Let the world's civilizations bloom

Civilizations exchange because of diversity, learn from each other because of exchanges, and develop because of mutual learning. Recently, the International Symposium on the Concept of Exchanges and Mutual Learning among Civilizations, co-sponsored by the Information Office of the State Council of China, UNESCO and the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO, was held at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France. Chinese and foreign experts conducted in-depth discussions on the theme of "Exchanges and Mutual Learning among Civilizations and the Common Vision of Mankind", and discussed the way of civilization.

Ten years ago, President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the UNESCO Headquarters on "Exchanges and Mutual Learning among Civilizations is an Important Driving Force for the Progress of Human Civilization and World Peace and Development", profoundly expounding the concept of exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations and providing Chinese wisdom and solutions for promoting the common interests of all mankind. This historic speech was regarded by international public opinion as a "declaration of civilization of historic significance" and aroused enthusiastic responses in the international community. In March 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping put forward the Global Civilization Initiative at the High-level Dialogue between the Communist Party of China and World Political Parties, advocating respect for the diversity of world civilizations, promoting the common values of all mankind, attaching importance to the inheritance and innovation of civilizations, and strengthening international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation, providing the world with another important international public good.

Over the past ten years, the connotation and extension of the concept of exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations have been continuously expanded, and practical achievements have been accumulated. A series of conferences, such as the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations, the Forum on Ancient Civilizations, the Seminar on China-Arab Relations and China-Arab Civilization Dialogue, the China-France Civilization Dialogue, the China-Africa Civilization Dialogue Conference, the China-Latin America Civilization Dialogue Forum, the China-EU Civilization Dialogue Conference, the Civilization Exchange and Mutual Learning Dialogue, the Liangzhu Forum, the World Conference on Chinese Studies Shanghai Forum, and the Nishan World Civilization Forum, have been successfully held. The concept of dialogue and inclusive civilization has aroused deep resonance among many countries, and people-to-people exchanges, cultural integration and people-to-people ties have presented a new situation in all countries around the world. At the International Symposium on the Concept of Exchanges and Mutual Learning among Civilizations, China's positive role in promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations was widely praised by the participants.

In the dialectical unity of individuality and commonality, we ponder the pluralistic symbiosis of civilization

French scholars have pointed out the "plurality" of civilizations – that each civilization is different. Ancient Chinese scholars also expounded that "there is no sound to hear, and there is no text to the object". The garden of world civilization is full of purple and colorful colors, and we must embrace the richness and diversity of the world and strive to seek common ground while reserving differences. As President Xi Jinping said in his speech ten years ago, if there is only one flower in the world, no matter how beautiful this flower is, it will be monotonous. More than 200 countries and regions and more than 2,500 ethnic groups around the world have given birth to diverse civilizations, each with its own unique personality and charm, each with its own merits and strengths. There is no distinction between superior and inferior civilizations, and there is no difference between three, six, nine, and so on. Every civilization is the crystallization of labor and wisdom, and has its own value of existence, and the achievements of every civilization are worthy of respect and cherishment. The UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity states that cultural diversity is as essential to humanity as biodiversity is to maintaining biological balance. Every civilization should deepen its understanding of the differences between its own civilization and that of other civilizations, resist erroneous concepts such as the "clash of civilizations" and "superiority of civilizations," and abandon arrogance and prejudice. We should treat different civilizations with a broad mind, seek wisdom and nourishment from different civilizations with an equal, respectful and inclusive attitude, and let the world's civilizations always maintain their diversity.

"The five flavors are different, and they are the same as the beauty; While respecting the diversity of civilizations, we should also vigorously advocate the promotion of the common values of all mankind and strive to seek the greatest common divisor among civilizations. The individuality and commonality of different civilizations are dialectically unified, and peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom are the common pursuit of the people of all countries. Mankind is a community with a shared future that prospers and loses, and promoting the common values of all mankind is the common path of world civilization in its pursuit of development and progress.

Promote the inheritance and innovation of civilization in the continuous intersection of history and future

In the history of human civilization, some ancient splendid civilizations have died out for various reasons, which is a regret for all mankind. The past cannot be admonished, but the coming can still be chased. How to promote the passing on of the ancient civilization in the future, and how to realize the longevity of the excellent traditional culture in the present, have become the issues of the times faced by all countries. For thousands of years, all nations of the world have created splendid and colorful civilizations with their own characteristics and logos, which are the precious wealth of all mankind. The Global Civilization Initiative advocates attaching importance to the inheritance and innovation of civilizations, fully tapping the value of the history and culture of all countries, and promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of the excellent traditional cultures of all countries in the process of modernization.

Chinese civilization has a long history of more than 5,000 years. The ruins of the ancient city of Liangzhu, which was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2019, bear witness to the historical inheritance of Chinese civilization. In his congratulatory letter to the first "Liangzhu Forum", President Xi Jinping pointed out that in the long history, the Chinese civilization has established one peak after another with unique innovation and creation, and perseverance in the same line. Looking at the past and the present allows us to better grasp the present and move towards the future. Only by tracing back to the source of history can we understand the real world, and only by following the foundation of culture can we identify today's China. We need to understand history, respect history, and understand Chinese civilization from the perspective of historical continuity. At the same time, we should also carry forward the enterprising spirit of the Chinese nation of upholding the right and not the old, respecting the past and not retro, inheriting the history and culture, and integrating modern civilization, continuing the cultural context, advancing with the times, innovating and developing, and striving to build the modern civilization of the Chinese nation with the vision of connecting the past and the present and melting the past and the present.

As the only great civilization in the world that has continued to develop in the form of a state, the successful experience of inheritance and innovation of Chinese civilization has provided useful reference for other human civilizations and a vivid sample of the development history of world civilization spanning more than 5,000 years. The world is one and the world is one family, and the sustainable development of various human civilizations can summarize the universal laws and explore feasible paths. In the process of modernization, it should be the common mission of all countries to pass on the torch of world civilization and protect it from generation to generation.

In the in-depth interaction of absorption and sharing, we uphold the openness and inclusiveness of civilization

The exchange and mutual learning between civilizations is a process of in-depth interaction, which not only receives and absorbs the strengths of other civilizations, but also spreads and shares the beauty of their own civilizations.

Taking Chinese civilization as an example, in the history of more than 5,000 years, the dialogue and exchanges between the Chinese nation and other ethnic groups have spanned mountains and seas, ancient and modern. The Chinese civilization is a civilization formed through continuous exchanges and mutual learning with other civilizations, and is not only good at absorbing the essence of other civilizations, but also willing to contribute the achievements of Chinese civilization to the world. Zhang Qian's journey to the Western Regions in the Han Dynasty opened up the ancient Silk Road that traversed the east and west and connected Asia and Europe, which not only brought Chinese cultural products to the Western Regions, but also brought back the cultural products of the Western Regions to China, opening an era of great exchanges in the history of human civilization. Along the ancient Silk Road, China's silk, porcelain, lacquerware, ironware, the four great inventions, and sericulture were transmitted to the world, and Arabic astronomy, calendar, and medicine were also introduced to China, promoting regional development and prosperity and the spread and integration of civilizations. The "three hares" pattern in the Dunhuang murals is an interesting example of this in Afghanistan, Egypt, Germany, the United Kingdom and other places. The "Silk Road Spirit" accumulated on the ancient Silk Road is a precious heritage of human civilization, and "mutual learning" is an important part of it. UNESCO has also proposed the "Silk Road Comprehensive Research Plan", which is committed to promoting cultural exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

Exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations should be pluralistic and multi-directional, not singular and one-way. Exchange and mutual learning are the essential requirements for the development of civilization. Only by exchanging and learning from other civilizations and learning from each other's strong points can we maintain our vigorous vitality. All countries in the world should uphold the spirit of openness and inclusiveness, continuously strengthen international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation, eliminate cultural barriers, resist conceptual shackles, break down spiritual barriers, and enrich civilizations through exchanges and mutual learning. As European Parliamentarian Hervey Juvin said at the International Symposium on the Concept of Exchanges and Mutual Learning among Civilizations, every civilization should strive to convey its essence to other civilizations. The in-depth interaction between absorption and sharing is conducive to making civilizations better cross national borders, and the two-way flow of species, technologies, resources, people, ideas and cultures is conducive to promoting mutual understanding and mutual understanding among people of all countries, so that the achievements of various civilizations can be better shared by all mankind and benefit the people of all countries in the world.

Inspire the common development of civilization in the hand in hand between China and the world

In the new era, China is forging ahead on a new journey of comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation with Chinese-style modernization. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out at the symposium on cultural inheritance and development that Chinese-style modernization has endowed Chinese civilization with modern strength, and Chinese civilization has endowed Chinese-style modernization with profound foundations. Chinese modernization promotes the coordinated development of material, political, spiritual, social and ecological civilizations, contains a unique concept of civilization, and creates a new form of human civilization.

Material wealth, political clarity, spiritual wealth, social stability, and ecological pleasantness conform to the aspirations of the people of the world for civilization and progress. The rapid development of China's material civilization has provided the world with more and better Made in China and Created in China, provided a larger Chinese market and Chinese demand, and provided Chinese solutions and Chinese strength to promote global economic development. China's promotion of socialist democratic politics and the development of socialist political civilization have provided the world with a reference for the experience of governing the country. China's construction of a socialist spiritual civilization has effectively promoted the creative transformation and innovative development of China's excellent traditional culture, providing spiritual nourishment for the prosperity of human culture. China's development of social civilization, accelerating social construction with a focus on improving people's livelihood, and promoting social harmony and stability have injected positive energy into the international community. China has promoted the construction of ecological civilization, helped people and nature coexist in harmony, and made positive contributions to building a clean and beautiful world.

The best inheritance of history is to create a new history, and the greatest respect for human civilization is to create a new form of human civilization. Chinese modernization has not only effectively promoted the continuous enrichment and development of Chinese civilization, but also inspired China to work hand in hand with the world to build a community with a shared future for mankind and create a better future for world civilization.

Source: Guangming Daily

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