"Cultural deficit" a huge concern
By Jeff Pan (Chinadaily.com.cn)Updated: 2007-04-09 17:08
 Cai Wu, Director of the Information Office of the State Council speaks at a translation forum held recently in Beijing. [china.com.cn]  |
"China's outbound cultural dissemination and its influence upon the world do not match the extensiveness and intensiveness of Chinese culture," said Cai Wu, Director of the Information Office of the State Council on a translation forum held recently in Beijing, "There is a huge 'cultural deficit' in China's communications with the rest of the world in recent years."
Cai emphasized that the 5,000-year Chinese history and culture are a treasure not only belonging to the Middle Kingdom, but the whole world, and China is responsible of doing its own part in contributing to the structure of world culture in the new century.
So far, it has not, at least business-wise.
According to Xinhua News Agency, books China has imported in the past few years are ten times more than the number the country has exported. The sales volume of Chinese books, newspapers, and periodicals in 2005 totaled US$32.87 million - only one fifth of the number for import, US$164.18 million.
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Wu Wei, Director of Office for Promoting Chinese Books, thinks there is a substantive gap between the image China wants to present and the internationally-recognized image for China. "The products that demonstrate the very essence of core Chinese values, time-honored history, and splendid culture, have very limited influences."
Wu considers translation as the bottleneck for Chinese culture to go abroad. Cai also underlines the importance of translation as to bring Chinese culture abroad.
Jin Man, member of CPPCC (Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference), concludes that it's because of the low quality of cultural products exported abroad, especially those reflecting the contemporary development, values, and zeitgeist. Original works with spiritual depths fall short, and there is also a lack of national strategy, modern marketing operation, and professional talents to integrate the outbound cultural dissemination.
Nonetheless, some scholars hold the idea that the key for the deficit in cultural exchanges is that the mainstream value in China today lacks attraction to foreigners. Good translation and modern packaging are just lesser part of the problem. The exported cultural products in China today are mainly about traditional Chinese culture, highlighted by the success of kungfu movies.
Aside from low-cost shoes and some kungfu stunts, does China have more to offer to the world today? Or is it only because of low-quality translation that thwarted Chinese culture to go abroad?
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