Thoughts on the Diplomatic Role of Chinese Classical Dance Culture

Abstract

Cultural diplomacy is not an emerging concept. As early as July 2009, Hu Jintao, then the president of China, proposed to “carry out various forms of foreign cultural exchange activities and spread the excellent Chinese culture.” Culture is obviously symbolic in a certain environment, and art, as a kind of carrier under the branch of culture, has an irreplaceable role in both the recognition of culture and the identity of the nation. Although the historical background involved in dance culture is not the most comprehensive, it covers the spiritual culture and material culture of all walks of life in the history of the Chinese nation. It is a cultural category with rapid spread, deep roots and wide coverage. Keywords—Chinese classical dance, Culture, Diplomacy In terms of the analysis of diplomatic environment of the countries in the world is concerned, cultural diplomacy is indeed an effective way to enhance national understanding and bring the country closer. The culture in dance is not only physical, but also spiritual and emotional. It contains history, beliefs, values and concepts, and is a multi-integrated cultural approach. The dance culture exchange among the countries is both three-dimensional and flat. It is both mutual study of dance and historical comparison. I. DANCE ART IN THE CULTURAL DIMENSIONS The “cultural dimension theory” is the concept put forward by Geert Hofstede, the director of the Netherlands Institute for International Cultural Cooperation, in studying the differences of the influence of transnational cultures. It is a framework for measuring the cultural differences between different countries. He divided the cultural differences between different countries into four basic cultural dimensions: 1. Power Distance 2. Uncertainty Avoidance 3. Individualism/Collectivism 4. Masculinity versus Femininity. The four dimensions are Hofstede’s original theory, and it is the more quintessential part of the concept of cultural dimension. The latter two dimensions are supplemented after the investigation and research based on the original dimensional concept of other scholars. The concepts cited into the cultural dimension theory are: 5. Long-term versus Short-term 6. Indulgence versus Restraint. Each dimension analyzes the differences of transnational culture from different aspects and levels, and sets up research frameworks and templates for such research. As one of the most primitive cultural forms of human beings, dance art is an important way and method to study the differences of national culture. The national culture covered in dance is solid, contemporary and dynamic, and it preserves the cultural evolution process and development trend of a country or a nation well and is of cultural research value. Each dimension mode of the concept of cultural dimension can be applied to the study of dance culture, and find comparison from the history of dance development and the history of national culture development. The art of dance is called "human embryonal art". The so-called embryonal nature means that the germination of this art form is closely related to the emergence of human beings. It is accompanied by a series of survival evolution processes such as human emotions, labor and migration, and is an important way for primitive humans to exchange emotions and record customs. The ancients danced around the bonfire, danced when they were in high spirits, and danced when they were sad. They all carried the versatile emotional expression of primitive humans. The theory of human evolution has gradually enriched the social function of dance art. The form of "dance sacrifice" is a derivative of the human spiritual world. It serves as a special medium for people to pray for well-being, to pay homage to the ancestors, to communicate with the gods, and to act as an important node of transition from "empathy" to "send thoughts" for dance art. It also represents human’s exploration and conjecture for the unknown world. As a part of the expression of body in sacrifice, “dance sacrifice” serves as a bridge for people to lead the ideal world, adding the persuasive power of the ancient superstition. In the human development vein, dance is endowed with new meanings. Its inclusiveness and symbolism have made its particularity, so that every existing dance form has a profound historical view and cultural attribute. Dance art is not only the perfect expression of contemporary thought and emotion but also the true portrayal of human society development at different stages. II. THE CULTURAL PARTICULARITY OF CHINESE CLASSICAL DANCE In the existing Chinese dance culture concept, although Chinese classical (Gu Dian) dance is not the most representative, it is indeed the most symbolic. The so-called "Gu" is ancient time, history and the past. "Dian" is a model and elegance. The concept of classical dance has a strong national sentiment and traditional aesthetics in a special context. In the history of interaction and exchange with other dances in China, it has not only absorbed nutrients, but also perform constant 8th International Conference on Education and Management (ICEM 2018) Copyright © 2019, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Advances in Economics, Business and Management Research, volume 75