This invaluable book provides a reflective analysis on European civilization through a Chinese cultural perspective, along with the author's diplomatic experiences in Brussels on the Chinese Mission to the European Union.The book has three main focuses: maritime civilization, human civilization, and the relations between Chinese (East) and European (West) civilization. It aims to stimulate discussion to rethink the East–West relations in terms of globalization and its contributions to a new post-maritime human civilization.Hai Shang (海殇) means elegy of the sea.He Shang (河殇) means elegy of the river.