Exchange and mutual learning as driving force of civilizational progress

Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasizes a vision of civilization marked by equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness. This perspective seeks to transcend civilizational barriers, conflicts, and notions of superiority through exchange, which provides foundational guidance for understanding the laws of human civilization development, promoting civilizational exchange and mutual learning, and building a global community of shared future for mankind. Civilizational exchange and mutual learning are integral to the progress of humanity and the advancement of every nation and ethnicity, serving as crucial drivers for world peace and development. All civilizations, regardless of their origins, thrive on openness and interaction. Just as living organisms need metabolism, civilizations require exchange and mutual learning for renewal and sustainable development. A civilization that isolates itself will inevitably decline, underscoring the fact that exchange and mutual learning are essential for the vitality and advancement of human civilizations.

Long-standing Chinese-Western Civilizational Exchanges

As early as Western Han dynasty, the great explorer Zhang Qian was dispatched to the Western Regions, spending over 13 years traveling across Central and West Asia and bringing back foreign species and customs to China. He was the first from the Central Plains to venture into these lands, pioneering the legendary Silk Road, which facilitated political, economic, military, and cultural exchanges between China and the West, significantly contributing to the intermingling of civilizations.

Tang dynasty exemplifies cultural exchange and mutual learning in human history. Chang’an, the Tang capital, was a bustling metropolis of nearly a million people, home to envoys, monks, merchants, and scholars from around the world. The city streets were lined with Persian traders selling exotic goods like gemstones, agate, and spices. At its peak, Chang’an hosted over 30,000 foreign students, including more than 10,000 from Japan over 200 years between 700 and 900 A.D., as Japan sent large delegations to learn from Tang dynasty, resulting in the enduring Tang-style cultural elements in Kyoto and Nara. The journey of Xuanzang to the West for Buddhist scriptures significantly contributed to Buddhism becoming a global religion through his efforts in spreading the faith and interacting with local civilizations. Chang’an’s openness, inclusiveness, and cultural diversity during Tang dynasty showcased a grand vision of civilization, reaching a cultural peak through continuous exchange and mutual learning with the world.

In Ming dynasty, scientists like Xu Guangqi introduced Western astronomical, calendrical, and agricultural technologies, significantly advancing agrarian civilization in China. Additionally, the renowned maritime explorer Zheng He undertook seven major voyages, marking an unparalleled era in navigation history. Zheng’s expeditions spanned the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans, involving over 30 countries and regions across Southeast Asia, South Asia, West Asia, and East Africa. Zheng’s fleet carried silks, porcelains, ironware, and gold coins, which he generously presented to local rulers, inviting them to engage in trade with China. Upon returning, his ships were laden with exotic products such as ivory, spices, gems, and books. Zheng’s voyages disseminated China’s esteemed culture and principles of peace, harmony, and unity. Remarkably, these voyages were conducted without seizing wealth, occupying land, or harming the innocent. Instead, they fostered benevolence among nations, upheld mutual respect, and practiced generous exchange. These missions played a critical role in spreading Chinese civilization, promoting international trade, building friendly relations, accumulating nautical knowledge, and establishing maritime routes. Consequently, they made significant contributions to cultural exchange and mutual learning between Chinese and other civilizations.

The 5,000-year history of the Chinese nation demonstrates that civilizational exchange and mutual learning are crucial drivers of human progress and world peace. This is the intrinsic reason behind the enduring vitality and continuity of Chinese culture.

The World Influenced by ChineseCivilization through Exchange

The history of Chinese civilization is one of cultural exchange and mutual learning. Over 2,000 years ago, Chinese civilization began to influence the West through the Silk Road, leaving a significant impact on Western culture. Originating in the Chinese cities of Chang’an and Luoyang, the Silk Road passed through Gansu to the Western Regions and extended thousands of miles to the Mediterranean. This route traversed diverse regions, ethnicities, religions, and cultures, forging a strong connection between ancient Chinese and Western civilizations. Cultural diversity along the route facilitated robust exchanges, infusing Western civilization with abundant resources and growth momentum.

Chinese silk and its production techniques spread to the West via the Silk Road. In the 6th century, Eastern Roman missionaries learned sericulture and silk weaving in China and brought these skills back to the Byzantine Empire. This unique Chinese silk production and textile technology spread to West Asia, India, and Europe, where it was creatively combined with local wool weaving techniques to invent Persian brocade. The spread of papermaking to the West via the Silk Road in the 11th century had a profound impact on European civilization, notably facilitating the European Renaissance. After being introduced to the West, Chinese printing technology also accelerated the spread of scientific and technological knowledge in the West, greatly influencing the Renaissance. Essential goods like rice, tea, porcelain, and textiles traveled from China to the West through the Silk Road. China, being one of the first countries to cultivate rice, spread its rice farming techniques to the West during Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern dynasties, with rice widely grown across the planet today – a significant contribution of Chinese civilization to human progress.

Western Influence on China through Exchange

While Chinese civilization spread to the West through the Silk and Maritime Silk Roads, Western civilization also flowed into China, continuously enriching Chinese culture with gifts from around the world.

Western goods like tomatoes, corn, walnuts, pepper, carrots, eggplants, cucumbers, grapes, garlic, spinach, cilantro, fava beans, peas, pineapples, strawberries, papayas, watermelons, and sunflowers have become integral to Chinese life, all introduced from abroad. Xinjiang’s famed “Ferghana Horses” were excellent breeds introduced from Central Asia during Han dynasty. Western technologies and culture, such as Persian “weft brocade” textile techniques, replaced the “warp brocade” techniques in China, reflecting the historical reality of Chinese-Western civilizational exchanges. Handicrafts like Roman woolen fabrics, glassware, and the use of Arabic numerals for arithmetic calculations, invented in India and transmitted to China via Arabs, have all influenced Chinese culture. Musical instruments like the pipa and huqin, adapted over time to become familiar folk instruments in China, and the introduction of Arab astronomy, mathematics, and chemistry, have greatly advanced Chinese cultural and scientific development. The exotic ambergris, once a precious gift from the Arab Empire to the Tang Emperor, was also sold in Song dynasty pharmacies alongside other Arabic medicines. Arab traders, carrying the “Quran” in one hand and a spice box in the other, traveled the lengthy Silk Road, bringing not only exotic fragrances but also Arab culture. The literary classic “One Thousand and One Nights” from the golden age of Arab civilization is well-known in China. Western religions also made their way into China. Before the introduction of foreign religions, China’s upper classes studied Confucian classics, while the common people followed Taoism and Shamanism. The introduction of Buddhism and other foreign religions facilitated cultural integration between East and West. Zoroastrianism, originating in Persia, was the first to reach Xinjiang between the 5th and 1st centuries BC, significantly influencing the spiritual life of the Chinese. Buddhism entered China from India in the 1st century BC and, during its spread to the Central Plains, brought Gandhara art, which combined Greek sculptural art with Indian Buddhist scriptures, deeply influencing Chinese culture. Other foreign religions introduced to China include Nestorianism, Manichaeism, and Islam. The “Nestorian Stele” in Xi’an’s Beilin Museum authentically records the spread of Nestorianism in China, also reflecting Tang dynasty’s openness and inclusiveness. History has shown that ancient China established close ties with Western civilizations through cultural exports like porcelain, silk, and tea. Calligraphy, music, dance, martial arts, and drama, among other cultural forms and ethnic cultural products have bridged civilizations through exchange and mutual learning.

“A single flower does not herald spring; a full garden of flowers brings spring to life.” Civilizations thrive on diversity, grow through exchange, and develop through mutual learning. As President Xi points out: “Civilizations have come in different colors, and such diversity has made exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations relevant and valuable. Just as the sunlight has seven colors, our world is a place of dazzling colors.” Throughout history, Chinese civilization has continually engaged in exchange and mutual learning with world civilizations, continually revitalizing itself by absorbing fine cultural elements from around the world, enriching global culture in return. It is through the exchange and mutual learning between civilizations that various civilizations have interacted, learned from each other, integrated, and progressed together, creating distinctive and influential human civilizations. As global modernization evolves, we must resolutely oppose racial, national, and civilizational discrimination, promote global civilizational exchange and mutual learning, and strive to build a global community of shared future, initiating a new era of human exchange, cultural integration, and mutual understanding among nations. Following this approach, we’ll be able to create a vibrant, fragrant garden of human civilizations.

(Author: Yang Zhengquan is the Party Secretary and President of the Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences)