Pour une archéologie des échanges. Apports étrangers en Chine - transmission, réception, assimilation

Recent archaeological discoveries make possible a reappraisal of the cultural exchanges between China and the outside world. The present paper evokes certain problems concerning the foreign contribution to the Chinese material culture and to Chinese art. A more accurate identification of the imported objects, a study of the routes and trade centres, an analysis of the modes of reception and assimilation of foreign elements are all essential. No less important is the study, through archaeology, of the presence of foreigners in China during the last two millenia, of their acculturation, but also of the reaction of the Chinese, according to the period, the region, the social class and the field concerned, to the incoming allogenous elements which have enriched the indigenous heritage.Pirazzoli-t'Serstevens Michèle. Pour une archéologie des échanges. Apports étrangers en Chine - transmission, réception, assimilation. In: Arts asiatiques, tome 49, 1994. pp. 21-33