Abstract: Western-originated area studies have long been constrained by Western-centrism and a single-center optic, resulting in a center－periphery binary in interpretations of non-Western regions. The method of empathic understanding (as advocated by Paul A. Cohen), and drawing on the cross-civilizational dialogue practices of scholars such as Song Nianshen and Baek Young-seo are adopted to undertake a systematic reflection on the Western-centric construction of East Asian history by taking East Asian area studies as the object of inquiry to seek to transcend the temporal limits of traditional Sinocentrism. A research pathway oriented toward an interactive-center perspective is proposed to reassess the problematics and methodological foundations of China's area studies. The results found that empathic understanding is not exclusive to the West, but can be placed in dialogue with the Chinese historiographical notion of “sympathetic understanding”.

Key words: area studies, East Asia, empathic understanding, interactive-center approach