François Jullien

François Julien in his office potographed by Olivier Zahm

interview by OLIVIER ZAHM and DONATIEN GRAU

 

François Jullien has long been one of the world’s preeminent sinologists — a specialist in Chinese thought. Over the last decade, he has also emerged as one of today’s leading thinkers, exploring inter-cultural relations between China and the West. He is re-examinating the major issues of contemporary life, such as intimacy (De l’Intime, Grasset, 2013) and the question of dialogue between cultures (On the Universal, Wiley, 2014). His writings, highly subtle, lively, and accessible, invite us to rediscover the intensity that lies hidden in all aspects of our life.

 

OLIVIER ZAHM — Donatien and I thought we’d start from the beginning, with China, although for you China is perhaps not the beginning. How did you end up going there? Here in France when we think about China, Mao’s…