Five foreign students who studied at Liaocheng University, Shandong Province were costumed, preparing to learn the Yu Opera on Oct.25, 2013.

 

The introduction of traditional Chinese culture to the outside world is a process that has been going on for centuries. Traditional culture is rich and varied. This article aims to illustrate the current status of globalization of traditional Chinese culture in four aspects.

 

Four Chinese Classics
In the Eastern world, the four Chinese classics, The Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Journey to the West in particular, are highly popular in Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia. The compelling stories of heroic characters are what make these two books so popular. This reflects tastes and cultural needs that are common to the whole world.
 

Research has shown that in the process of adapting to the cultures of foreign countries, each of the four Chinese classics differs in the way that it is accepted due to diversified aesthetic tastes of different groups of readers. Such difference can be found in how the works are reshaped and adapted to best resonate with local readers. Actually, achieving acceptance and popularity in the receptive countries is the common challenge faced by carriers of traditional Chinese culture in cross-cultural transmission.

In their research, scholars hold that the key is to adopt deep language transformation and marketing methods to represent the core meaning in the target language. In this way, the transformed book will be integrated into the daily life of its readers. This is the breakthrough we should make.

 

Confucian culture
Chinese Confucian culture was introduced to Southeast Asia more than 2,000 years ago. During this period, it integrated with Buddhism, Islam and Western culture, thus forming the multicultural system of the region.

As a result, many foreigners began to pay attention to Chinese culture and thought. Chinese and foreign culture integrated with each other in cultural exchanges. Overseas Chinese played a big part in the vibrant development of the Confucian culture in Southeast Asia.
 

Furthermore, missionaries and scholars made their countries accessible to the Confucian culture and took Confucian classics back to their countries. The books then become the textbooks in local universities and gained more popularity.

At present, international Chinese universities and many overseas Confucius Institutes focus on teaching and experiencing traditional Confucian culture, allowing more foreigners to fully experience and understand the meaning of Chinese Confucian culture.

 

Folk belief
When it comes to folk belief, China’s worship of Guan Yu, the deified legendary general, and Mazu, the goddess of the sea, also has had a great impact abroad, which followed a pattern similar to the propagation of Confucianism. Overseas Chinese spread the worship of these folk deities throughout the course of trade and cultural exchanges between the countries.

The worship of Mazu, which originated as a folk belief in Fujian Province, comes from the fear of the sea. People living at the seaside began to worship her, and then the belief spread overseas. These folk beliefs contain the characteristics of Chinese culture, such as tolerance, fraternity, solidarity and the value of human life.
 

Overseas Chinese brought faith in Guan Yu to the rest of the world. Though ordinary Chinese believe in Guan Yu for different purposes, Guan’s loyalty, the value he had for friendship and his spirit of justice are all celebrated by the Chinese people. Guan Yu worship also represents the cohesion and solidarity of overseas Chinese.

 

Martial arts, tea, opera
Currently, popular traditional Chinese culture includes Chinese martial arts, tea and opera. Attention has been drawn to physical fitness. Martial arts represent Chinese perseverance and heroism. In addition, China is the home of tea and tea culture. The connotations of tea culture are abundant. Today, most foreign friends who like Chinese culture are interested in tea culture. They also understand China through Chinese food. It enables them to be closer to traditional Chinese culture.
 

With the development of international education and the establishment of Chinese Confucius Institutes, traditional Chinese culture has gained more space for development. Some international friends like China’s distinctive drama very much. Some domestic colleges and universities have also established experience bases of traditional Chinese culture to meet the needs of foreign students.

 

Ma Zhiyao is from the School of International Education of Tianjin University.