Chinese and Western Cultures：Differences and similarities as perceived by a Qing Dynasty Diplomat and a Republican Era Scholar and Compared to a 21st Century Perspective

THØGERSEN
Carsten Boyer, University of Copenhagen

To comment on and analyse the cultural differences between China and the West has always been a favourite topic by scholars in both cultures. Cultural diversity is a fact and often a challenge. But it usually comes together with cultural exchanges which enable people to comprehend the similarities between cultures as well, eventually to enrich all cultures.

In order to understand cultural differences – in particular cultural similarities – one will

need an intimate knowledge of both cultures. Over the past 150 years, not many Chinese scholars with an intimate knowledge about Western culture have attempted to introduce Chinese culture to Western people. Few Chinese scholars born, raised and educated in China, followed by an extended stay in the West, acquiring an intimate knowledge of Western culture through work and study, have used such a background and experience to introduce Chinese culture to Western people by writing in a Western language.

One of them is Chen Jitong, 陈季同, (1851-1907), China’s military attaché in Paris in the 1880s. Chen wrote the book Les Chinois Peints par eux-mêmes, 陈季同par Tcheng Ji Tong, Paris 1884. (The Chinese painted by themselves, translated from the French by James Millington, London, 1885. 陈季同, 中国人自画像). Another one is the scholar Lin Yutang, 林语堂, (1895-1976), in particular his books My Country and My People吾国与吾民 (1935) and The Importance of Living 生活的艺术 (1937).

For obvious reasons, the diplomat writing his book in 1884 and the scholar writing his books in 1930s are not influenced by Chinese and Western cultural exchanges and views over the past 70 years. It is surprising that these two books, read today, seem very modern. Many of the observations made by Chen Jitong and Lin Yutang are also valid today.

With reference to the above mentioned three books the paper and intervention will discuss long term differences and similarities between Chinese and Western Cultures.

中西文化：一位清朝外交官和一位民国学者眼中的异同及其与21世纪视角之比较

曹伯义
丹麦哥本哈根大学

中西方在文化上的差异是两种文化中的学者特别喜欢评论与分析的话题。文化多样性不仅是一个事实，而且也常常是一种挑战。但是，通常情况下它也伴随着文化交流，而这种交流又使得人们可以理解文化间的相似性，并最终会丰富所有的文化。

为了理解文化的异与同，人们需要对两种文化有详尽的了解。在过去的150多年里，通晓西方文化、并想将中国文化介绍给西方人的中国学者并不是很多。有一些在中国出生、长大和受教育的中国学者，后来旅居西方，并通过工作和学习而熟谙西方文化；但是，其中很少有人利用这种背景和经历，通过用西语写作来向西方人介绍中国文化。

陈季同（1851-1907）是一个例外，他在1880年代曾任中国驻巴黎军事参赞，并用法文撰写了《中国人自画像》（巴黎，1884）一书，后由詹姆斯·米林顿译为英文（伦敦，1885）。另一位学者是林语堂（1895-1976），这里特别应该提到他的《吾国与吾民》（1935）和《生活的艺术》（1937）。

显而易见，过去70多年里，陈季同出版于1884年的作品和林语堂1930年代的写作并未受到中西文化交流及观念的影响。我们惊奇地发现他们的著作在今天读起来仍很现代，他们的许多见解在今天也依然适用。借助上述三部作品，本文将着重讨论中西文化一直以来的差异与类同。