West China and the Himalayas Through a Westerner's Eyes

Athanasios Sideris

ICA, Charles University – DAM, Masaryk University

Modern China is full of wonders of all sorts, unexpectedly including natural ones, more predictably cultural marvels, and last but not least technological achievements resembling true miracles, especially if one considers the situation in the country a quarter of a century ago. A personal view on all these, triggered by a recent journey, revealed many layers of superimposed meanings, values, and identities, some of which ultimately led the visitor towards the earliest contacts of China and the Far East with the West and specifically with the vast domain of the Hellenized Orient. The experience, overall, emphasized both, the ambivalent character of this old relationship, and the immense potential for further research, exchange and mutual learning from this great cultural capital.