The doctrine of “Four Great Civilizations” is deemed to be “common knowledge” in world history classes in Japan and China. However， in recent years， there have been scholars from both countries arguing that this doctrine is only recognized in China and Japan but never in other countries. Historical records reveal that the doctrine of the “Four Great Civilizations” was first proposed by Western philosophers or historians such as Carl Ritter， Kapp， Sillé and Hegel， before it was conceptualized by East Asian intellectuals. This process of dissemination， going beyond the disciplinary boundaries of history， geography， anthropology and civilization， is the result of a dialogue between Eastern and Western intellectuals spanning over a century.