Lessons from the 'China in the Eyes of Sinologists - A Cultural Tour in Sichuan'

IOL News

10-07-2025

A vendor hangs a red lantern at her shop which sells Chinese New Year decorations in Zitong county, Sichuan Province.
Image: File / Independent Newspapers
A Cross-Cultural Communication Perspective
Sinology is a fortunate study of China by foreigners. One would then ask why use the word fortunate in reference to a study to a given culture, language, historical trajectory, and daily practices through times including contemporary habits?
The answer ought to be very simple and it is set between two temporalities. One, Chinese culture is the oldest continuous living culture among all civilisations. Secondly, China has managed to hold its ground and to keep a constant existence among an array of morphing civilisations over time. Despite, local, regional and global raptures and conveniences China has historically managed to maintain a traditional, linguistic, and bureaucratic, golden thread that traces back to ancient times through dynasties to contemporary era.
In contemporary times, China has prevailed through its reform and opening up era despite an array of doomsday prophecies. Since then China has managed to navigate difficulties that deliberately aimed to circumvent its developmental path. In the last five decades of rapid development China has managed to impress both friends and foes. The developmental trajectory and unity of China, although at times diverse and eclectic in accordance with the global dynamics it has managed to follow its own unique organic style. It has followed a recognisable path that is guided through cultural nuances and adherence to ancient adages, idioms, proverbs, maxims and customs that have come to reflect constants and postulates of the traditional Chinese philosophy and cultural realm such as in 'moderation', (中庸) zhongyong, 'correct name', (正名) zhengming and 'filial piety' (孝) xiao, just to mention a few.
It was through such a fortunate position of a Sinologist and an understanding of China's historical and cultural trajectory that one traversed the entire process of the 18th Special Book Award of China ceremony. Little did I know that the events immediately post the 18th Special Book Award of China ceremony held answers to the long held questions regarding cross-cultural communication strategies framework befitting 'partnership of equals' in the new era.
As a practising sinologist one runs a risk to either rely on clichés that tend to claim standard never changing traditional postulates. On the other hand one also runs a risk of interpreting traditional Chinese philosophy and culture within the prism of the First World War dichotomies or prophecies of the ;'End of History-the Last man Standing ' neo-liberal hubris.
Thanks to my decades old research one has learned to listen and read China within its own rights. As an auto-ethnographic researcher, the motto is; write what you see, be ready to listen and delve deeper into issues that really matter to the Chinese society like one would if researching any other society. Such a realisation compels one to realise dangers of research that is only informed by secondary sources and exclusivity.
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A realisation that China ought to be lived and researched within its own historical trajectories and efforts to relate with the rest of the world brings forth new perspectives. Perspectives that will help establish a novel cross-cultural communication strategies framework suitable to the notion of partnership of equals between China and the world. One possible solution to the archaic master-servant version of cross-cultural communication strategies is that informed by the concept of reciprocal forms of engagements. An inquiry to a cross-communication strategies theoretical framework itself stems from an inquiry as to what cross-cultural or cross-civilisation communication strategies ought to be applied in the new dispensation the notion of partnership of equals where south-south nations are at the helm of world governance.
What ought to be the new cross-civilisation communication strategy that helps reflect a new era born of prevalent relations among partnership of equals? Such an inquiry reflects an inquiry and a quest for those who aim to research and understand China as a civilisation, a people, a culture, and a language that helps with identity formations that informs the entirety of the Chinese people and practices there within.
The 18th Special Book Award of China ceremony manifested as recognition of my past and present efforts to understand Chinese culture, traditions and language in order to be able to tell and write a 'China Good Story' and a 'China-Africa Good Story'. Consequently, the 'China in the Eyes of Sinologists – A Cultural Tour in Sichuan' opened a new door, for a long-tern future research and engagements with China.
China in the Eyes of Sinologists - A Cultural Tour in Sichuan
The type of hospitality afforded to a group of Sinologists Sichuan government officials, conservationists, cultural workers and authors laid threadbare a possible framework for a cross-cultural communications strategies befitting partnership of equals. A group of 15 Sinologists consisting of writers, translators and publishers represented 8 countries including the United States, France, Egypt, Tunisia, Poland, South Africa, and Spain. Despite cultural differences among visiting Sinologists, Chinese hospitality cemented a cultural and scholarly bond among visiting Sinologists. They all spoke different languages, but Mandarin Chinese bound them into one collective, despite their different perspectives and approach to researching China, they all had one quest; that of telling a China Good Story.
As Sinologists along with local cultural personages, environmental and conservation specialist and Sichuan authors visited the Red Army Long March Memorial Hall and Zhuo Keji Tusi Official Village in Maerkang City to enjoy the history and culture of Sichuan Tibetan areas. The visit went through the Mount Siguniang Geological Museum and Outdoor Museum, including developmental history and mountain culture of Mount Siguniang Geopark. The visiting group also got an opportunity to understand the unique elements of the Jiarong Tibetans; and the splendour of unique conservation efforts at the Wolong Shenshuping Panda Base, the biggest one in the world.
It suddenly dawned on me that a possible the only way to be worthy of hospitality being afforded to us during our visit was to reciprocate the kindness, understanding and diligence from our hosts. Reciprocity and reciprocal practices took a centre-place in my quest to come up with an efficient and functional cross-cultural communication strategy framework. A framework that is suitable for cross-cultural communications between China and south-south cooperation nations and rest of the world. That is, reciprocity irrespective of local, regional or global power, irrespective of economic prowess, irrespective of cultural differences and standing in the geopolitical space.
During the Sichuan Cultural Tour one came to regard reciprocity as a foundation to practice of mutual-interests, mutual understanding and mutual respect. Reciprocity stands as a foundation of all concepts that aim towards harmonious communication and understanding among nations. My observations during the Sichuan Cultural Tour revealed that cross-cultural communication of partnership of equals may gain traction and long lived through an understanding and practices of reciprocity. The argument is also supported by final impressions and takeaways from the Sichuan Tour that began in Chengdu into Maerkang City and Mount Siguniang in the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture stricken by awe of the development and changes of China in the new era.
Impressions and Takeaways from the Sichuan Cultural Tour
The unique impressions and takeaways from the Sichuan Cultural Tour will forever influence my work from now onward. These impressions and takeaways stand to encourage me to further deepen my study of Chinese Culture, Identities and Ideology.
The experiences of harmonious living among the multi-ethnic citizens of Sichuan, a convergence of diversities towards a united and unique Chinese culture have left an indelible mark in my understanding of Chinese culture. Conservation efforts and model of global standards in Mount Siguniang and Wolong Shenshuping Panda Base became evidence to harmonious co-existence between humans and nature. Last but not least, generosities afforded by Sichuan authors through discussions of their works, diligence shown by nature specialists and by the guiding team, together form a platform and a window toward a deeper and better understanding of China and its culture.
In conclusion, a journey that began with the 18th Special Book Award of China has given me a spiritual sense of accomplishment as a researcher and a Sinologist. The second leg of the journey that took me across several areas and mountain cities of Sichuan has opened a new door for further reading and learning of China within its own rights and historical trajectories.
Seeing and listening first-hand to sounds of Maerkang, Siguniashan and the Wolong Panda Conservation Base has put back my faith in humanity. These lessons learned are not forgotten but are passed forward to other worlds. South Africa through my telling of a 'China in the Eyes of Sinologists - A Cultural Tour in Sichuan' has become richer. These first hand experiences, impressions and takeaways from Sichuan Cultural Tour will contribute in a better understanding of China and serve as a Good China Story among the people of South Africa.
I would finally like to extend my warmest gratitude to the organising committees and guiding teams. To my Sinology colleagues, I would like to say, 'let the wave of reciprocity ride until we meet again'. Until we meet with more and better stories and books on China, about China and the world framed within the notion and practices of reciprocity along principles of the Global Civilisation Initiative and Building a Community of a Shared Future for Humankind.
* Professor Paul Zilungisele Tembe, Founder and Director of SELE Encounters.
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.