Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed the unique and important
role of the world civilizations in his address at the 2019 Conference on
Dialogue of Asian Civilizations. "To meet our common challenges and create a better future for all, we
look to culture and civilization to play their role, which is as
important as the role played by economy, science and technology," Xi
told the audience. Over the past two years, China's culture and civilization has played
an important part in contributing to the world afflicted with COVID-19
and conflicts. As the pandemic still rages and new challenges arise, people across
the world need to come together to promote interaction among
civilizations and make joint efforts to build a community with a shared
future for mankind. PROMOTING PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT As the international landscape undergoes profound changes, Xi's
remarks on multiple international occasions, which demonstrate China's
view on world civilizations, offer an insight. "Diversity spurs interaction among civilizations, which in turn
promotes mutual learning and their further development," Xi told the
Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations in May 2019. "No two leaves in the world are identical, and no histories, cultures
or social systems are the same," Xi told the World Economic Forum
Virtual Event of the Davos Agenda in January 2021. "Diversity is what defines our world and makes human civilization
fascinating," Xi told the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference in April
2021. Russian sinologist Yuri Tavrovsky said he was impressed by Xi's
remarks at the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations two years
ago. "The meaning of the speech goes far beyond the cultural scope.
President Xi hopes that different civilizations will strengthen
exchanges and mutual learning to promote world peace and development,"
he said. As humanity has been battling COVID-19 over the past two years,
regrettably, the debate of "clash of civilizations" resurges, with some
countries forming values-based alliances to provoke ideological
confrontation. At this critical time, Xi's remarks may shed light upon how to understand and handle cultural and civilizational differences. "The moderate tea drinker and the passionate beer lover represent two
ways of understanding life and knowing the world, and I find them
equally rewarding," Xi said, using a comparison of tea and beer to
explain the diversity and inclusiveness of human civilization. China's view of world civilizations is rooted in its traditional
values of peace, harmony without uniformity, and harmonious coexistence,
which have not only shaped its own action model but also added impetus
to global efforts to promote world peace and development. China's view of world civilizations is characterized by equality,
mutual learning, dialogue and mutual accommodation. It calls for
replacing mistrust with exchange, clashes with mutual learning, and a
false sense of superiority with coexistence in order to safeguard world
peace and development. FACILITATING DIALOGUE AND COOPERATION In March, significant discoveries were made at China's legendary
Sanxingdui ruins, which show that the region's ancient Shu state
civilization may bear similarities with the Maya in their perception of
the universe. "At the end of the day, man is still man independent of time and
space, and what we have is that, at this latitude, both that culture and
the Maya looked at the same sky, they had the same stars on the
horizon," said director of the Chichen Itza archaeological site, Marco
Antonio Santos. Cultural exchange and dialogue prompt the evolution of human
civilization. The ancient Chinese Silk Road, for instance, has played a
big role in connecting peoples and cultures over centuries. In this day
and age, China's exchanges with other countries in culture, arts,
archeology and education go far beyond the past. As the president of a country with an ancient civilization, Xi has
made personal efforts to promote exchanges and mutual learning among
civilizations. Xi has been fascinated by the diversity of civilizations during his
overseas trips, including those to the ancient Mayan ruins of Chichen
Itza in Mexico, the Acropolis Museum in Athens, the Luxor Temple in
Egypt, the ancient city of Bukhara in Uzbekistan and India's Group of
Monuments at Mahabalipuram. His respect and admiration for other civilizations were also manifest
in his frequent reference to foreign culture, ranging from world-famous
classics to well-told stories and arts and crafts symbolizing
intermingled cultures. The COVID-19 outbreak, though dramatically reduced international
travels, has not stopped cultural exchange. Chinese music, TV dramas and
books continue to be staged and read on foreign soil, not to mention
abundant resources of Chinese culture online. WORKING FOR BETTER WORLD On a nine-story Basantapur complex in Kathmandu, a UNESCO World
Heritage Site that was badly damaged during the 2015 earthquake, Chinese
conservation engineers are putting finishing touches on their
meticulous restoration work. The exquisite and sophisticated wood and brick structures damaged in
the 7.9-magnitude earthquake were brought back to life by the Chinese
team, who stayed in Nepal and worked around the clock despite
difficulties imposed by the pandemic. Apart from cultural heritage conservation, China is also working with
other countries in poverty reduction, environmental protection and
other fields as part of its efforts to jointly build a community with a
shared future for mankind. Rooted in traditional Chinese culture, the vision of building such a
community is China's contribution to human civilization. Beijing has
applied and enriched such a vision in developing bilateral and
multilateral relations, and practised it in such areas as ocean, health
and environment. As a key platform for building a community with a shared future for
mankind, the Belt and Road cooperation has won increasing popularity,
eyeing further development in health, environment, digital growth and
other areas. In addition, China's anti-poverty cooperation continued despite the
pandemic, with new pilot projects announced in Southeast Asian
countries, and training programs expanding to help African farmers. Civilization has a soft yet powerful influence. Learning from a
different civilization can and should help build friendship between
peoples, promote progress of human society and safeguard world peace for
a better world for all. Enditem
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