China's Cultural Diplomacy: A Great Leap Outward? by Xin Liu

Author:Xin Liu [Liu, Xin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781032088273
Google: YsZmzgEACAAJ
Goodreads: 57868711
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2021-06-30T07:05:35+00:00

4 So similar, so different, so Chinese

Analytical comparisons of the Confucius Institute with its Western counterparts1

If something looks very similar, take a second look; If something looks very different, take a third look: at A, at B, then at A and B.

(Xin Liu)

As discussed in Chapter 1, a clear difference in purpose can be seen from the definitions of cultural diplomacy and public diplomacy, with the former aims at “fostering mutual understanding” (Cummings, 2009: 1) and the latter intends “to advance the interests and extend the values of those being represented” according to Paul Sharp (cited in Melissen, 2005: 11), however, the Chinese attempt at using the Confucius Institute (CI) as a vehicle of cultural diplomacy, or simply as a language institute, is often interpreted as a tool for public diplomacy. This mismatch between its own intentions and the perceived goals seems to be unique to the CI compared with its Western counterparts. Although the CI is neither comparable in history with the Alliance Française, which has operated for over 130 years and has more than 800 establishments;2 nor in impact with the British Council, which administers three million IELTS (International English Language Testing System) tests every year, whose results are accepted by more than 10,000 organisations globally,3 comparisons are frequently made between the CI and these organisations in both the media and academic literature. This chapter, however, tries to show how a different picture can be revealed by adopting the lens of a global “cultural terrain of struggle” and the alternative analytical framework introduced in Chapter 1. It also goes a step further in revealing the ‘differences in similarities’ and ‘similarities in differences’, as well as the reasons behind them. It presents the comparisons in three layers of why, how and what: the purposes, operating models and scope of activities of these organisations.

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