Commentary: "Walking Between East and West" from the Perspective of the Influential Person of the Year

China News Service, Beijing, December 12 (Xinhua) -- "Walking between East and West" from the perspective of the influential person of the year

Written by Wen Longjie Xu Huangguan

On December 12, the 15 "Influential Person of the Year" of "China News Weekly" was announced in Beijing, and Mo Yan, who made a push after the Nobel Prize, Fei Xiang, who created "Business Yinyu", Wang Yi, the principal who edited the "Civil Code", and Guo Fan, who wandered with a "small wrecking ball", were awarded.

From civilization to culture, from country to individual, exchanges between the East and the West promote mutual learning, and mutual learning brings development. Nobel laureate Mo Yan, who was named "Cultural Contributor of the Year", is now in a "transformation" after decades of writing and always being open and curious about the world.

Mo Yan talked about the cause of his transformation into a "playwright" and Shakespeare. He has visited Shakespeare's house three times, first in 2012, second in 2019 and third in July this year. Mo Yan said, "When I went to Shakespeare's house with several teachers from Beijing Normal University in 7, in front of Yu Hua and Su Tong, I half-jokingly and half-seriously said that I vowed to complete the transformation from a novelist to a playwright in the years to come. From novelist to playwright, Mo Yan has made a nearly "2019-degree" turn: he published the play "Crocodile" this year, and is also working on scripts for other theater stages.

Another expression of "East and West" is "world". The winner of the "Science and Technology Person of the Year" was Li Jing, a researcher at the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and an astronomer. The chief scientist of "China Sky Eye" leads the world's farthest "scientific group", enabling mankind to see deeper and farther.

How to place yourself in the ancient and modern field of astronomy and lead the team to expand the boundaries of human cognition? Li Jing firmly believes that curiosity is the driving force of scientific research, and basic research is not necessarily for the purpose of "usefulness". He revealed on the spot that his favorite science fiction works are "The Three-Body Problem" by Chinese writer Liu Cixin and "Galactic Empire" by American writer Isaac Asimov, and he is happy to appreciate the inspiration of Eastern and Western science fiction.

"Cultural Person of the Year" Guo Fan said when talking about "The Wandering Earth" that he hopes that Chinese films will "go global" and realize IP sharing, so that more and more people will participate in it and gain more love from fans and audiences around the world.

An era has a mission of an era. It is our new cultural mission in the new era to continue to promote cultural prosperity, build a cultural power, and build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation at a new starting point. Strengthening cultural self-confidence, upholding openness and inclusiveness, and adhering to integrity and innovation are specific practice paths.

Building the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is a question that must be answered, and it is also a complex and comprehensive proposition, some aspects and parts of the problem have been solved, and some are still being solved. Wang Pinxian, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and "Internet celebrity scientist", was awarded the "Education Person of the Year". He believes that the purpose of popular science "is to cultivate a real culture of innovation and the spirit of scientists among young people, and to return to the basics".

Only by taking root in the land of China, grasping the dialectic of openness and independence, and realizing the combination of "not forgetting the original" and "absorbing foreigners", can we better "face the future". Wang Yi, vice president of the Chinese University of China, was named the "Rule of Law Person of the Year", and he participated in promoting China's "civil code era", and also witnessed the "blue out of blue" of China's civil law. Wang Yi said that Western law and Western studies in the field of civil law are usually regarded as "axioms" and are the objects of serious study and Xi by Chinese civil law scholars. The compilation of the Civil Code has enabled the interface of Chinese civil law to put forward China's solutions to China's problems and explain its own reasoning.

The "CEO of the Year" was awarded by Skechers China Partner Chen Weili, who introduced the international brand Skechers into the Chinese market with a forward-looking vision, embarked on a unique path of international brand localization, developed China into the largest overseas market, and radiated the world with China's supply chain advantages.

The "Influential Person of the Year" selected on the same day covers many fields such as culture, rule of law, economy, science and technology, education, sports, performing arts, etc., among which there are not only "seniors" and "peaks", but also "leaders" and "cutting-edge". The influence of the people of the year is not only reflected in the achievements of the year, but also the experience and insights they shared on the spot, while focusing on the field itself, it also shows China's connection with the world in different fields and aspects, providing different perspectives on China and the world, East and West.

"There are similarities, complementarities, intersections, and conflicts between different cultures, and it is important to promote mutual understanding between different cultures." Singer Fei Xiang, who was named "Cultural Communication Person of the Year", said that his father is American and his mother is Chinese, and "he has walked and communicated between the two cultures of the East and the West all his life." "In today's world, it's very, very important to be able to understand each other, especially in the West, to learn more about Chinese culture," he said. ”

Universal global ties and exchanges, as well as exchanges and mutual learning between Eastern and Western civilizations, are the general trend of world development, and they are also the path that mankind must choose to cope with challenges. It's about every individual in both Eastern and Western cultures. (ENDS)