Sun Daiyao: Exchanges and Mutual Learning Promote the Progress of Human Civilization
In the long course of human history, various nations have created civilizations with distinct characteristics and identities. Diverse civilizations have encountered one another, exchanged and learned from each other, and mutualy fulfilled one another, writing a chapter of human civilization characterized by "harmony in diversity," "harmonious coexistence," and "shared beauty." [1] With a broad historical perspective, Xi Jinping Thought on Culture profoundly grasps the mainstream essence of the historical development of human civilization, gains deep insight into the trends in the evolution of world civilizations today, and searchingly answers the "civilizational question" of where humanity is headed. Through a series of original concepts and theoretical inquiries, it has deepened our understanding of the laws governing the development of human civilization and expanded the horizons of civilizational theory.
Profoundly Revealing the Essential Requirements of Civilizational Development
Diversity is the fundamental character of the world. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that "harmony in diversity [2] is the law of the birth and development of all things," and "if all things and phenomena were identical, the development of things and the progress of the world would cease." The diversity of civilizations, much like the diversity of species in nature, constitutes the source of life for our planet. The diversity of civilizations is an objective historical reality; without diversity, there would be no human civilization. The German philosopher Karl Jaspers’ theory of the "Axial Age" suggests that around 500 BCE, great thinkers appeared almost simultaneously in China, India, Iran, Palestine, and Greece. They all put forward unique views on issues of human concern, thereby forming characteristic cultural traditions and providing the spiritual impetus for the subsequent development of human civilization. The colorful civilizational creations of various nations have concentrated into the spiritual treasures of humanity and the foundation of historical progress.
Every civilization embodies the wisdom and spiritual pursuits of a country or a nation, and each possesses its own inherent value. As General Secretary Xi Jinping has noted, "Every civilization is the crystallization of beauty," and "one must have eyes that appreciate the beauty of all civilizations." To appreciate the beauty of all civilizations, one must respect civilizational diversity. Respecting diversity means recognizing that every civilization is unique and possesses its own essence and charm; it means acknowledging that civilizations are not ranked as superior or inferior, but are equal in value, and that one must not attempt to transform, assimilate, or even replace other civilizations.
Civilizations are fluid and open; different civilizations exchange with one another, converge, and surge forward together. With a grand historical depth and civilizational vision, Xi Jinping Thought on Culture reveals the laws of the dissemination and development of civilizations. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Any civilization, regardless of which country or nation’s social soil it originated in, is fluid and open. This is an important law of civilizational dissemination and development." Bertrand Russell wrote in The Problem of China: "Exchanges between different civilizations have proved many times in the past to be milestones in the development of human civilization. Greece learned from Egypt, Rome learned from Greece, the Arabs drew on the Roman Empire, medieval Europe imitated the Arabs, and Renaissance Europe followed the Byzantine Empire." Although early humanity was limited by geographical barriers, the exchange and contact between various civilizations have continuously deepened as the scope of human activity gradually expanded. The world has become what it is today through the exchange and integration of diverse civilizations.
The beauty of a well-seasoned soup lies in the meeting of different flavors. [3] Xi Jinping Thought on Culture reveals the essential requirements for civilizational development and deepens the understanding of the laws governing human civilizational progress. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Exchange and mutual learning are the essential requirements for the development of civilization. Only by exchanging and learning from other civilizations and drawing on their strengths can a civilization maintain its vigorous vitality." When discussing the promotion of the Silk Road spirit, General Secretary Xi Jinping once quoted Mr. Feng Youlan’s words: "The five colors shine together, complementing each other; the eight notes play in unison, resulting in final harmony and peace." [4] This illustrates that human civilizations are colorful because they set off one another, and only by orchestrating together can they achieve harmony and balance. Civilizations exchange because of diversity, learn from each other because of exchange, and develop because of mutual learning; this is an objective historical logic. Using civilizational exchange and mutual learning to promote the dissemination of knowledge, advance human progress, and drive the process of modernization in human society possesses irreplaceable contemporary value. Only through exchange and mutual learning can the magnificent flowers of civilization be nourished. Promoting the exchange and integration of different civilizations, mutual learning, harmonious coexistence, and mutual achievement—building a "garden of civilizations" where beauty is shared—is the correct path for the development of world civilization.
Pointing the Way for the Future of Human Civilization
In his congratulatory letter to the Ministerial Meeting of the Forum on Global Civilizational Dialogue, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Currently, the international situation is characterized by intertwined changes and chaos, and humanity stands at a new crossroads." The times call for a new outlook on civilization, urgently requiring an answer to the major question of "where is human civilization headed?" Xi Jinping Thought on Culture profoundly answers what kind of civilizational outlook should be established, what concepts of civilizational development should be advocated, and what constitutes the correct path for the development of human civilization. It provides ideological wisdom for humanity to solve the problems of the age and offers practical guidance for injecting certainty into an uncertain world.
A civilizational outlook refers to one's general perspective on the fundamental issues of civilization. The kind of outlook used to treat different civilizations concerns the progress of human society and the peaceful development of the world. General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed: "We must establish a civilizational outlook based on equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness. We should let exchange transcend estrangement, mutual learning transcend conflict, and coexistence transcend superiority." Civilizational exchange and mutual learning should not be predicated on the exaltation of one specific civilization or the disparagement of another. Only when each appreciates its own beauty and the beauty of others can we achieve "shared beauty" and "Great Unity." [5] The civilizational outlook of "equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness" advocates treating different civilizations with an attitude of equality and promoting dialogue with a spirit of inclusiveness, opposing arrogance, prejudice, conflict, and confrontation. It elucidates the correct attitude and principles for civilizational exchange and mutual learning.
In March 2023, at the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-level Meeting, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed the Global Civilization Initiative, advocating for respect for the diversity of world civilizations, the promotion of the common values of humanity, the importance of civilizational inheritance and innovation, and the strengthening of international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation. As an important international public good, the Global Civilization Initiative aims to provide momentum for the development of world civilization in a balanced, positive, and benevolent direction, and to inject new power into promoting mutual understanding and affinity among peoples and the harmonious coexistence of different civilizations. The four main points of the initiative represent China's view on civilizational development and are also concepts with universal value and significant guiding meaning. In December 2023, in a congratulatory letter to the first "Liangzhu Forum," General Secretary Xi Jinping stated that "mutual respect, solidarity, and harmonious coexistence are the correct paths for the development of human civilization." The discourse on the new civilizational outlook, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the correct path for human civilization is logically clear, responds to the challenges facing civilizational exchange today, and possesses both ideological innovation and practical applicability. It is an original contribution of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture.
Deeply Elaborating the Logic of the Development of Chinese Civilization
Chinese civilization is a civilization generated on the land of China. The famous Chinese archaeologist Su Bingqi once used "a sky full of stars" to describe the sparks of civilization across the Chinese land. He proposed the theory of six major cultural regional systems, revealing the fact that the various systems influenced one another and were interconnected, eventually converging like "a hundred rivers returning to the sea" to form Chinese civilization. This reflects the diversity of civilizational development paths and has shaped the prominent characteristic and spiritual character of Chinese civilization—its capacity to embrace all sides and its inclusiveness.
Chinese civilization is a civilization formed through continuous exchange and mutual learning with other civilizations in the world, embodying the general laws of human civilizational development. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that from the historical eastward spread of Buddhism and the "convergence of Islam and Confucianism" [6] to the "eastward spread of Western learning" [7] in modern times, the New Culture Movement, the introduction of Marxism and socialist thought to China, and the all-round opening-up since the reform and opening-up period, Chinese civilization has always remained fresh through its inclusiveness. Since its founding, the Communist Party of China has always treated the civilizational creations of people from all countries with an open vision and a broad mind. It has historically emphasized establishing a global perspective, actively learning from and drawing on the civilizational achievements created by people worldwide, and applying them in light of China's reality. Marxism itself is a scientific truth that Chinese Communists learned from abroad. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that toward the various civilizations created by human society, "we should adopt an attitude of learning and drawing on them, actively absorbing their beneficial components, so that the excellent cultural genes of all civilizations created by humanity are adapted to contemporary culture and coordinated with modern society. We should carry forward the excellent cultural spirits that span time and space, transcend national borders, possess eternal charm, and hold contemporary value." In the historical process of exchange and mutual learning with other civilizations, Chinese civilization has contributed profound ideological systems, rich cultural achievements, and unique institutional creations to the world, enriching the connotation of human civilization and profoundly influencing the course of world civilization.
Chinese-path modernization has created a new form of human civilization and made a tremendous contribution to human progress. The key lies in properly balancing the persistence of cultural subjectivity with the learning and absorption of the outstanding achievements of human civilization. Chinese-path modernization is rooted in the historical and cultural traditions accumulated by Chinese civilization, embodies the advanced essence of scientific socialism, and absorbs the beneficial achievements of human civilization. Based on its own national conditions and practice, China draws wisdom from Chinese civilization, adopts the strengths of both Eastern and Western schools of thought, remains steadfast without being rigid, and borrows without blindly copying, forming its own development path through continuous exploration. This is a path established based on Chinese history and reality, and it is a path of civilizational development formed by drawing on the strengths of others, following what is good, and being inclusive while "discarding the dross and selecting the essential, eliminating the false and retaining the true." [8] Chinese-path modernization comes from the depths of history; it is a product of civilizational fusion and provides experience in civilizational development that can be shared with the world.