“Modernization”, “progress” and “innovation” are concepts of societal development that have been imported from Europe to China. Their unconditional acceptance was a primary reason why the Chinese radically negated and destroyed their own cultural tradition. To this day, “progress” and “modernization” remain the basis for the way societal development is understood by the political elite, and indeed by the great majority of the population. Innovation, thus, almost automatically meant breaking with traditions.

The kind of “criticism of modernity” that accompanied the process of industrialization and modernization in Europe was unable to evolve in China. The associated loss of tradition, in conjunction with the failure of the Maoist model of modernization and the growing sense of disillusionment with the models of society and thinking offered by the West, led to a profound crisis in terms of cultural self-perception, which many see as a threat to social stability.

How do people reflect on the relationship between innovation and tradition in Europe and China? What was the relationship between tradition and innovation in preindustrial Europe/China? Is innovation a value in its own right? Does innovation necessarily mean breaking with tradition?

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