empire. In recent years, it has been frequently discussed among Chinese scholars and cultural critics in the mainland, Hong Kong, and Taiwan as well as in overseas Chinese critical circles. Writings counter to this concept are called Post-Orientalism (hou dongfangzhuyi)} Inside China, some scholars or critics attack film directors Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige whose successes in various international film festivals depend largely upon their being recognized by Western scholars and critics because their films are regarded as a version of Orientalism, or more exactly, as images made exclusively for a Western audience.2 Meanwhile, overseas Chinese scholars view this attack on Zhang and Chen as a kind of Occidentalism. But to advocate an opposition between Orientalism and Occidentalism at the present time seems inappropriate. It is no easy job, however, to refute these ideas. I would like first of all to reexamine the construction and interpretation of the concept of Orientalism described by Edward Said, then question the so-called Occidentalism, and finally, try to prove that in the current era, the main tendency is cultural dialogue rather than cultural opposition.