January 2024

On January 5, 2024, Professor ZHAO Kejin, Deputy Dean of the School of Social Sciences at Tsinghua University, contacted me to inform me that he would be visiting the UK in two weeks, with a meeting scheduled for January 20. Coincidentally, Professor FANG Lili, Distinguished Chief Professor at Southeast University, planned to bring a few copies of her book, Fei Xiaotong’s Inquiry: How Human Society Can Achieve ‘Beauty in Diversity and Shared Harmony’ (《费孝通之问：人类社会如何走向“美美与共”》Beijing: Commercial Press, 2021), to the UK as a gift for me and the academy.

Professor Fang was the last postdoctoral researcher supervised by the renowned Chinese anthropologist and sociologist Fei Xiaotong (1910-2005) at Peking University. During our visit to the United States in 2019, she summarized her understanding of Fei Xiaotong’s thoughts to me: In his early years, Fei was primarily concerned with ecological issues (the relationship between people and the land) and how China could achieve modernization. In his later years, he focused more on the issue of ‘mentality’ (人心, the relationship between people), considering how mutual understanding between individuals, as well as harmony between ethnic groups and nations, could lead to a world beyond the divisions of civilization and barbarism, or East and West, toward achieving ‘beauty in diversity and shared harmony’ in human society. [Note 1]

The above contact occurred just three weeks after Professor LI Qiang (1950-2023) passed away. LI Qiang served as Dean of the School of Social Sciences and Humanities at Tsinghua University and was the Founding Dean of the School of Social Sciences (two terms). He was also the Honorary Chinese President of the Global China Institute and the Chinese Chair of the Global China Academy Council. Recommended by Professor LI Qiang, Professor ZHAO Kejin traveled to London to participate in the 6th Global China Dialogue: Governance for World Peace at the British Academy and participated online in the 7th Global China Dialogue: Reforming Global Governance in 2021. Professor ZHAO Kejin’s visit in summer holds significant meaning for the academy, symbolizing a continuation and development of past efforts.

 

 

During his visit to the UK, Professor Zhao brought FANG Lili’s book on Fei Xiaotong’s thoughts, along with his own book China & Global Peace (Gale Asia, 2020) and other titles. I, in turn, presented ZHAO Kejin with my book Guanxi or Li shang wanglai?: Reciprocity, Social Support Networks, and Social Creativity in a Chinese Village (Chinese edition, Liaoning People’s Publishing House, 2009), as well as the Global China Academy leaflets and the brochure for the 7th Global China Dialogue.

Later, Zhao Kejin told me that Professor LI Qiang had left a will asking them to maintain the relationship with the Global China Academy (GCA). From ZHAO Kejin’s different expressions in the above photos, it might suggest that we discussed a serious topic. ZHAO Kejin proposed visiting the UK in the summer and mentioned that he might bring a delegation from Tsinghua University, possibly with delegations from other universities in China. For the Global China Academy, which serves as a platform to promote academic exchange between China and the world, this would undoubtedly be a great opportunity.   

For dinner, I prepared a Western-style meal for Professor ZHAO Kejin and his PhD student ZHAO Danyang [Note 2].

• Starter: The pumpkin soup is a French-style dish, mainly enjoyed during the autumn and winter seasons. Although this soup appears simple, nutritious, and delicious, it was not easy for someone like me, who is not skilled in cooking, to make. First, the pumpkin needs to be peeled, deseeded, and cut into small pieces. These are then sautéed with onions, garlic, and other ingredients before adding broth and seasoning, and cooking until soft. After cooking, the soup is strained, and cream is added for a smoother texture. The soup is garnished with a dollop of yogurt and mint leaves, whose fresh flavor adds a refreshing touch to the rich pumpkin soup, enhancing its layers of taste.
• Main Course (Large Plate): Cheeseburger Loaded Fries. This dish is typical of American fast food, combining classic burger elements such as beef mince, cheese, tomatoes, onions, and burger sauce, which are layered over fries (instead of being placed between two buns), creating a dish that is rich, flavourful, and low in carbohydrates.
• Main Course (Medium Plate): Creamy Double Mushroom Penne is a classic Italian pasta dish. The combination of creamy sauce and two different types of mushrooms provide a rich taste and flavour, with the addition of cheese further enhancing the aroma and texture of the dish. However, to reduce carbohydrate intake, this dish was served not with penne but with a Mediterranean-style salad.
• Dessert: Fruit platter + snacks (details omitted).

Professor Zhao and Danyang appreciated the meal (photos provided by ZHAO Danyang). Our ‘International Cuisine’ concept and its practice, as reflected in this dinner experience, can be seen as an embodiment of Fei Xiaotong’s concept of ‘beauty in each culture appreciating the beauty of others’ (learning to appreciate different lifestyles and traditions) in everyday life, with the hope of achieving an understanding of ‘shared beauty in harmony’.

Note:

1. Without a doubt, Fang Lili’s summary contributes to the understanding of Fei Xiaotong’s thoughts. However, from the corpus of The Complete Works of Fei Xiaotong, it can be observed that the term ‘ecology’ is mentioned a total of 304 times, all of which appear after Volume 8 (1957); the term ‘cultural ecology’ is mentioned 61 times, mainly between Volumes 10 and 15 (1983-1996). The term ‘human mind’ (人心) is mentioned 43 times, appearing in various volumes after Volume 3 (1942); ’mentality‘ (心态) is mentioned 113 times, in Volumes 14-17 (1992-2004). The term ‘people-to-people’ is mentioned 116 times, with references in every volume starting from the first, with as many as 23 mentions in Volume 16 (1997-1999). The term ‘nation-to-nation’ is mentioned 9 times, appearing in Volumes 8-9 and 13-17, while ‘country-to-country’ is mentioned 6 times, in Volumes 13, 16, and 17. Volumes 16-17 collect Fei Xiaotong’s works from 1996 until his death. If we consider Fei Xiaotong’s later years starting from 1996 (at age 86), we can say that he expanded his reflections on ‘people-to-people’ relationships to include ‘nation-to-nation’ and ‘country-to-country’ relationships. However, to fully understand the connections between these terms and ‘cultural ecology’ and ‘mentality,’ much more research is needed.
2. I previously used Gousto, a UK-based meal kit with environmentally friendly packaging that allows you to easily enjoy fresh and delicious meals at home with convenience and flexibility. This time, I tried Hello Fresh, a meal kit that operates in multiple countries, including the US, UK, Germany, and Australia, and offers fresh ingredients in a simple and quick way. However, after using it for a while, I decided to stop because I am more suited to low-carb dishes.

Xiangqun Chang, 30 January 2024 

2024年1月5日，清华大学社会科学学院副院长赵可金教授联系了我，告知他将在两周后访问英国，并定于1月20日进行会面。正巧，东南大学杰出首席教授方李莉打算把她的著作《费孝通之问：人类社会如何走向“美美与共”》，（方李莉著，北京：商务印书馆，2021年）带到英国送给我和学术院。

方教授是著名中国人类学家和社会学家费孝通（1910-2005）在北京大学指导的最后一位博士后研究员。在我们2019年访问美国时，她向我概括了她对费孝通思想的理解：早年主要关心生态问题(即人与土地的关系)以及中国如何实现现代化问题，晚年更加注重“心态”问题(即人与人的关系)，从人与人之间的相互理解，到民族与民族、国家与国家之间的和谐相处，超越导致世界文明矛盾的文野或东西之分来思考人类社会如何走向美美与共。她的这本书展示了费孝通晚年的这些思想。【注释1】

上述联系发生在李强教授（1950-2023）去世仅三周后。李强曾担任清华大学社会科学与人文学院院长，并且是社会科学学院的创始院长（两届）。他还曾任全球中国研究院名誉中方院长以及全球中国学术院理事会中方主席。在李强教授的推荐下，赵可金教授曾前往伦敦，参与了在英国学术院举行的第六届全球中国对话：世界和平治理，并于2021年在线参加了第七届全球中国对话：全球治理改革。对学术院来说，赵可金暑假期间的来访具有继往开来的重要意义。

在访问英国期间，赵可金带来了方李莉关于费孝通思想的书，以及他自己的著作《China & Global Peace》（Gale Asia, 2020）和其他书籍。我也回赠了赵可金我的著作《关系还是礼尚往来？：中国乡村的互惠、人际网络与社会创造力》（中文版，辽宁人民出版社，2009），以及全球中国学术院的宣传册和第七届全球中国对话的手册。

随后，赵可金告诉我，李强教授曾在遗嘱中嘱托他们要维持与全球中国学术院的关系。从上述照片中赵可金的不同表情来看，可能暗示我们讨论了一个严肃的话题。赵可金提议在夏天访问英国，并提到他可能会带领清华大学的代表团前来，或许还会有来自中国其他大学的代表团同行。对于全球中国学术院这一促进中国与世界学术交流的平台来说，这无疑是一个很好的机会。

晚饭，我为赵可金教授和他的博士生赵丹阳准备的是西餐【注释2】。

• 头盘：南瓜汤属于法式汤品，主要在秋冬季食用，这一看似简单、营养和美味的汤品，对我这样不通厨艺的人来说，做起来并不容易。首先将南瓜削皮去瓤切成小块，与洋葱、蒜等配料一起炒香，随后加入高汤和其他调料煮至变软。煮好后过滤，并加入奶油调味，使汤质地更加丝滑。表面点缀了酸奶，并装饰了薄荷叶，其清新的味道为浓郁的南瓜汤带来一丝清爽感，增添了层次感。
• 正餐大盘：汉堡芝士薯条（Cheeseburger Loaded Fries）。这道菜属于典型的美国快餐风格，结合了经典汉堡的元素，如牛肉末、芝士、番茄、洋葱和汉堡酱，并将这些配料堆叠在薯条上（而非夹在两片圆面包中），形成了一道丰富、浓郁且低碳水化合物的菜品。
• 正餐中盘：奶油双蘑菇通心粉（Creamy Double Mushroom Penne）属于意大利经典意面料理。奶油酱和两种不同的蘑菇的搭配带来了浓郁的口感和丰富的风味，奶酪的加入进一步提升了菜品的香味和质感。然而，为了减少碳水化合物的摄入，这道菜没有与通心粉搭配，而是配上了地中海式沙拉。
• 甜食：果盘+小吃（略）

赵老师和丹阳对此表示欣赏（照片由赵丹阳提供）。我们的“食国际餐”理念及其实践，通过这次晚餐的经历，可以被视为费孝通“各美其美，美人之美”理念在日常生活中的体现（学习欣赏不同的生活方式和传统），希望能够达到“美美与共”的理解。

注释：

1. 方李莉的这一概括无疑有助于理解费孝通的思想。然而，从《费孝通全集》的语料库中可以看到，“生态”一词共提及304次，均出现在第8卷（1957年）之后；其中“人文生态”提及61次，主要集中在第10-15卷（1983-1996年）之间。“人心”一词提及43次，从第3卷（1942年）起各卷都有提及；“心态”提及113次，出现在第14-17卷（1992-2004年）。“人与人”提及116次，从第一卷开始每卷都有提及，尤其是在第16卷（1997-1999年）中有23次之多。“民族与民族”一词共提及9次，分布在第8-9卷和第13-17卷中，“国家与国家”提及6次，出现在第13卷和第16-17卷中。第16-17卷收录的是费孝通从1996年到去世前的著作。如果将费孝通的晚年从1996年（86岁）开始计算，可以说他将“人与人”的思考拓展到了“民族与民族”和“国家与国家”的思考。然而，要真正理解它们与“人文生态”和“心态”之间的关系，还需要进行大量的研究。
2. 我以前用过Gousto，这是一种英国本土的食材包，方便而灵活，环保包装，让人在家中轻松享受新鲜美味的餐食。这次我尝试了Hello Fresh，这种在美国、英国、德国、澳大利亚等多个国家运营的简单快捷的新鲜食材包。不过，使用了一段时间后，我还是放弃了它们，因为我更适合低碳水化合物的菜品。

常向群，2024年1月30日

Click the picture above to play the video message for the 8th Global China Dialogue and the celebration dinner for the 10th anniversary of the GCA since its establishment in 2013 as CCPN Global, on December 8, 2023, at the House of Lords, the UK Parliament.

• Click here to view the news ‘The Chinese Chair of the Global China Aacademy Council, Professor LI Qiang, passed away on the 12 December, 2023’.
• Click here to view Professor BING Zheng FGCA page. 
• Click here to visit the GCA news section.