Echoes of Confucius: Civilizations rooted in dialogue
By Guo Yan
Why Conversation matters
A few years ago, I traveled to Quanzhou with a South African journalist. Known as the starting point of the ancient Maritime Silk Road, Quanzhou was once hailed as the "largest port in the East" during the Song and Yuan dynasties. It was a thriving maritime emporium where goods, beliefs, and ideas flowed freely across oceans.
In a single afternoon, we visited a Confucian temple, a mosque, and a Christian church, all within walking distance of each other.
My foreign colleague asked, half in jest, "Why do Chinese people have so many gods?"
I smiled and replied, "It's not that we have so many gods, we just honor many beliefs."
Walking among centuries-old monuments, I could almost see the bustling scenes from a thousand years ago – Arab traders, Indian monks, and European missionaries, speaking different tongues but living side by side in mutual respect. The city is a microcosm of civilizational coexistence.
That day in Quanzhou reminded me of something deeper.
The essence of a civilization is not how loudly it speaks, but how well it listens and how deeply it respects others.
Through the Silk Roads: East meets West
Long before globalization became a buzzword, the Silk Roads, both overland and maritime, stitched together the fates of continents. Two thousand years ago, camel caravans journeyed westward from Chang'an (today's Xi'an, capital city of Shaanxi Province) through deserts and mountains, carrying not just silk and tea, but also philosophies, scientific insights, and dreams of connection.
Zhang Qian's mission during the Han Dynasty was not merely a diplomatic endeavor. It was a civilizational spark.
The Silk Roads proved an enduring truth: When civilizations meet, the future unfolds.
From India, Buddhism found fertile ground in China. From China, paper-making, printing, and medicine traveled westward, later helping to ignite the European Renaissance. Rather than diminishing cultural identity, these exchanges enriched and expanded it.
The Tang Dynasty (618–907), for instance, thrived in part because it embraced foreign music, fashion, and ideas. Widely regarded as one of the most prosperous and cosmopolitan eras in Chinese history, the dynasty flourished not only because of its economic strength and artistic achievements, but also because of its spirit of openness.
In fact, the influence of Chinese civilization radiated across Asia and extended via the Silk Roads to distant corners of Europe. From Persia and India to Central Asia and beyond, people from nearly every known region found their way to China.
And just as foreign merchants and monks brought silk and spices, they also brought knowledge: Hellenistic mathematics, Greek medical theory, Babylonian astronomy. These streams of learning flowed into China, transforming its intellectual landscape in subtle yet profound ways.
As the Chinese philosopher Mencius observed over two millennia ago: "Things are not all the same. That is the true nature of things." (Wù zhī bù qí, wù zhī qíng yě.) He understood that diversity is not a flaw to be corrected, but a feature to be embraced and a universal principle underlying the evolution of human society.
Civilizations, after all, are not isolated islands.
They are like river systems that are rising, merging and adapting.
Tourists ride camels at the Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring scenic spot in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province, July 15, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]
Why civilizations must talk
Today, we face a different kind of fragmentation. Mounting risks of economic decoupling, cultural misunderstandings, and ideological divides threaten to erode the global fabric. Misperceptions escalate into mistrust and sometimes into open conflict.
Yet, no country or civilization can tackle the 21st century's shared challenges alone:
AI governance, climate adaptation, energy transition, and the rise of the Global South all require value-based dialogue, rooted in empathy, not dominance.
Against this backdrop, China has put forward a thoughtful response: the Global Civilization Initiative, introduced in 2023. Rather than offering a rigid framework, it encourages the world to rethink how we relate to one another across cultures, histories, and systems.
At its core, the initiative calls on us to respect diversity, learn from each other, and carry forward traditions while embracing innovation, and engaging in open, empathetic dialogue.
These ideas are not abstract. They are taking shape in new partnerships, cultural programs, and people-to-people exchanges across continents.
The Global Civilizations Dialogue takes on this urgent task.
With the theme "Civilizational Dialogue and Mutual Learning: Cultural Heritage and Innovation," the forum goes beyond symbolic gestures.
It brings together officials, scholars and young thinkers to explore how ancient wisdom, especially traditional values like harmony, respect, and self-reflection, can guide us through today's global uncertainties.
The forum stands as a living example of what it means to move from vision to action.
Modernization, after all, should not mean Westernization.
The world does not need a single path. It needs shared pathways.
As renowned Chinese sociologist Fei Xiaotong once said: "Let each culture appreciate its own beauty, and appreciate the beauty of others. Let all cultures share their beauty with one another. Only in this way can the world live in harmony."
This vision challenges the zero-sum mindset. China proposes a development vision grounded in harmony, not hegemony. Diversity is not a threat, but a resource.
Dialogue Is destiny
In Quanzhou, centuries ago, civilizations converged not to clash, but to converse.
Today, the stakes are higher, but the principle remains unchanged. The world doesn't need louder voices. It needs deeper understanding. As the civilization forum convenes, it sends a timely reminder: Power may rise and fall, but the true legacy of a civilization lies in its ability to listen, to connect, and to uplift humanity through dialogue.
Guo Yan is a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN.
