BEIJING, March 27 (Xinhua) -- Sinologists from around the world have gathered in Beijing to bemoan the quality of Chinese studies, claiming more serious effort should be made in the comprehensive education of Chinese language, literature and civilization.

    Vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Xu Jialu told experts at the "World Conference on Sinology 2007" that sinology, especially traditional Chinese culture, should be rejuvenated in China's modernization process.

    Xu said the romantic charm of China could be found in the works of famous French writers such as Victor Hugo and Theophile Gautier, while the book of Venetian explorer Marco Polo, the first Westerner traveling in China in the 13th Century, was still widely read abroad.

    However, modern sinological study seemed to be less popular, Xu said.

    China lacked scholars versed in both foreign language and sinology, which hampered exchanges with foreign sinology researchers. "On the other hand, many Chinese are ready to accept pop-style culture, and are losing interest in traditional Chinese culture," he said.

    Xu's view was shared by Professor Claudia Pozzana, of the University of Bologna in Italy, who observed that although more people were studying sinology or the Chinese language, their aims were simple and practical -- to do business or learn traditional Chinese medicine, rather than acquiring an in-depth view of Chinese literature, art and philosophy.

    "Sinological study should be systematic and there is no shortcut," she said.

    Torbjorn Loden, director of the Nordic Confucius Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, highlighted the importance of combining sinological study with the study of modern China.

    "We should also increase the content of modern China in other disciplines such as literature, history, philosophy and art in western countries," he said.

    Austrian Professor Richard Trappl, of the University of Vienna, said a study of Chinese language textbooks abroad showed most of the content was about daily life, such as shopping and going to hospital. "Chinese culture is not that simple. Its thousand years of history should be included in the books," he said.

    On the Chinese side, Zhang Yongxian, executive deputy director of the School of Foreign Language of the Beijing-based Renmin University of China, suggested that China be more confident spreading its culture.

    He cited the translation of Chinese words, such as jiaozi, known in English as dumplings. "But jiaozi are actually different from dumplings and the translation can confuse foreigners," he said, adding that such misrepresentation would lead to diminution of Chinese culture.

    The conference was held from March 26 to 28 in Beijing.