Guobin Xu - Understanding Western Culture: Philosophy, Religion, Literature and Organizational Culture

U N D E R S T A N D I N G

W E S T E R N

C U LT U R E

P H I LOS O P H Y

R E L I G I O N

L I T E R AT U R E

O R G A N I Z AT I O N A L CU LT U R E

E D I T E D BY G U O B I N X U , YA N H U I CH E N , L I A N H UA X U , E T A L .

T R A N SL AT E D BY K A I J U CH E N , X I Y UA N X I O N G , W E N Q UA N W U , E T A L .

Understanding Western Culture

Guobin Xu Yanhui Chen Lianhua Xu

Editors

Understanding

Western Culture

Philosophy, Religion, Literature

and Organizational Culture

Editors

Guobin Xu

Yanhui Chen

Guangdong University of Foreign

Guangdong University of Foreign

Studies

Studies

Guangzhou, China

Guangzhou, China

Lianhua Xu

Guangdong University of Foreign

Studies

Guangzhou, China

Translators

Kaiju Chen

Xiyuan Xiong

Guangdong University of Foreign

Sun Yat-sen University Press

Studies

Guangzhou, China

Guangzhou, China

Wenquan Wu

Guangdong University of Foreign

Studies

Guangzhou, China

ISBN

978-981-10-8149-1 ISBN

978-981-10-8150-7 (eBook)

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8150-7

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018930803

South China University of Technology Press 2018

This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed.

The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.

The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Cover illustration: Alexander Spatari

Printed on acid-free paper

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Acknowledgments

We were approached in 2012 by Professor Xu Guobin, Editor in Chief of

the original works Essentials of Chinese Culture and Essentials of WesternCulture, proposing that my research team translate these two books into English and publish them in English-speaking countries. Almost at the

same time I was contacted with a publishing proposal by Alisa Pulver,

Senior Editor at Palgrave Macmillan. Without the trust and unfailing support of these two parties over the following years, this large translation projectbased on the 1.1 million Chinese characters in the original works to be translated for a series of four books, amounting to nearly 400,000

English wordswould not have happened so soon after the publication of the original works. The copyright holder, South China University of

Technology Press, showed immediate support for our translation project, and our particular gratitude goes to their editors and coordinators: Ms.

Qiao Li and Ms. Wu Cuiwei.

Through the six years of painstaking translation and reviewing, we owe our sincere gratitude to the experts in the related areas, whose joint effort has transformed this translation project into the current four books.

Professor Xu Guobin, Chief Editor of the original monographs, always

provided support at each stage. In December 2014, on completion of the translation and the first review round, Professor Xu suggested and organized an authortranslator symposium, where associate editors Chen

Yanhui and Xu Lianhua, together with all the authors of the original

works, met with the leading translators, Professor Chen Kaiju, Professor Xiong Xiyuan and Professor Wu Wenquan, together with all the other

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vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

translators to discuss the key problems encountered in the interpretation of the original texts. Some renowned professors in translation studies in Guangdongincluding Mr. Huang Guowen, Mr. Wu Jianguo and Mr.

Liang Ruiqingattended the symposium, offering enthusiastic com

ment, sincere criticism, and suggestions for improvement.

Professor Mao Sihui always showed his full support for this project and happily agreed to write the preface for the series.

At the review stage, four professors proofread and made invaluable suggestions and corrections: Professor Li Ming proofread Introduction toChinese Culture; Professor Chu Dongwei proofread UnderstandingChinese Culture; Professor Chen Kaiju proofread Introduction to WesternCulture; and Professor He Zhigang proofread Understanding WesternCulture.

Australian translation expert Alex Graeme-Evans reviewed Introductionto Chinese Culture and Understanding Chinese Culture during the second review round. The leading translators and Ms. Xue Ping carried out the final formal review, wrote the chapter abstracts for each book, and translated all the references.

Our special thanks also go to Sara Crowley Vigneau, Senior Editor, and Connie Li (Yue), Editorial Assistant, of Springer Nature, whose constant help in clarifying all the problems of project management, and format and content organization, were crucial to the finalization of this project.

Last but not least, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies offered us the necessary funds; and many experts and leaders from the College of

Continuing Education, the School of Interpretation and Translation

Studies, and the School of English for International Business Studies of the University also gave us help throughout the project.

However, due to the scale of the project, the need to shorten the original texts, and stylistic choices made by different translators and reviewers, there may still be problems, which, of course, are the responsibility of the leading translators. We sincerely welcome criticisms and suggestions from readers, critics, and editors so that improvements can be made in later editions.

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