Abstract: Civilization is a symbol of social development and progress, and it is also a concentrated embodiment of human wisdom and creativity. The key to unlocking civilization and promoting the process of civilization is related to the sustainable development of all mankind.
Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, China, as the only ancient country in the world where the process of civilization development has never been interrupted, has explored Chinese-style modernization based on its own national conditions, inherited excellent culture, and learned from global experience, providing a paradigm for countries around the world to independently explore the process of modernization. In the overall value framework of Chinese modernization, we should pay special attention to the important role of the concept of civilization and its innovative practices in global modernization.
Civilization is a symbol of social development and progress, and it is also a concentrated embodiment of human wisdom and creativity. The key to unlocking civilization and promoting the process of civilization is related to the sustainable development of all mankind. At present, regional and global conflicts arising from geopolitics, economic competition, religious disputes, etc. are continuous, and relevant data show that three-quarters of the world's conflicts are related to cultural aspects, and 89% of the world's conflicts occur in countries with little intercultural dialogue. The global "dilemma of peace" urgently requires innovative solutions from a civilizational perspective. In March 2023, at the high-level dialogue between the Communist Party of China and world political parties, the general secretary summarized the important role of inclusive coexistence of civilizations and exchanges and mutual learning in the process of global modernization with two key words: "community with a shared future" and "hundred gardens of civilizations", highlighting China's responsibility and intellectual contribution to solving global problems as a cultural power.
Chinese modernization has broken the stereotyped thinking that modernization is the same as Westernization. The cultural concept of "harmony and symbiosis" adhered to in Chinese modernization is also a powerful refutation of the theories of cultural hierarchy, cultural superiority, and cultural conflict emphasized by Western society. Understanding Chinese modernization from the perspective of human civilization will help all countries around the world, especially developing countries, better understand the global significance of Chinese modernization.
The concept of civilizational equality is a powerful response to the theory of civilizational hierarchy.
There are more than 200 countries and regions, more than 2,500 nationalities, and more than 6,000 languages in the world today. There are objective differences in the forms of expression between civilizations, and there should be no distinction between high and low. However, since the beginning of the 19th century, from the British geographer Adams who proposed the trichotomy of "barbarian nations", "ignorant or semi-barbaric nations" and "civilized nations", to the gradually formed civilization hierarchy theory, he has been trying to take Western modernization as the value judgment standard of civilization. As a result, the Western countries that took the lead in the modernization process under the impetus of the industrial revolution are defined as the leaders of civilization, while the countries that are relatively lagging behind in the modernization process are defined as the followers of civilization. The hierarchy of civilizations is clearly used by Western societies to define their dominant position in global cultural governance, and to support their idea of exporting justice to Western values to the world.
Chinese modernization lies first and foremost in cultural self-confidence based on the concept of equality of civilizations. As Mr. Fei Xiaotong said: "People living in a certain culture have 'self-knowledge' of their culture, understand its origin, formation process, characteristics and development trend. "Emphasizing one's own subjectivity and balancing the relationship between traditional culture and contemporary culture, nationality and the times, has created the innovative and creative vitality of Chinese civilization. The concept of civilizational equality will also help countries around the world to find a path of self-development on the basis of recognizing and respecting the characteristics of their own civilizations, and will help the international cultural governance order replace the "lead-follow" model with a pluralistic cooperation model.
A strong response to the clash of civilizations theory with shared values.
Value consensus is the foundation of collaboration. With the deepening of globalization, global affairs and global problems are increasing and complex, and cannot be solved by one or a few countries. As actors involved in global affairs, the value consensus between countries and regions is even more important. But it is an indisputable fact that in the development of globalization, there has always been a value gap, and the "clash of civilizations" theory put forward by the American statesman Huntington is a representative: "For those who are seeking to identify and recreate race, the enemy is indispensable, and the potential most dangerous enemy will appear on the fault line of the world's major civilizations." This argument wrongly sees the pursuit of national autonomy and national identity as the motive for the clash of civilizations, which not only gloomily portends the inevitability of a clash of civilizations, but also provides an excuse for the developed countries of the West to stigmatize the cultural rise of other countries.
Chinese modernization itself is a clear proof of the Chinese nation's pursuit of independent development. China is continuing the concept of "harmony in diversity" by promoting the common values of all mankind, and hopes that all countries will abandon prejudices, find the intersection of values, and jointly promote global sustainable development on the basis of fully respecting the right of all countries and nations in the world to develop civilizations.
A powerful response to cultural homogeneity with the diversity of civilizations.
Cultural diversity is a fundamental human trait that gives humanity more choices, empowers it to develop its own capacities and values, and thus becomes a major driving force for the sustainable development of communities, peoples and nations. However, cultural diversity is facing global challenges due to the erosion of over-commercialization and the impact of the digital divide. With the global production and dissemination of cultural products in the fields of publishing, film and television, games, and fashion, content products that are infiltrated with Western values and convey Western aesthetic orientations have become the mainstream of the global market.
In sharp contrast, in the process of Chinese-style modernization, the Chinese nation has always been committed to the inheritance and innovation of civilization, and through the creative transformation and innovative development of China's excellent traditional cultural resources represented by cultural heritage and intangible cultural heritage, it has ensured the diversified supply of cultural products and met the growing needs of the people for cultural life. ** The general secretary's proposal of "attaching importance to the diversity of world civilizations" and "attaching importance to the inheritance and innovation of civilizations" is to emphasize the key role of cultural creativity in nourishing the development of civilization, and on the other hand, it is to express the good wish to build a hundred gardens of civilization with countries around the world.
The concept of mutual learning between civilizations is a powerful response to the theory of cultural hegemony.
From a historical point of view, the development of human society itself is the result of exchanges and integration, collisions and innovations between different civilizations. Viewed from a realistic point of view, Chinese-style modernization is the product of integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with China's specific realities and with China's excellent traditional culture. In the process of global sustainable development, exchanges, cooperation and common development among different civilizations must be the main keynote. Looking back at the entire modernization process of Western society, adhering to the thinking logic of a zero-sum game, "hegemony" and "dumping" are the main keynotes, and they are also destined to lead to confrontation in the global society.
Ten years ago, in his speech at the UNESCO headquarters, General Secretary ** first proposed that "exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations are an important driving force for the progress of human civilization and world peace and development", and he systematically explained China's plan to promote inclusive coexistence, exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations in the 2023 Global Civilization Initiative, showing the magnanimity and demeanor of a great country.
The greatness of a big country does not lie in its large size, size, and fist, but in its big mind, big pattern, and big responsibility. In the face of the ever-changing global situation, China strongly advocates the main tone of openness, inclusiveness, diversity and mutual learning, which will help deepen the awareness of a community with a shared future for mankind, promote the construction of a new form of human civilization, and promote a better and more sustainable world.
The author is a professor and deputy dean of the Institute of Cultural Innovation and Communication at Beijing Normal University, and a member of the UNESCO Committee on Cultural Sustainability
*: "Contemporary Guizhou" 2023 No. 49 "Learning, Thinking and Practice" column.
Yang Yueming. Edited by Liang Shiji.
Second trial: Sun Linjia.
Third trial Wu Wenxian.