Tell Chinese stories well | Find cultural crossings that resonate with us

　　There is philosophy, culture, and flavor in the story, and telling a good story is better than talking about a dozen truths. In today's increasingly frequent international exchanges, telling Chinese stories well is the best way to communicate internationally and an effective way to enhance the influence of Chinese culture. Using the excellent traditional Chinese culture to tell Chinese stories is an effective way and a valuable experience for international communication. In the history of our party, the party leaders have attached great importance to and paid attention to using the excellent traditional Chinese culture to tell Chinese stories well, and have left behind many beautiful stories. Especially since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping has published a series of important expositions on the use of excellent traditional Chinese culture to tell Chinese stories, setting a glorious example. In-depth study and comprehension of General Secretary Xi Jinping's series of important expositions, and summarizing the successful experience in the history of the Party, especially since the new era, in using the excellent traditional Chinese culture to tell Chinese stories well, can provide important inspiration for further telling Chinese stories and doing a good job in international communication on the new journey.

　　In November 2019, General Secretary Xi Jinping, who was visiting Greece, walked into the Acropolis Museum. The relief of "Contemplative Athena" attracted the attention of the general secretary. "This is the goddess Athena resting and meditating after the war," said Pavlopoulos, the Greek president at the time, who accompanied the visit. "She is thinking about what the meaning of war is," the general secretary said, referring to the Chinese allusion of "stopping hostilities and turning them into martial arts." Walking to the second floor, I walked to the statue of the Boy Critos, and the staff said that this statue showed that the idea that "man is the measure of all things" began to germinate. "They focus on people, just like China's 'people-oriented'," the general secretary commented. At the entrance of the third floor, the triangular frieze stone carvings of the Acropolis are displayed on the east and west sides. The general secretary humorously said: "This is the Greek 'Classic of Mountains and Seas'. "Walking out of the museum, the hands of the two heads of state were clasped tightly." Greece and China both have profound civilization accumulation, and the ancient, splendid and great civilization closely links the hearts of the two peoples. President Pavlopoulos's words show cultural resonance.

　　The "Encountering China" Chinese Culture Theme Exhibition was unveiled at the 2024 Paris International Exposition in France, showcasing the long history of the Chinese nation, the unique charm of Chinese culture and the modern achievements of Chinese civilization in the form of a combination of cultural exhibits, cultural and artistic performances, cultural and creative exhibitions and sales, and cultural and entertainment experiences. The picture shows the exhibits on display at the "Encountering China" Chinese Culture Theme Exhibition on May 1, 2024. Xinhua News Agency reporter Gao Jing/photo

　　Culture is like water, moisturizing things silently. To use the excellent traditional Chinese culture to tell Chinese stories well, we need to study the cultural characteristics of audiences in different countries and regions, integrate China and foreign countries, take into account each other, and combine what we want to tell with what the audience wants to hear. The key link is to find more cultural intersections that are easy to resonate with similar to what General Secretary Xi Jinping talked about, such as "stopping fighting for martial arts", "people-oriented", and "Classic of Mountains and Seas".

　　This point can be theatrical works and playwrights. In May 1954, during the Geneva Conference, in order to enhance the understanding of the delegations and journalists of the participating countries about New China and China's long history and culture, the Information Office of the Chinese delegation specially held a film reception for foreign journalists, one of which was the screening of "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai". It was a new film, and it was a traditional theatrical theme, which was not well understood at the time. In order to achieve a good viewing effect, the Information Department translated the title of the play into English "The Tragedy of Liang and Zhu" and prepared to write a long English instruction manual introducing the plot and main singing segments. When Comrade Zhou Enlai learned of the situation, he thought that this would not be a good effect, and instructed: "As long as you write a sentence on the invitation: Please enjoy a color opera film "Romeo and Juliet in China". Before the screening, make a 3-minute explanation, introduce the plot in a general way, use a bit of poetic words, with a bit of tragic atmosphere, and introduce the audience's thoughts into the movie, without other explanations. According to this instruction, the film aroused strong repercussions and high praise after its screening. Comrade Zhou Enlai grasped the key point, simplified the complex, and started with the famous play "Romeo and Juliet" by the well-known British playwright Shakespeare, and compared "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai" to "China's Romeo and Juliet," which immediately captured the attention and interest of foreign audiences.

　　More than 60 years later, in October 2015, General Secretary Xi Jinping also mentioned Romeo and Juliet in his speech at the City of London's mayors' dinner, but not on the play itself but on the playwright. The general secretary said that during his seven years of youth in northern Shaanxi, China, "at that time, I tried my best to find Shakespeare's works, and read plays such as A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth. I was deeply attracted by Shakespeare's ups and downs, vivid characters, and weeping emotions." "I believe that everyone who has read Shakespeare's works will not only feel his extraordinary talent, but also be deeply inspired by his life." Subsequently, the general secretary changed his words: "Tang Xianzu, a playwright of the Ming Dynasty in China, is known as the 'Shakespeare of the East', and his plays such as "The Peony Pavilion", "The Story of the Purple Hairpin", "The Story of Nanke" and "The Story of Handan" are world-famous. Tang Xianzu and Shakespeare were contemporaries, both of whom died in 1616. On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of their deaths, "China and the UK can jointly commemorate these two literary giants, as a way to promote exchanges and deepen mutual understanding between the two peoples." The general secretary's narration allowed Shakespeare and Tang Xianzu to achieve the same frequency resonance across time and space 400 years later, and clearly expressed the desire to promote people-to-people exchanges between China and the UK and narrow the cultural distance between each other.

　　This point can be philosophy and philosophers. In February 1964, when Comrade Mao Zedong met with New Zealand guests, he specifically talked about the historical issues of the development and evolution of Chinese and foreign philosophies. He said: "The development of ancient philosophy can start from ancient Greece, and in China from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. From Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, to Kant, Hegel, Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Confucius and Laozi, he expounded the truth that philosophy develops in the inheritance and struggle against opposites. In November 2019, on the occasion of his state visit to Greece, General Secretary Xi Jinping published a signed article in the Greek media, pointing out: "More than 2,000 years ago, the light of civilization of ancient China and ancient Greece reflected each other at both ends of the Eurasian continent. The article not only quotes the famous quote of the Greek literary giant Kazantzakis, "Socrates and Confucius are two masks of mankind, and under the masks are the same face of human reason", but also cites two examples: the humanistic thought germinated by the ancient Greek "school of sages" is similar to the "people-oriented" concept insisted on by Chinese Confucianism; Diogenes advocated a similar way of life and philosophy with Zhuangzi, a representative of Chinese Taoism. Such an account is undoubtedly conducive to consolidating the foundation of civilization for China and Greece to deepen cooperation and jointly promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

　　There are many such points, such as proverbs in different languages but with similar meanings, famous quotes that are well-known and philosophically rich in the world, representative daily necessities that are integrated into each other's daily life, representative figures and events in history where civilizations have exchanged and learned from each other, and so on. The key and common point is to find cultural intersections that are easy to resonate, and give full play to the role of the excellent traditional Chinese culture in telling Chinese stories with emotion and culture.

　　For more exciting content, please refer to Gao Changwu, a researcher at the Institute of Party History and Literature of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, in his article "Using Excellent Traditional Chinese Culture to Tell Chinese Stories"

　　(Curator: Zhou Zhaocheng)