FGS, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2026, pp.138-145.
Print ISSN: 3106-5503; Online ISSN: 3106-5511
Journal homepage: https://www.fgsjournal.com
DOI：https://doi.org/10.64058/fgs260114lcrzz
At a Loss at the Crossroads: A Review of Zhang Zhengbo’s Other Voices: Overseas Sinologists on Ancient Chinese Calligraphy and Painting
Wu Yitong, Huang Jiajun
Abstract: The rise of Orientalism in the nineteenth century prompted Western scholars to engage with Chinese art from the perspective of the “Other,” thereby inaugurating a sustained history of cross-cultural encounter between Chinese and Western artistic traditions. Over the past century, art historical scholarship in the West has developed a diverse range of methodological frameworks, including iconological analysis, stylistic analysis, cultural field theory, phenomenology, semiotics analysis and indigenous interpretive paradigms. Zhang Zhengbo’s new publication “Other Voices: Overseas Sinologists on Ancient Chinese Calligraphy and Painting” offers a systematic review and case-based analysis of these approaches, highlighting the divergences in interpretive perspectives shaped by distinct cultural and intellectual contexts. Focusing on the issues raised in the book, this review considers the respective strengths, limitations, and inherent tensions between approaches that seek to “translate China through the West” and those that aim to “interpret China on its own terms.” It engages these debates considering the historical experience of Sino-Western interaction and integration in modern Chinese art. In practice, cross-cultural research on Chinese art need not be confined to a single methodological approach; rather, it benefits from a stance of flexibility and responsiveness, attuned to the evolving historical and cultural context while maintaining a commitment to pluralistic inquiry. Through such sustained engagement, this approach facilitates both the self-renewal of Chinese art and the deepening of cross-cultural dialogue.
Keywords: The Other; cross-cultural exchange; Other Voices: Overseas Sinologists on Ancient Chinese Calligraphy and Painting; Sino-Western artistic exchange
Author Biographies: Wu Yitong, Master of Research student in International Studies at Macquarie University, Research Interests: Pre-modern Chinese art and religion. E-mail: yitong.wu@students.mq.edu.au. Huang Jiajun (Corresponding Author), Teaching Assistant, Department of Chinese Language and Literature Guangdong Baiyun University, Research Interests: Overseas Chinese-Language Literature Studies. E-mail: wxhjj2025@qq.com.
标题：无为在歧路——评张郑波《他者异语：海外汉学家言说中国古代书画艺术》
摘要：19世纪东方主义思潮推动西方以“他者”视角介入中国艺术研究，中西艺术开启了跨文化互鉴的历史进程。经过百年发展，西方学界形成了风格学、文化场域、现象学、本土阐释等多元研究路径。张郑波的《他者异语》对上述研究范式进行了系统梳理与个案分析，展现了不同文化背景学者的研究差异。本文围绕书中提出的议题，剖析“以西译中”与“以中译中”的利弊与现实矛盾，并参照近代中国艺术界中西融合的实践经验作出回应。实际上，中国艺术的跨文化研究无需追求唯一路径，应秉持顺其自然、与时俱进的理念，顺应时代、坚持多元探索，在持续实践中实现中国艺术的自我革新与跨文化对话。
关键词：他者；跨文化传播；《他者异语》；中西艺术互鉴
作者简介：吴依桐，麦考瑞大学国际研究专业研究型硕士，研究方向：中国古代宗教美术研究，电邮：yitong.wu@students.mq.edu.au。黄家骏（通讯作者），广东白云学院中文系助教，研究方向：海外华文文学研究，电邮：wxhjj2025@qq.com。
Received: 24 Mar 2026 / Revised: 24 Mar 2026 / Accepted: 25 Apr 2026 / Published online: 30 Apr 2026 / Print published: 30 May 2026.
