In the historical process of Buddhism's introduction to China, there were several significant theoretical debates during the Eastern Jin and Southern Dynasties period. Among them, I believe the most meaningful one in terms of cultural exchange was a debate triggered by Taoist Gu Huan's writing of "Yi Xia Lun". "Yi Xia Lun" is the earliest discussions of "civilizational conflict" in Chinese history. The issues it addresses pertain to whether different civilizational thought systems can engage with and assimilate one another, leading to the use of barbarian elements for the benefit of Chinese culture, and to the multidimensional expansion of the local cultural realm and its values.

Speaker
Prof. Dong ping
Zhe Jiang University

Dong Ping, a distinguished professor at Zhejiang University and a doctoral supervisor at the School of Philosophy, is a member of the Zhejiang Provincial Research Institute of Literature and History and an expert receiving special government allowances from the State Council.