on its legacy to future generations (Dawson, 1967). The interests’ of philosophers’ in China were mainly determined by their personal reformist philosophical goals. As a result, a predisposed perception of China was developed, this view ignored a number of the subtleties of Confucianism were not in line with enlightenment thinking (Mungello, 2009). This was mainly because their understanding of China came from a desire to use China and not to learn more about it. Moreover, the interpretations of the philosophers’ were filled with distortions that helped to riddle Chineses perceptions of with superficialities. These distortions further introduced Western disillusionment with China. Philosophers asserted that China had a model government, which employed Confucianism’s rational values to realise effective morality, without the influence of Christian ideologies (Mungello, 2009). The change in western perception of China in the 18th century also led to the identification of physical characteristics of the Chinese that highlighted their “otherness”. The initial admiration of China by the west rendered China equals to the west such that they were also considered as white. However, following the disintegration of their reputation, the west now considered the Chinese people as yellow (Mungello, 2009). To add insult to the injury, some scholars in the west began to embark on studies that examined the conic nature of Chinese head-shapes, the head shapes of the Chinese were classified as homo-monstrous instead of homo-sapiens, a classification for the westerners (Spence, 1990). The cycle of westerner’s representation of the Chinese was thus complete with contempt and disillusionment. Conclusion China is considered to have one of the most ancient civilizations in the world that can be traced back to four hundred decades in history. China is also regarded as one of the early centers of human civilization and a cradle for human race. In the 14th century emerged as one of the most powerful nation in the world. It occupied a leading position in technology and the development of productivity. It thrived in advanced knowledge in botanicals, traditional medicine and inventions such as gunpowder, silk textiles, ceramics, compass, paper making and flexible kinds of printing. (China.org, 2001). However, Westerners regarded Chinese civilization as the “other pole of human existence.”The perspective of the westerns towards China can be described as a cyclical pattern that incorporated both negative and positive representations of China as “the other pole of human existence.” A good example of this kind of cycle of Western representations took place between the 13th and 18th centuries. These representations are based on four different stages namely; the awe of the early explorers, the admiration and documentation of the Chinese culture by Jesuit missionaries, a philosophical admiration of Confucianism and cynicism over China’s changelessness nature. By examining westerner’s representation of the Chinese, it is evident that their perspectives are influenced by western experiences, information and expectations. These are the main reasons why China is considered as the “other” and not because of the fact that there are major differences between the Chinese and the westerners. In reality westerners consider China as a rival civilization in which China acts as a mirror that west can use to evaluate itself. References Buchan, B.(2007). ‘Europe’s Asia: Empire, Difference and the Moral Geography of European Political Thought’. Paper presented at the Australasian Political Studies Association Conference, Monash University, September 24, 2007. China.org. (2001). Formation of the Chinese Civilization. Retrieved on May 4, 2010 from Dawson, R. (1967).The Chinese Chameleon: An Analysis of European Conceptions of Chinese Civilization. UK: Oxford University Press. Gernet, J. (1996). A history of Chinese civilization. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Guy, B. (1990). ‘Ad majorem Societatis gloriam: Jesuit Perspectives on Chinese Mores in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. In Rousseau, G. & Porter, R. (eds), Exoticism in the Enlightenment. Manchester, Manchester University Press. Mungello, D. (2009). The Great Encounter of China and the West, 1500-1800. 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