Silk Road to Belt Road: Reinventing the Past and Shaping the Future

Description

This volume approaches China’s Belt and Road Initiative as a process of culturalization, one that started with the Silk Road and continued over the millennium. In mainstream literature, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been portrayed as the geo-economic vision and geo-political ambition of China’s current leaders, intended to shape the future of the world. However, this volume argues that although geo-politics and geo-economy may play their part, the BRI more importantly creates a venue for the meeting of cultures by promoting people-to-people interaction and exchange. This volume explores the journey from the Silk-Road to Belt-Road by analyzing topics ranging from history to religion, from language to culture, and from environment to health. As such, scholars, academics, researchers, undergraduate and graduate students from the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Business will find an alternative approach to the Belt and Road Initiative. Front Matter ....Pages i-xlvi Front Matter ....Pages 1-1 Silk Road to Belt Road: Meeting the Culture (Md. Nazrul Islam)....Pages 3-22 Front Matter ....Pages 23-23 The Rise of China’s Past in the “Belt and Road Initiative” (from Historical Perspectives) (Dinh Trinh Van)....Pages 25-38 Imagining China in the New Silk Road: The Elephant and the World Jungle (Siu-Han Chan)....Pages 39-60 The Silk Road in the West: Lebanon’s Industrial History and Current Prospects for Partnership with China (Mark Perry)....Pages 61-71 Front Matter ....Pages 73-73 Religion in China’s Public Diplomacy Towards the Belt and Road Countries in Asia (Chow-Bing Ngeow)....Pages 75-93 Eurasian Connection via the Silk Road: The Spread of Islam (A. Reza Hoshmand)....Pages 95-104 From Serindia to Japan: A Sketch of the Buddhist Library of Ximing Monastery in the Eighth-Century Chang’an (Xiang Wang)....Pages 105-117 Front Matter ....Pages 119-119 China’s Soft Power: Culturalisation Along the Belt Road Corridors (Khun Eng Kuah)....Pages 121-145 Conflict Management Under International and Cross-Cultural Contexts: Opportunities in the Belt and Road (Charles T. L. Leung)....Pages 147-158 Cultural Contestations and Social Integration: What Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Can Learn from the Experiences of Malaysia and Singapore? (H. C. J. Wong, S. L. Fung)....Pages 159-174 Foreign Language Learning Beyond English: The Opportunities of One Belt, One Road (OBOR) Initiative (Luis Miguel Dos Santos)....Pages 175-189 Front Matter ....Pages 191-191 Ensuring Social and Environmental Sustainability of the Belt and Road Initiative in Cambodia Based on Experiences from China (Pheakkdey Nguon, Yuvaktep Vann)....Pages 193-214 Navigating a Green BRI in Sri Lanka (Divya Hundlani)....Pages 215-233 Comparison of Building Environment Assessment Systems Across the Belt and Road Countries: How Do Green Buildings Contribute to Achieving Ecological Civilization and Sustainable Development Goals? (Siu-tai Tsim, Sherry Yue Su, Bonny Bun-ho Yuen, Mandy Liyan Xie)....Pages 235-258 Front Matter ....Pages 259-259 A Malaysian Perspective on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) During Postpartum Care and Its Relevance Towards China’s One Belt One Road Initiative (BRI) (Shariffah Suraya Syed Jamaludin, Maria Aloysius)....Pages 261-275 Front Matter ....Pages 277-277 One Belt One Road Project is a Driving Force for Holistic Development of Eurasian Region: Challenges to Bangladesh (Profulla C. Sarker)....Pages 279-291 Belt and Road Initiative for Kazakhstan: Opportunities and Risks (Fatima Kukeyeva, Dauren Dyussebayev)....Pages 293-305 Cambodia-China’s Trade Connectivity: Reevaluating the Trade Pattern and Constraints (Sophannak Chorn, Savuth Cheng, Yuthnea Ngoy)....Pages 307-327 Chinese Identities in Southeast Asia (Wei Chin Wong)....Pages 329-340 Back Matter ....Pages 341-350