This paper takes the "Qushui Liushang" (cups drifted on meandering waterway), a shared literary ritual in East Asia, as a vivid case of cultural exchange and civilizational mutual learning in the region. From the perspective of academic research, through theories such as the concept of communication rituals, it deeply explores and interprets the rich connotations and profound significance embodied in Lanting culture. Lanting Gathering in the ninth year of Yonghe had a profound influence on surrounding regions of China. The core elements of the ritual—poetic creation, calligraphy, and philosophical reflection—remained consistent, each country adapted the practice to reflect its unique cultural values and aesthetic preferences. A "winding stream" site called Poseokjeong has been perfectly preserved in the southern suburbs of Gyeongju, South Korea. Throughout Japan such as Kyoto's Kamigamo Shrine, traces of "Qushui Liushang" remain. In Vietnam, Emperor Lê Hiến Tông constructed the Flowing Cup Pavilion within the imperial palace. The culture of Lanting embodies the philosophical ideas and concepts on life and the world shared across East Asia, rooted in the Confucian, Buddhist, and Taoist traditions of ancient China. In South Korea’s ancient shamanic songs, hyangga, sijo, one can sense the intrinsic, organic connection and harmony between human life and the universe. The Japanese view of the birth of gods and the formation of the human world is almost equal, as the impermanence of divine death is deeply connected to the transience of human life and death. Over thousands of years, East Asian cultures have shared a nearly unanimous resonance in their reflections on life. Such shared contemplation is perfectly encapsulated by Wang Xizhi's observation in The Preface to the Orchid Pavilion. Moreover, the "Qushui Liushang" ritual embodies the ancient ecological philosophy of harmony between humans and nature ("Tianren Heyi") and an aesthetic preference for curves, as symbolized by the "Eternal Harmony" of flowing water. East Asian countries are geographically adjacent and share a cultural emphasis on the importance of the natural environment. This tradition established a model for integrating reflections on life with joyous gatherings amidst natural beauty. It continued to spread and endure, shaped by the shared yet distinct cultural traditions and imagery of East Asian countries, including their views on nature and life and death. By analyzing the homogeneity and heterogeneity of traditional cultures across East Asia, we can gain a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between cultural continuity and variation in East Asia, and uncover the hidden ideological and cultural essence within shared rituals and forms, thereby promoting the humanistic and spiritual values of Chinese and East Asian traditions, deepening and broadening cultural exchange and mutual learning between East Asia and the world, fostering meaningful dialogue and harmonious coexistence among humanity.

As a renowned 20th-century writer and a representative of the stream-of-consciousness novel, Faulkner has had a profound impact on Chinese and even world literature. This influence has inspired a group of Chinese scholars to conduct academic research on him. Over the years, Chinese Faulkner studies have yielded fruitful results, encompassing the fields of influence studies, parallel studies, and cross-cultural studies, with distinct characteristics of comparative literature, making them an excellent case for comparative literature analysis. On the one hand, reassessing Faulkner studies in China from a comparative literature perspective broadens our understanding of Faulkner’s influence and provides a unique Chinese experience in Faulkner studies. On the other hand, examining China’s Faulkner studies from the perspective of world literature injects a global perspective and value into China’s Faulkner studies, aiming to better promote world literature studies.

It can be said that from the perspective of world literature, we can see that Faulkner research in China: on the one hand, Chinese Faulkner research has constructed the Chinese experience of Faulkner research with China’s unique culture and context. On the other hand, it provides a world perspective and practical cases that overflow the boundaries of Chinese national literature and constructs universal literary experience and aesthetic values. Both of them are integrated into the construction of world literature with the experience of cross-cultural literary exchange and interaction, providing a reference for the construction and reconstruction of world literature. With its possibility of cross-cultural influence, cross-cultural similarity, and interdisciplinary exploration of mutual interpretation, Chinese Faulkner research provides theoretical support for world literature, and also demonstrates the vivid practice of literary interpretation in the context of world literature through specific cases. In the final analysis, Chinese Faulkner research, a regional cross-cultural research practice with a global perspective, provides a possibility of cross-cultural communication, which is the premise for the realization of world literature. In addition, placing Chinese Faulkner research in the perspective of world literature will give Faulkner research a wider meaning. At the same time, taking care of Faulkner with a global perspective will enable Chinese researchers to form a conscious awareness of dialogue with international scholars, and better promote the breadth and depth of Faulkner research.

This research will interrogate how the Polish British writer Joseph Conrad, as an outcast of British society, possesses a cultural self-awareness by presenting the exotic people and world outside Britain. After abandoning his maritime career, Conrad turned to writing novels and stories that deeply drew upon his seafaring experiences. These experiences shaped his depictions of life and death in the jungles of the Malay Archipelago and Africa, and alienated boats floating above the temperamental seas unknown to land people. Frequently Conrad brings up cases of cultural conflicts and trans-cultural communications. Even tragic death caused by the encounter between westerners and the indigenous occur repeatedly in his texts like “Amy Foster” and “Karin, A Memory”. How men and women from different cultural background deal with each other is obviously a motif haunting Conrad’s literary creation. As calling himself a “homo duplex”(the double man), Conrad’s identity of both a Pole and a British gives him a double vision to see the world while the hideous years on sea forms his habit of intensified mediation and reflection upon different cultures. This cultural self-consciousness allows him to evaluate not only the otherness of foreign cultures but also the assumptions, limitations, and contradictions of his own cultural backgrounds which are both from Poland the oppressed and Britain the Empire. In Conrad’s case, his self-consciousness as a Pole in British society, and his critical engagement with the imperialist mindset of the time, makes him acutely aware of how Western cultures perceive and interact with the exotic. In this aspect, Conrad’s consciousness could be understood in relation to Fei Xiaotong’s “cultural self-awareness” refering to a “self-knowledge” on the level of culture and the whole humanity. In the turn of the century when Conrad lived, cultural transformation would be inevitable for British Empire, its colonized areas and other European countries in competition. Hence, cultural self-awareness deeply embedded in Conrad’s works is of great significance in terms of exploring the value of different cultures and the fate of humanity in an increasingly turbulent world manifested at the end of the 19th century, an issue that still bears significant relevance today.

Wenxue Xunkan (Literature Trimonthly) plays an indispensable role in the introduction of World Literature into China. Existing studies examine the literary contention and background of the journal but lack further investigation into its endeavors in translating World Literature. In this process, the editors functioned as patrons. They influenced the literary field via the journal by managing its content and translating selected articles. The current study also examines how the editors employed World Literature to explore a new path of Chinese literature and justify China’s entry into the international community. It then discusses defiance and exploration, two of the main themes of translated works, based on the journal's reality concerns. Finally, it analyzes the translations of literary history and critique as vital sources of new knowledge since they provide substantial references for the study of Chinese literature.

Abstract: The perception of the independence of ancient Greek civilization and the belief that Western civilization originates solely from ancient Greece are among the historical foundations of Western superiority and Eurocentrism. However, ancient Greek civilization was not immune to the influences of ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations. The spread of civilizations across regions occurs through the mobility of their members, and mutual exchange and learning between civilizations is a fundamental law of their development. Ancient Greece was never geographically isolated from the East. The Eastern civilizations around the Mediterranean continuously contributed to the rise of ancient Greece through trade, migration, and other exchanges, laying the foundation for the flourishing of ancient Greek civilization. The formation of this brilliant civilization was never a product of isolation. Efforts to obscure the influence of Eastern civilizations on ancient Greece, to disparage Eastern civilizations, and to disregard historical facts must be addressed and clarified. The wheel of history, driven by exchange and mutual learning, turns alongside the progression of time. Historical truths must not be distorted by constructs such as "civilizational superiority" or "civilizational centrality," and ancient Greek civilization is no exception.