Covid-19 raises more awareness of Chinese language, culture

For more than one year now, the Covid-19 global pandemic has thrust China squarely into the international limelight.

Ever since discovery of the novel coronavirus in the Far East country, the Chinese government has pulled all stops, both at home and abroad, to help in combating the pandemic. 

Interestingly, the annual United Nations Chinese Language Day, which was celebrated on April 20, has come at a time when the world is analysing China’s success in tackling Covid-19.

The world is fast learning a new way of doing things as it watches China’s best management practices in the ongoing crisis.

The UN Chinese Language Day is marked through a series of painting exhibitions, learning forums, special lectures, and fashion shows aimed at exposing ancient Chinese culture to the world.

The main aspects of Chinese culture include architecture, medicine, music, literature, cuisine, visual arts, philosophy, and religion. The theme for this year's event is "Spring."

The occasion is celebrated alongside the annual UN Language Day, which commemorates the use of multiple languages and cultural diversity of the six official languages in the UN -  Chinese, English, French, Spanish, Russian, and Arabic.

Chinese was established as an official language of the UN in 1946. Among the other languages, it is the most widely spoken by a single country, an estimated 1.4 billion people.

In 2009, the UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization included the three millennia old Chinese calligraphy in the “Intangible Cultural Heritage List.”

As China’s economy, infrastructural, and technological genius constantly grows and reaches all corners of the earth, there is a corresponding awareness of the pervasive and unique Chinese culture.

The increasing acceptance of Chinese culture and ideology globally has been made possible by mutual understanding, rather than through assimilation and replacement applied by some hegemonic cultures.

One of the main vehicles of Chinese cultural influence is the Mandarin teaching Confucius Institute, which has almost 500 institutions located in the six continents.

The fact that almost all Confucius Institutes are based in university campuses underscores not just their universal outlook, but also their connection to, and empathy with, local communities.

This glocalization draws on the synergies of both worlds – academia and everyday lives of the people. The Institutes are also the main centers and vehicles of cultural exchange with China’s allies.  

Chinese fashion has also captured the imagination of the world. For instance, it is currently not unusual for celebrities and leaders across the world, particularly politicians, to wear the Mao suit during events. Previously a symbol of China’s communist revolution, the Mao suit is now widely accepted as a fashion statement for its understated sophistry.

Top Chinese brands have also captured the world’s imagination, and are competing at the same level with leading global brands in both clothing and gadgetry.

Both media and production houses are signing deals with their Chinese counterparts to carry the latter’s news and movies locally. The growing popularity of Chinese news and drama shows that people want something new and refreshing, in line with constantly changing realities.

Contrary to some perceptions, Chinese culture is not insulated from external influence. Even as it proudly guards its identity, the influence of Westernization is evident in its top cities.

For example, on my first trip to Beijing and Nanjing in mid-2019, I saw the infusion of Western lifestyles in the numerous top brand houses and eateries in the central business districts of these cities.

In addition to education as espoused in the Confucius Institutes, leadership and training have also emerged as new areas of Chinese cultural exports. Countries are learning and adopting the Chinese governance model based on “fair and equitable governance that reflects the realities of modern times.”

Coupled with this is Chinese diplomacy that is based on the key principles of the country’s foreign policy: peaceful coexistence; mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity; mutual non-aggression; non-interference in each other's internal affairs; equality and mutual benefit and; peaceful coexistence.

The Chinese work ethic has exerted influence on both governments and private sector around the world. The strictly focused and disciplined approach has especially made Chinese infrastructure construction companies a favourite for many countries.

Incidentally, Covid-19 has opened another window for Chinese cultural influence, through ‘medical diplomacy’. China has taken the lead in helping both developed and developing countries deal with the deadly pandemic. In addition to plane load donations of personal protective equipment across the world, Chinese doctors have become heroes overseas, celebrated for helping countries whose health systems almost succumbed on the weight of the pandemic.

Experts have for long predicted the impact of the Belt and Road Initiative, which was taking shape before interruption by Covid-19. It is expected that, once complete, this infrastructural marvel will give greater meaning to China’s ambition of creating a world of mutual understanding, shared prosperity and a shared destiny.