Lecture by Prof. Wang Ning on the Image of China and Chinese people in Western Eyes
On December 6, 2017, the School of Foreign Languages and Literature of Shenzhen University welcomed Professor Wang Ning, a Changjiang Scholar Distinguished Professor in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, Tsinghua University Academic Committee, to give an academic lecture that was both exciting and inspiring: the image of China and Chinese people in the eyes of the West: historical evolution and current situation in the office building, Room 628.
During the lecture, Prof. Wang Ning created a pleasant atmosphere with light and humorous words. The lecture mainly focused on the national image. Prime Minister, Prof. Wang Ning told us that in a global context, constructing a national image in all aspects is undoubtedly an important research topic. Our task is to present China's national image to the world and tell the Chinese story, but there are many misconceptions about China and Chinese people in the world, dominated by the Western mainstream media. Professor Wang Ning then argued that we should also understand the national image of China as it has been constructed by others, so that we can reconstruct it accordingly. Then Prof. Wang Ning referred to Western "Orientalism" and "Sinological Criticism", which, despite the fact that Eastern cultures are far more different from each other than Western cultures, the Eastern peoples are still generally described as "oriental" and "Chinese", which is obviously extremely unfair. Finally, Professor Wang Ning listed and commented on several assertions about China's development in the Western world and explained the evolution of the image of China in the eyes of Westerners.
With his rich life experience and profound academic research, Professor Wang Ning enlightened the teachers and students, and made us think about how to tell the story of China in a new way. (Written by Jin Ke)
