News
Why China matters: Chinese cultural significance from the western perspective
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A talk on “Why China matters” was livestreamed, April 12, on the Suzhou campus to all SKEMA students. The talk was given by Dr Jari Grosse-Ruyken, adjunct professor, who is currently teaching an intercultural course on the Suzhou campus.
The talk had a special focus on Chinese cultural significance. This can often be a great puzzle and obstacle for people with an outsider's’ perspective.
“While China’s economical, military and political relevance might be obvious, many are not aware of its cultural significance. And you need to understand China culturally to have a more complete picture of our complex and highly volatile world today”, explained the professor.
Dr Jari Grosse-Ruyken, a German scholar, who has studied Chinese philosophy and history, and has lived in China for over 12 years, shared his point of view on today’s China; how the country has developedt historically and culturally; and the basic patterns of Chinese “thoughts” which still guide and shape the social ethics of Chinese society. His passion for Chinese culture, and years of devotion to study Chinese philosophy as a foreign scholar offered students a unique perspective, and stimulated discussion among the audience on how they should view the two different cultures (western and China) in order to deal with VUCA reality.
“I feel like Jari's intercultural class is one of the most interesting that I have done. It really helps us to understand Chinese history from the Chinese perspective, something that is really lacking in western education. It's an eye opener. And all done in a very interactive way.” Raphael, a master's student, explained.
