The Original Mission of Culture
By Yu Qiuyu
Trans. by Liu Xiangyang (刘向阳)
Cultural communities around the world may feel estranged towards each other or they may interact with each other, depending on whether or not they maintain a strong presence in one another’s cultural locale. Buddhist scriptures may seem to have driven Xuan Zang’s odyssey to India, but what turned out more important is that he established a powerful presence in a crucial cultural locale – the origin of Buddhism. Such inalienable links with its place of birth, therefore, become part of the entire scripture text.
The eighteenth century saw the first ever large-scale encounter between Chinese and European civilizations. At the time, they didn’t understand each other well, but in comparison, Europe had the advantage of being present in China’s cultural locale earlier and in a more proactive way, evidenced in the correspondences by French Jesuit missionaries or the diaries by George Macartney, first British emissary to China. As a result, European civilization fared well in subsequent conflicts. On the contrary, hearsay had long been a source of information for China to learn about Europe. Small wonder that the Chinese, led by their risible assumptions, jumped into negotiations and played into the hands of the other party, while being made a laughingstock.
We have yet to see a really influential intellectual, in both East and West, who doesn’t go out of his way and brave fatigue and hardships to champion peace and friendship of humankind. Amid a complexity of world affairs, intellectuals use forums and podiums to build conceived harmony; with our minds becoming increasingly unsettled, they seek to soothe the restless and agitated society with their books and lectures.
Contentions among intellectuals are not rare, for sure, but they eventually boil down to the question of finding the more effective approach to building a stable and harmonious society. Even in the 21st century, this still rings true among the supreme of our cultures.
I can remember that when World War II drew to an end, in some severely devastated, debris-littered European cities, concerts were already staged in music halls in dire need of renovation, attracting distressed and displaced people in tatters. The sacred and pure music lifted their spirits. They walked out reinvigorated, not the fatigued, wretched people they used to be. Europe took heart from these people when it managed to get back to its feet steadily. This is unforgettable for me, as it shows once again how cultures, in the wake of a war, delivered on its original mission.
Cultures are on an eternal quest to seek and pray for a world free of harm. In case any harm is unfortunately done, cultures take the initiative to redress it. Even after the world is rehabilitated, cultures commit themselves to follow-up visits, coping with the aftermath, and preventing reoccurrence of it.