LI Shuchang(1837-1898) served as ambassador to Japan from 1881 to 1890. While in Japan, he had extensive exchanges with Japanese intellectuals, where he held regular meetings every year.
Unlike his predecessor, LI Shuchang settled the exchange of poetry and prose as the main program of his meeting. His poetry club was taking the form of private exchange, but it shows the original form of the network of intellectuals in East Asia. What firmly mediates this network of intellectuals was that ‘the same script’.
What is learned here is a common perception among intellectuals of the same culture. In other words, they are not the beings trapped within the boundaries of the state, but show bonds among intellectuals who share the same culture.
In addition, it is also worth noting that Japanese society at the time was the academic and ideological flow that merged Sinicizing with modernization as a demand for a new era.
However, even with this situation in mind, this is not the main reason why LI Shuchang held the banquet. This is because it is possible to develop business such as academic and cultural exchange. In this respect, it should not be overlooked that he had a very deliberate intention in bringing private exchange forward.
In short, he deliberately selected his personal area and promoted academic and cultural exchange. This can be an effective way to break the boundaries of a country. The fact that the private exchanges rather accomplished that public diplomacy had not been able to accomplish, suggests a course of action on the path that we should take. to our, or academics or intellectuals, in today's hegemony-oriented world.