The Renaissance is a key period in Europe,usually seen as the bridge between the Middle Ages and Modern history,which has profound significance for western civilization.Most missionaries brought some fragmented knowledge about Renaissance into China since Late-Ming and Early-Qing dynasty.Renaissance was not introduced as a whole term until Late-Qing dynasty when all the governors,political commentators and intellectual celebrities forced on exploring the mysteries of rise and fall of worldwide nations and searching for wealth and power.Lots of western history books were compiled owing to the reform of educational system in 1903,which let more people,especially academics and students exposed to Renaissance.Hence came the issue on how to understand Renaissance and translate this term.There are hundreds of essays and textbooks directly related to Renaissance from Late-Qing dynasty to the New Culture Movement,even more than 400 after the May Fourth.This paper treats Renaissance as a kind of “discourse” and summarizes many kinds of Chinese phrases and discourses about Renaissance since Late-Qing dynasty,through which people belonging to different camp hold diverse opinions.In order to know the differences among their cultural pattern selection and proclaim its interaction with the world situation and socio-cultural environment in China,both text and contest analysis are employed here.Renaissance not only shaped Chinese discourses but also had a far-reaching influence on cultural development.As for intellectuals,China should revive its ancient learning,reform characters and literature,release each person from traditional binds,create new culture,learn western culture,develop science and arts and so on,all of which are necessary for China development and originated from their understanding of Renaissance,especially the origin,process and assess of the New Culture Movement are related to Renaissance.This was exactly the situation that Chinese discourse which mainly is the so-called Chinese Renaissance emerged.Because of the New Culture Movement,the tie between Chinese debates on culture development and Renaissance was strengthened.In the meantime,Renaissance also was much more open to China.Several Chinese textbooks and translated books made people learn more about Renaissance and express more Chinese issues based on Renaissance while the influenceof Renaissance penetrated to a wider scope in China,socially and geographically,including the found of Chinese modern arts disciplines.Renaissance that happened in Europe is one thing but Renaissance adopted to China is quite another thing.Overview both western and China history,it is a fact that sometimes the gap between these ‘two Renaissances’ is narrow,sometimes broad.On all accounts,Renaissance is a unique perspective to observer the mutual relation of Chinese and western culture,which played a significant impact on Chinese modern academic,language,literature,ethics,education,cultural,artistic and other subjects.This investigation explains many interesting things in Chinese modern cultural history. |