On October 18th, 2023, in Beijing, the topic of cultural exchange and integration was underscored in an interview with renowned Russian Sinologist and Professor Sorenin from the School of Chinese Studies at Renmin University.
Cultural exchange and fusion are timeless subjects woven throughout human civilization, serving as keys to unlocking our shared future. Professor Sorenin emphasizes that exchange sustains culture while fusion fosters its growth, resulting in a tapestry of human civilization that propels us towards a collective destiny. During the Second Tongzhou Global Development Forum, we discussed these concepts in depth.
**Reporter:** How do different cultures communicate, and what insights about cultural integration can be gleaned from language?
**Sorenin:** Culture can be seen as a shared set of social behaviors recognized and passed down by a group over generations. The term “culture” derives from the Latin word “cultura,” which encompasses concepts such as cultivation and growth. This inherent duality of “natural vs. artificial” suggests that all peoples who engage in the alteration of their surrounding world possess culture.
By examining various cultural phenomena and languages, we can conclude that culture does not exist in a binary state of “being” or “not being,” but rather in a context adapted to specific historical circumstances. So-called “culture shock,” arising from a transition from one cultural environment to another, often reflects a lack of familiarity rather than an insurmountable barrier to comprehending differing cultures.
Language acts as a primary vehicle of culture, comprising various language families. Despite differences in syntax and morphology, all languages share basic structures such as subjects, verbs, and objects. This shared linguistic capacity enables humans to learn foreign languages and facilitate communication. Thus, the exchange of language is pivotal for cultural interactions.
In linguistic studies, phenomena such as “loanwords” and the adoption of foreign grammatical structures highlight this exchange. For example, many French loanwords in English stemmed from the Norman Conquest, allowing European cultural influences to permeate British society. Similarly, many Russian loanwords emerged from cultural interactions across the Eurasian continent.
In ancient Chinese, certain terms related to horse culture appear to originate from Indo-European languages. This illustrates how language phenomena can unveil subtle traces of cultural fusion.
**Reporter:** What are the conditions necessary for a culture’s survival?
**Sorenin:** The history of humanity is essentially a history of exchange. No culture has developed independently or thrived without interaction. Communication is essential for a culture’s survival. The Buddhist concept of “成住坏空” (the cycle of existence) reflects that cultures, like all things, undergo processes of birth and decay. However, through interaction, the legacies of cultures do not vanish but rather continue to evolve.
Take the example of the “Twelve Lunar Mansions” from ancient Sumerian civilization; through cultural interactions with Greece and Persia, this legacy spread across Eurasia to reach countries like India and China, long after Sumer had faded. Likewise, even though the Roman Empire has fallen, many of its outposts evolved into cities, and its official language, Latin, became the foundation for several European languages. Many scholarly works were authored in Latin, serving as a common cultural root across Europe—illustrating the necessity of cultural exchanges.
**Reporter:** How can a culture effectively advance?
**Sorenin:** For instance, Xixia culture did not persist as seen today due to various factors, yet it encompasses artifacts and writings that stem from cross-cultural dialogues. Most Xixia cultural heritage is tied to written records, originating from a fusion between its own creations, Central Plains culture, and Tibetan influences. This indicates that Xixia culture reflects the merging of diverse traditions and constitutes a key component of the Chinese cultural fabric.
This illustrates that in the course of cultural integration, forms that initially develop in one region can enrich other cultures. Consequently, while retaining distinctive characteristics, they also introduce new cultural elements. The creation of Xixia culture highlights that cultural exchange primarily involves a fusion that enhances the diversity of different regional cultures, thus facilitating cultural progression.
**Reporter:** In light of current transformations, how should we view the exchanges and integrations between different cultures?
**Sorenin:** Human diversity stems from continual exchanges and integrations among cultures. Our origins and historical cultural evolutions are shared, leading to a common future. Hence, engaging in cultural exchange and integration is not merely about learning from one another; it is about crafting a shared destiny.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, scholars often represented the progression of human history and language using tree diagrams. From this perspective, humanity resembles a tree with shared roots, although individual branches and leaves exhibit distinct shapes. While societies may differ, they possess commonalities, much like a tree with various branches that still reflects a unified form. The “tree diagram” of human history is composed of diverse factors but has a shared growth trajectory. People who share a common origin are destined to create a future together, as was true in the past and remains true going forward; this requires collective endeavor.
**About the Interviewee:**
Professor Sorenin received his doctorate from Saint Petersburg State University in Russia and has taught at various institutions, including Saint Petersburg University, Fu Jen Catholic University, and Fo Guang University in Taiwan. He has served as a visiting researcher at the Institute for Advanced Study in the United States since 2010 and is currently a professor and doctoral supervisor at Renmin University’s Institute of Historical Linguistics and Languages of the Western Regions. His research interests include Xixia studies, religious history, linguistics, and literature. He has published numerous articles in top-tier journals and authored several books, including “Research on Chinese Buddhist Texts from the Xixia,” co-authored “Santideva’s Bodhicarayavatara in Tangut Translation.”
