Colin Mackerras from Australia[Photo/Baidu]

First coming from Australia to China in 1964, a time when the two countries had yet to establish official diplomatic ties, Colin Mackerras spends much of his time every year in the country exploring the depth of Chinese history and culture. This has helped make him one of the most famous sinologists in the Western world today. Having published many influential books about China such as China in Transformation: 1900-1949and Western Images of China since 1949, Colin was recently awarded the 9th Special Book Award of China.

Founded by the Chinese government in 2005, the Special Book Award aims to commend foreign translators and writers who have contributed to the introduction of China and its culture overseas. Previous winners include famous translator Anna Gustafsson Chen, who has translated many works from domestic writers such as Mo Yan and Su Tong, John Naisbitt, the author of China's Megatrends, and Ezra Feivel Vogel, the author of Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China.

"Up to now I still believe the most classic foreign readings about contemporary China is Ezra Feivel Vogel's Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of Chinaand Henry Kissinger's On China," Mackerras told the Global Times, pointing out that despite the rapid increase in books about China these past few years, many of them have been, in his words, "a bust."

Observing reality 

While plenty of works have been written about China, some foreign scholars writing about the country have never even stepped foot in China. This has led to many of their works either failing to properly convey Chinese culture, or unconsciously bearing a personal ideology. Cases such as these were especially common among early sinologists, including some very famous ones such as Arthur Waley (1888-1966), whose works tend to emphasize language over culture.

"He translates a lot and his translations are very beautiful. But he never came to China and he didn't really care about China. He didn't want to come to China and he thought it would be disappointing if one comes to China," Mackerras said.

As someone who teaches regularly at Australian and Chinese universities, Mackerras explained that what he tells his Western readers is based on his observations in China as well as research into historic documents.

Having traveled to many places around China, Mackerras is clearly aware of the many misunderstandings foreigners have about China, especially when it comes to sensitive issues such as ethnic minority culture. Visiting and interviewing numerous local families, Mackerras is positive about the government's overall policy toward ethnic minorities in the country.

"I just don't see evidence for talk like 'cultural genocide.' It's quite nonsense. I've been to Tibet, I just don't see any evidence China is destroying Tibetan culture. What I do see evidence of is the modernization process and weakening of traditional culture," he said. "The government's policy is to protect ethnic cultures and to protect ethnic languages. Implementation may not be as good as it should be."

In 1995, Mackerras published the book China's Minority Culture: Identities and Integration since 1912. In recent years he has also published various articles about his continuing studies into China's ethnic minorities. However, according to him, these books have not been received as well by Western academia as his other books that delve into more Han-orientated Chinese culture such as Peking opera.

A political view 

For most of the 20th century politics had a huge impact on China's image in the West. For this reason, Mackerras decided that he would try to present a more objective view of the country to the West through his studies.

"The main point I want to make is what influences Western perspectives on China is as much the West as it is China. In other words, politics is in everything,"

He pointed to the US' policy toward China during the 20th century as an example.

"In the 20th century, in the first half, the Americans thought of China as an ally against enemies like Japan. But in the second half, when the Communist Party of China came to power, they immediately changed. They were not ready for any perspectives on the Republic of China (1912-49). But after the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), this image changed again towards the positive. As soon as Nixon said he was coming to China, which was in July, 1971, the image changed from negative to positive very, very quickly, almost overnight."

"But there was not a big change in China. The change was in America," he stressed. "The government decided it's better to have China as a friend instead of an enemy, so Nixon decided that he would come to China, and Kissinger adopted a policy that was very defensive of China. The image changed from negative to positive very quickly."

However, despite of the large role that politics played in shaping Western views about China, publications about Chinese culture and languages have helped Western readers develop an increasingly positive attitude toward the country. "Westerners' impression about Chinese culture is much more positive, food, lifestyles, painting, music," he said.