Commentary: Politicalization of China's cultural exchange unwise, unavailing

3gzylon 2015-02-24

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By Zhu Dongyang (Xinhua) 14:36, February 18, 2015

BEIJING, Feb. 18 -- Tempting news for overseas Chinese and those fancying the Chinese culture: they will enjoy tantalizing art performances of traditional Chinese culture during the upcoming Spring Festival.

More than 300 artists from nine art troupes, invited by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of China's State Council, are ready to charm the audiences of 13 countries this month on five continents with 36 performances, including the well-known Peking Opera, titling "Cultures of China, Festival of Spring."

The series of shows have been launched since 2009 to share Chinese people's festive mood with other peoples every year.

Nevertheless, not all such interactive cultural activities have been received with sufficient goodwill, as some elements in some Western countries always make a fuss about even the most normal exchanges between China and the West.

As in the case of the Beijing-funded Confucius Institute, the academic body has recently been regarded as a burr under the saddle of a handful of Western politicians who held grudges against it, claiming it would be used as the Chinese government's tool to export values.

The ill-intended Western politicians and media, harboring a Cold War mentality and cultural arrogance, have since the beginning prejudiced China's cultural dialogue with their nations.

With such a shallow thinking, China has been smeared even as a dragon coveting to devour the Western value system.

There is no denial that Beijing has been promoting China's splendid culture in foreign countries as part of its charm offensive and soft power project.

That, however, should be encouraged by these governments, considering China has spared no efforts in enhancing civilization dialogue with the West so as to advance inter-cultural understanding and reduce inter-state frictions.

Baleful blocking of such efforts, therefore, could be interpreted as nothing but contemptible cowardice preoccupied with worries of being overshadowed someday.

In contrast with such a logic, China has greenlighted the import of the best part of Western culture, including Hollywood movies, a more worthy act of cultural inclusiveness to integrate into the world.

As such, it cannot be more unwise for some Western politicians to hinder China's cultural exchanges with other countries, even with the knowledge that their attempts are doomed to fail.

The world is ready to embrace China, a country aspiring to play a more constructive role in the current international order with its positive strength.

Any attempt to politicalize cultural exchanges will lead to a situation where there is no winner in the increasingly close communication between various civilizations.

(For the latest China news, Please follow People's Daily on Twitter and Facebook)(Editor:Du Mingming,Bianji)