A Study On Conceptions Of Intercultural Communication In Zhou Enlai’s Diplomacy

Conceptions of intercultural communication are the action principles instructingintercultural activities, theory sublimation and highly generalization deriving frompractice. There are no mature conceptions of intercultural communication at home due toits brought-in subject but intercultural communication activities are rich and various.Since the establishment of new China, Zhou Enlai experienced numerous interculturalcommunication activities in his diplomatic career, thus forming conceptions ofintercultural communication with Chinese characteristics. Few systematic studies are onZhou Enlai’s conceptions of intercultural communication in the researches about him. Inthis paper, Zhou Enlai’s conceptions of intercultural communication will be analyzedfrom his diplomatic activities and thoughts, which will not only strengthen understandingabout his diplomatic thoughts, but also will have in estimated meaning for enriching anddeveloping our intercultural communication theories and instructing modern interculturalcommunication activists.Deardorff’s Intercultural Competence theory will be applied as the theoryfoundation in this paper with the purpose of conceptions of intercultural communication.Text selection and expamplification are the main methodologies combined with otherrelated historical documents. In view of those, two famous and authentic works ZhouEnlai’s diplomacy and Meeting record of Zhou Enlai with foreign leaders and politicaldignitaries are selected as research texts, in which Zhou Enlai’s significant diplomaticactivities and theories will be deeply analyzed and categorized by standard ofconceptions of intercultural communication. The study aims to find out answers for threequestions, namely, what are features and rules of intercultural communication in terms ofdiplomacy? What are the conceptions of intercultural communication in Zhou Enlai’sdiplomacy? And what the significance and contribution those conceptions make tomodern diplomacy and the intercultural communication studies?Through analysis, three findings are concluded: in the first place, intercultural communication of diplomacy belongs to international communication, observingpeaceful coexistence basic principles, while interpersonal communication emphasizesmore on pragmatic principles; secondly, the Zhou Enlai’s conceptions of interculturalcommunication mainly are respect, harmony, empathy, multiculturalism and seekingcommon points while reserving differences which form an ideological and theoreticalsystem; lastly, Zhou Enlai’s conceptions of intercultural communication are stronglyinstructive and meaningful to modern communication of countries and individuals.