BEIJING, Oct. 31, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In an era marked by unprecedented global transformations, the world stands at a critical crossroads, grappling with deepening deficits in peace, development, security, and governance. As humanity faces unparalleled challenges during this tumultuous period, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, has put forth a solemn call to action through the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), and the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI).
The three pivotal initiatives address the pressing issues of our time, offering viable pathways and robust support for the building of a global community of shared future. Rooted in the rich historical experiences of the CPC's century-long struggle and infused with the wisdom of China's traditional culture, these initiatives are expected to unite the world in the pursuit of common progress and stability.
To offer a deeper understanding of the GDI, the GSI, and the GCI, and elaborate on their significance on a global scale, the Global Times is launching a new article series featuring engaging stories and in-depth interviews to provide our readers with a comprehensive insight into the three initiatives.
When Tang Yunpeng took his usual drive to an archaeological site in Uzbekistan with local archaeologists one afternoon in 2019, a terrace, rising several dozen meters in height, subtly discernible on the horizon, grabbed his attention.
Tang and his colleagues surmised that this place had likely been chosen by ancient people as a settlement site. Ancient pottery fragments found scattered on the terrace proved their conjecture. The Chinortepa ruins site, offering precious first-hand materials for research on the Kushan Empire along the Silk Road, was rediscovered after around 2,000 years.
For thousands of years, people of China and Uzbekistan have maintained communication, trade, and cultural exchanges. Nowadays, they are now growing even closer through various exchanges that benefit both sides. From cultural events to tourism, the two peoples are continuing the close tie along the Silk Road. In 2020, the Chinese-Uzbek center for traditional medicine opened in the Uzbek capital Tashkent to promote traditional Chinese medicine in the Central Asian nation.
From ancient to modern times, China has been on the Silk Road for goods trade and people-to-people exchanges and cooperation.
The stories along the Silk Road have been seen as a vivid reflection of cooperation and mutual appreciation, resonating with the spirit of the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), which was proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The initiative, inspired by Chinese wisdom and principles of peaceful coexistence, focuses on respect for diversity, mutual learning, innovation, and people-to-people exchanges.
"The Chinese civilization has made significant contributions to the cause of human progress," Somsa Ath Ounsida, a member of the Provincial Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and vice governor of Khammouan Province, told the Global Times at a dialogue on traditional Chinese culture and cultural exchanges in Beijing in June 2024. "While inheriting China's fine traditional culture, China promotes cultural innovation, providing new ideas for the development of human civilization and the better promotion of dialogue and exchanges between Eastern and Western cultures."
"In today's era of globalization, all countries should uphold the concept of equality, respect each other, and coexist harmoniously. The culture of each country and nation is unique and independent, and together constitute the diversity of world culture. Strengthening cultural exchanges is important and crucial in promoting the prosperity of world culture," he said, while commenting on China's efforts in promoting exchanges.
As today's world grapples with threats and challenges, people with good intentions "must ensure that culture powers cooperation. The world must choose cooperation instead of tension and confrontation," former French prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin said in his video speech at the 2024 Beijing Culture Forum in October.
Boosting cultural vitality
People living in present-day Central Asia have gained a deeper understanding of their own civilizations and the significance of cultural exchanges, thanks to the work of Chinese archaeologists.
The Collaborative Research Center for Archaeology of the Silk Roads, where Tang works, brings together a team of the most experienced archaeologists in Shaanxi Province - the starting point of the Silk Road. Together, they have undertaken a series of archaeological projects in collaboration with local research institutes across Central Asia.
Liang Yun, a professor at the Academy of Cultural Heritage at Northwest University and a member of the archaeological team at the research center, told the Global Times that one of the most significant turning points and breakthroughs of research on ancient Silk Road was the discovery of Rabat Cemetery in Boysun City, Uzbekistan.
The excavation of the cemetery, led by Chinese archaeologists and assisted by Uzbek experts, sheds a light on the connotations of ancient culture in the region. The discovery of cultural relics showcasing a blend of diverse civilizations - featuring Chinese patterns and Mediterranean amulets - significantly demonstrates how cultural exchanges have contributed to the flourishing of local civilization, according to Liang.
"When local residents are reminded of the significance of their civilization through these ancient ruins and cultural relics, a deep sense of cultural pride and understanding of the significance of cultural exchanges wells up within them," said Tang, reflecting on his interactions with Uzbek locals.
"This realization serves as powerful evidence that our joint archaeological projects under the guidance of the core spirits of the GCI are revitalizing local culture," Tang observed.
Cultural diversity, mutual respect
The GCI, proposed by Xi when he delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting in March 2023, is another major public product provided to the world by China after the GDI and the GSI, both put forward by Xi, in 2021 and 2022, respectively, as Xinhua reported.
The initiative has been seen as a gift to the world that will inject fresh and strong energy into the common development and progress of human society in a world fraught with multiple challenges and crises, as confirmed by international scholars.
An increasing number of practices and cultural products are now being embraced within the gift box known as the GCI, shared by the world including China.
United under the theme of exchanges and dialogues, the world has tasted the fruits of cultural diversity and mutual respect, important components of the GCI, through concerts, exhibitions, movies, meetings, and more.
Since the proposal from the Chinese leader, China and other countries have intensified efforts to promote cultural understanding and exchanges. Initiatives include collaborative heritage conservation measures utilizing digital technologies between China and Greece, as well as an exhibition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games highlighting the beauty of diverse civilizations through artworks, including China's esteemed Ru porcelain.
"Such healthy and positive interactions between civilizations offer opportunities for different cultures to grow and flourish through learning from each other. These civilizational interactive processes require expanded people-to-people exchanges aside from respect for cultural diversity," Zafar Uddin Mahmood, the former special envoy for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, told the Global Times, expressing his appreciation of the values espoused by the GCI that contribute to the healthy and positive development of the whole world.
The Pakistani scholar noted that the GCI demonstrates that China is a civilizational state which has a deep understanding of the importance of connectivity and interaction among different living civilizations. "China has undertaken arduous efforts to create networks for civilizational connectivity."
Ronnie Lins, director of the China-Brazil Center for Research and Business, visited Chinese cities such as Beijing, Kashi, and Urumqi. Through his observation, he noted that China manages to create a harmonious scenario where the preservation of its rich history complements the acceptance of technological innovations, allowing the old and the new to strengthen and enhance each other. The philosophy behind such harmony could benefit other civilizations too.
"The GCI offers an 'open-source platform' for civilizations to connect, where each culture represents a unique line of code that adds value to the global system, without one line of code being more important than another," he told the Global Times.
Global consensus
Over seven centuries ago, the young Venetian merchant and explorer Marco Polo embarked on a trailblazing journey along the ancient Silk Road that led him through Central Asia to China.
Amid the commemoration of the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo's death and the 20th anniversary of the China-Italy comprehensive strategic partnership, a grand exhibition titled A Journey of Knowledge: The Travels of Marco Polo and its Legacy between East and West, was launched at the China Millennium Monument in Beijing earlier this year.
Guicciardo Sassoli de Bianchi, an art historian and project curator with the Italian Institute of Culture in Beijing, described the Sino-Italian cooperation as "a symbolic way to explain how the exchange of civilizations happened."
Robert Walker, a fellow at the Academy of Social Sciences in the UK, told the Global Times that the world "is experiencing enormous tensions. We have to work together to solve common problems" as well as hosting events like the Beijing Culture Forum, a platform for people to share and communicate.
In contrast to the Western claims of the "superiority of certain civilizations and a clash of civilizations," China has called for the upholding of the principles of equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness among civilizations. It emphasizes the importance of cultural exchanges transcending estrangement, mutual learning transcending clashes, and coexistence transcending feelings of superiority.
Voices from all corners of the world resonate with the wisdom of the ancient Chinese about human civilization, encapsulated in the saying, "Yue Yin Wan Chuan" (literally, the moon shines on multiple rivers). This phrase reflects how the moon takes on countless forms on the surface of the water, just as human civilizations do around the globe.
With their unique histories, cultures, and customs, various civilizations have flourished. This rich diversity leads to exchange; exchange fosters integration, and integration drives progress. In this ongoing journey, the GCI acts as a powerful force for advancing the common growth of all human civilizations.
