Kang Liu

The essay takes the Special Issue of Chinese Encounters with Western Theories of Modern Language Quarterly as a case study, reviewing the essays of three Chinese authors Wang Ning, Zhang Jiang, and Zhu Liyuan and commentaries by Theo D'haen, Hillis Miller and myself. The essay offers a metacommentary of the essays and commentaries with respect to issues of the academic contexts in which the dialogue in this special issue is conducted, Chinese scholars' anxiety of influence over western theories, the problem of "Dao (principles)" and "Shu (techniques)," and universalism vis-à-vis exceptionalism. This essay argues that the historical facts of modern China, especially the history of reform and opening up of the last four decades, show that China is in the world and the world is in China, and that the relationship of universalism and exceptionalism cannot be viewed as binary oppositions and mutual exclusions. Rather, it is overdetermined by multiple factors of integration and complementarity.

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This essay takes Fredric Jameson and Chinese Jamesonism as a case in point to illustrate the Chinese anxiety of influence with Western theory and the battle between (Western) universalism and Chinese exceptionalism. Chinese Jamesonism shows how an eclectic American neo-Marxist academic discourse has been invented in China on selected themes of postmod-ernism and Third World "national allegory." However, as a "shadowy but central presence" in Jameson and other Western left theories, Maoism is nearly absent from China's appropriation of Western theories. A vigorous critique of the relationship between Maoism and Western left theories sheds light on the issues of politics and ideology underlying the Chinese anxiety of influence.

ABSTRACT The dramatic increase in China's economic and hence political power and influence is a common story around the world. Just how clearly and well does this story get across to citizens of some nations other than China, itself? In particular, we ask what Americans know about China. Do they observe its rise? Are their views simple or rich and nuanced? How do they vary across the public? What leads to more positive and what leads to more negative views of China? We report the results of a survey of the American population designed to address these questions. We find that they are reasonably knowledgeable of China's rise and that they have rich and nuanced perceptions of a variety of dimensions of China, its society, economy and polity. These views are, on balance, not especially positive, but the more cosmopolitan the citizen, the more likely they are to hold positive views. Those who are Democrats, who are liberals, and who have had the opportunity to travel in China are especially likely to have positive impressions.