Historical Tracing And Case Study Of American Cultural Diplomacy Toward China

After the "9.11" terrorism attack against America in 2001, as a key element of the National Soft Power, Cultural Diplomacy has got great attentions from the scholars of not only the U.S.A., but also the whole international society, through warmly discussing and researching it in depth. Consequently, it would be very significant theoretically and practically for us to conduct a research on Cultural Diplomacy and the history of American cultural diplomacy toward China.Based on a comparative analysis on Cultural Diplomacy, International Propaganda and Public Diplomacy, it would be possible to appropriately define the Cultural Diplomacy and distinguish its three unique characteristics such as: mutuality, integrity and a protracted nature.By means of theories of liberalism, cultural internationalism, idealism and constructivism, the Cultural Diplomacy's origin, roles, organizers and its connections with national power and international order's construction, would be demonstrated clearly.Generally, big powers should be big players in the respect of Cultural Diplomacy, and America is truly one of them. Thanks to the nature of Cultural Diplomacy in America is based upon its national culture, originated from liberalism, the constant interactions between the idealists and the realists have produced its characteristics of complexity and maturity, during constructing policies and regimes of American Cultural Diplomacy, varied from different periods.As major part of its relations with China, American cultural diplomacy toward China has undergone a complicated history of cultural offensive, cultural assistance, cultural containment, and cultural cooperation, during which the religious mission and the national mission motivated all happenings to cultural diplomacy simultaneously. As a result, multiple organizers and strong ideology for American cultural diplomacy toward China characterize it.In order to specifically explore the motivations, purposes, efficiency of American cultural diplomacy oriented to China and provide some experience and enlightenment for China to build up a better cultural diplomacy regime and carry out its mission of peaceful rising in the future, two special cases are taken from the history of Sino-America cultural diplomacy for a deep and all-rounded perspective, they are the Fulbright Program in China and the Ford Foundation Program in China.