Exchange and Mutual Learning Promote the Progress of Human Civilization

In the long historical process of humanity, various ethnic groups have created civilizations with distinct characteristics and markers. Different civilizations have encountered each other, engaged in exchange and mutual learning, and achieved mutual accomplishments, composing a chapter of human civilization characterized by harmony in diversity, coexistence and co-prosperity, and the beauty of each being appreciated. Xi Jinping’s cultural thought, with its broad historical perspective, profoundly grasps the mainstream essence of the historical development of human civilization, deeply observes the evolving trends of world civilization today, and profoundly answers the civilizational question of where human civilization is headed. Through a series of original concepts and scholarly explanations, it deepens the understanding of the laws governing the development of human civilization and expands the horizon of civilizational theory.

在人类漫长的历史进程中，各民族创造了各具特点和标识的文明。各种文明相互遇见、交流互鉴、彼此成就，书写了和而不同、和合共生、美美与共的人类文明篇章。习近平文化思想以宽广的历史视野，深刻把握人类文明历史发展的主流本质，深入洞察当今世界文明演进态势，深刻回答人类文明向何处去的文明之问，以一系列原创性理念和学理性阐释，深化了对人类文明发展的规律性认识，拓展了文明论的视野。

Profoundly Revealing the Essential Requirements of Civilizational Development

深刻揭示文明发展的本质要求

Diverse civilizations are the true nature of the world. General Secretary Xi Jinping points out, “Harmony in diversity is the law of the occurrence and development of all things,” and “If everything were uniform, the development of things and the progress of the world would cease.” The diversity of civilizations, like the diversity of species in nature, together constitutes the life source of 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” holds that around 500 BCE, great thinkers emerged almost simultaneously in China, India, Iran, Palestine, and Greece, each offering unique perspectives on issues of human concern. This gave rise to distinct cultural traditions and provided spiritual impetus for the subsequent development of human civilization. The colorful civilizational creations of various ethnic groups coalesce into the spiritual treasures of humanity and the foundation of historical progress.

多样文明是世界的本色。习近平总书记指出，“和而不同是一切事物发生发展的规律”“如果万事万物都清一色了，事物的发展、世界的进步也就停止了”。文明的多样性，就如同自然界物种的多样性一样，一同构成我们这个星球的生命本源。文明的多样性是客观的历史存在，没有多样性，就没有人类文明。德国哲学家雅斯贝尔斯的“轴心时代”理论认为，公元前500年前后，在中国、印度、伊朗、巴勒斯坦和希腊等地几乎同时出现伟大思想家，都对人类关切的问题提出了独到看法，由此形成了各具特色的文化传统，也为此后人类文明发展提供了精神动力。各民族多姿多彩的文明创造，聚化为人类的精神瑰宝和历史进步的基础。

Each civilization embodies the wisdom and spiritual pursuits of a nation and an ethnic group, and each has its own value of existence. As General Secretary Xi Jinping points out, “Every civilization is the crystallization of beauty,” and “One must have eyes to appreciate the beauty of all civilizations.” To appreciate the beauty of all civilizations, one must respect their diversity. Respecting civilizational diversity means acknowledging that each civilization is unique, with its own essence and charm; it means recognizing that there is no hierarchy of superior or inferior civilizations, that different civilizations are equal in value, and that one cannot attempt to transform, assimilate, or even replace other civilizations.

每一种文明都凝聚着一个国家、一个民族的智慧和精神追求，都有自己存在的价值。正如习近平总书记所指出的，“每一种文明都是美的结晶”“要有欣赏所有文明之美的眼睛”。欣赏所有文明之美，就要尊重文明的多样性。尊重文明多样性，意味着承认每一种文明都是独特的，都有其自身的精华和魅力；意味着认可文明没有高低优劣之分，不同文明在价值上是平等的，不能企图改造、同化甚至取代其他文明。

Civilization is fluid and open; different civilizations interact and converge, surging forward together. Xi Jinping’s cultural thought, with its vast historical depth and civilizational perspective, reveals the laws of civilizational dissemination and development. General Secretary Xi Jinping points out: “Any civilization, no matter which country or nation’s social soil it arises from, is fluid and open. This is an important law of civilizational dissemination and development.” Bertrand Russell wrote in *The Problem of China*: “Contacts between different civilizations have often in the past proved to be landmarks in human progress. Greece learned from Egypt, Rome from Greece, the Arabs from the Roman Empire, medieval Europe from the Arabs, and Renaissance Europe from the Byzantine Empire.” Although early humanity faced limitations such as geographical barriers, exchanges and contacts between various civilizations deepened as the scope of human activity gradually expanded. The world became what it is today only through the exchange and integration of diverse civilizations.

文明是流动和开放的，不同文明相互交流交汇、共同奔涌向前。习近平文化思想以宏阔的历史纵深和文明视野，揭示了文明传播发展规律。习近平总书记指出：“任何一种文明，不管它产生于哪个国家、哪个民族的社会土壤之中，都是流动的、开放的。这是文明传播和发展的一条重要规律。”罗素在《中西文明比较》中写道：“不同文明之间的交流过去已经多次证明是人类文明发展的里程碑。希腊学习埃及，罗马借鉴希腊，阿拉伯参照罗马帝国，中世纪的欧洲又模仿阿拉伯，而文艺复兴的欧洲仿效拜占庭帝国。”尽管人类早期受到地理阻隔等限制，但各种文明之间的交流、接触总是随着人类活动范围的逐步扩大而不断加深，世界是在多样文明交流交融中才成为今天这个样态的。

The beauty of a harmonious stew lies in the blending of diverse ingredients. Xi Jinping’s cultural thought reveals the essential requirements of civilizational development and deepens the understanding of the laws governing the development of human civilization. General Secretary Xi Jinping points out: “Exchange and mutual learning are

和羹之美，在于合异。习近平文化思想揭示了文明发展的本质要求，深化了对人类文明发展的规律性认识。习近平总书记指出：“交流互鉴是文明发展的本质要求。只有同其他文明交流互鉴、取长补短，才能保持旺盛生命活力。”习近平总书记在讲到弘扬丝路精神时，曾引用冯友兰先生的“五色交辉，相得益彰；八音合奏，终和且平”，说明人类文明因为互相映衬而多姿多彩，彼此交响才能达到和谐与平衡。文明因多样而交流，因交流而互鉴，因互鉴而发展，这是客观的历史逻辑；以文明交流互鉴促进知识传播、推进人类文明进步、推动人类社会现代化进程，更有不可替代的当代价值。交流互鉴，才能滋养绚丽多彩的文明之花。推动不同文明交流交融、相互学习，和合共生、彼此成就，共建美美与共的文明百花园，才是世界文明发展的正道。

Pointing the Way Forward for the Future of Human Civilization

为人类文明何去何从指明方向

In his congratulatory letter to the Ministerial Meeting of the Global Civilization Dialogue, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, “At present, the international situation is volatile and intertwined, and humanity stands at a new crossroads.” [1]1 The “Global Civilization Dialogue” refers to a high-level meeting on civilizational exchange. The quote is from Xi Jinping’s letter dated June 7, 2024. The times call for a new view of civilization, urgently requiring an answer to the major question of “where human civilization is headed.” Xi Jinping Thought on Culture profoundly answers what kind of view of civilization needs to be established, what kind of concept of civilizational development should be advocated, and what is the correct path for the development of human civilization, providing intellectual wisdom for humanity to solve the problems of the times and offering practical guidance to inject certainty into an uncertain world. [2]2 “Xi Jinping Thought on Culture” (习近平文化思想) was formally articulated at a national conference on propaganda, ideological, and cultural work in October 2023.

习近平总书记在致全球文明对话部长级会议的贺信中指出，“当前，国际形势变乱交织，人类站在新的十字路口”。时代呼唤新的文明观，迫切需要回答“人类文明何去何从”的重大问题。习近平文化思想深刻回答了需要树立什么样的文明观、应当倡导什么样的文明发展理念、什么是人类文明发展的正确道路，为人类破解时代难题提供思想智慧，为不确定的世界注入确定性提供实践指引。

A view of civilization is a general perspective on the fundamental issues of civilization. What kind of view of civilization is adopted to treat different civilizations bears on the progress of human society and the peaceful development of the world. General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed: “We need to establish a view of civilization that emphasizes equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness. Let us overcome civilizational estrangement with civilizational exchange, overcome civilizational clash with civilizational mutual learning, and overcome civilizational superiority with civilizational coexistence.” [3]3 This quote is from Xi Jinping’s speech at the opening ceremony of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations on May 15, 2019. Civilizational exchange and mutual learning should not be premised on the supremacy of one civilization or the denigration of another. Only by appreciating the beauty of each and the beauty of others can we achieve the beauty of all in harmony and the great unity of the world. [4]4 “Appreciating the beauty of each and the beauty of others” (各美其美、美人之美) and “the beauty of all in harmony and the great unity of the world” (美美与共、天下大同) are phrases derived from the sociologist Fei Xiaotong, drawing on classical Chinese ideals of harmony. The view of civilization of “equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness” advocates treating different civilizations with an attitude of equality, promoting civilizational dialogue and exchange with a spirit of inclusiveness, opposing arrogance and prejudice, conflict and confrontation, and elucidates the correct attitude and principles for civilizational exchange and mutual learning.

文明观是关于文明基本问题的总的观点。以什么样的文明观对待不同文明，事关人类社会进步与世界和平发展。习近平总书记提出：“我们要树立平等、互鉴、对话、包容的文明观，以文明交流超越文明隔阂，以文明互鉴超越文明冲突，以文明共存超越文明优越。”文明交流互鉴不应该以独尊某一种文明或者贬损某一种文明为前提。各美其美、美人之美，才能实现美美与共、天下大同。“平等、互鉴、对话、包容”的文明观主张以平等态度对待不同文明，以包容精神推动文明对话交流，反对傲慢和偏见、冲突和对抗，阐明了文明交流互鉴的正确态度和原则。

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 respect for the diversity of world civilizations, promoting the common values of all humanity, emphasizing the inheritance and innovation of civilizations, and strengthening international people-to-people and cultural exchanges and cooperation. As an important international public good, the Global Civilization Initiative aims to provide impetus for world civilizations to develop in a balanced, positive, and benevolent direction, and to inject new momentum into promoting mutual understanding and affinity among peoples of all countries and the harmonious coexistence of different civilizations. The four key points of the initiative represent China’s upheld concept of civilizational development and also constitute a concept of civilizational development with universal value and important guiding significance. In December 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the first “Liangzhu Forum,” proposing that “mutual respect, solidarity and mutual assistance, and harmonious coexistence are the correct path for the development of human civilization.” [5]5 The Liangzhu Forum, named after the Neolithic Liangzhu archaeological site in Zhejiang Province, is an international platform for civilizational dialogue. The quote is from Xi Jinping’s letter dated December 3, 2023. The discussions on the new view of civilization, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the correct path for the development of human civilization are logically clear, respond to the challenges facing civilizational exchange in the world today, possess both ideological innovation and practical applicability, and constitute the original contributions of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture.

2023年3月，习近平总书记在中国共产党与世界政党高层对话会上提出全球文明倡议，倡导尊重世界文明多样性、弘扬全人类共同价值、重视文明传承和创新、加强国际人文交流合作。作为重要国际公共产品，全球文明倡议旨在为世界文明朝着平衡、积极、向善的方向发展提供助力，为促进各国人民相知相亲、不同文明和合共生注入新动力。倡议的四大要点，是中国秉持的文明发展观，也是具有普遍价值和重要指引意义的文明发展理念。2023年12月，习近平总书记向首届“良渚论坛”致贺信，提出“相互尊重、和衷共济、和合共生是人类文明发展的正确道路”。新文明观、全球文明倡议和人类文明发展正确道路的论述，逻辑清晰，回应当今世界文明交流面临的挑战，兼具思想创新性和现实实践性，是习近平文化思想的原创性贡献。

Elaborating In-Depth on the Logic of the Development of Chinese Civilization

深入阐述中华文明发展逻辑

Chinese civilization is a civilization that emerged on Chinese soil. The renowned Chinese archaeologist Su Bingqi once used the phrase “stars twinkling across the sky” to describe the sparks of civilization across the land of China, proposing the theory of six major cultural regional system types. [6]6 Su Bingqi (1909–1997) was a leading Chinese archaeologist. His “six major cultural regional systems” theory (六大文化区系类型学说) proposed that early Chinese civilization developed from multiple interacting regional centers. This revealed the fact that the various regions influenced each other, with each containing elements of the others, and through interaction, exchange, and integration, they converged like “a hundred rivers flowing into the sea” to form Chinese civilization. [7]7 “A hundred rivers flowing into the sea” (百川归海) is a classical Chinese idiom from the *Huainanzi*, used here to describe the convergence of diverse regional cultures into a unified Chinese civilization. This not only reflects the diversity of paths of civilizational development but also shaped the prominent characteristics and spiritual qualities of Chinese civilization, which are inclusive and all-embracing.

中华文明是在中国大地上产生的文明。我国著名考古学家苏秉琦曾用“满天星斗”形容中华大地上的文明火花，提出六大文化区系类型学说，揭示了各区系之间相互影响，你中有我、我中有你的事实，在交往交流交融中“百川归海”汇聚而成中华文明。这既体现了文明发展路径的多样性，也形塑了中华文明包容四海、兼收并蓄的突出特性和精神品格。

Chinese civilization is a civilization formed through continuous exchange and mutual learning with other civilizations of the world, embodying the general laws of the development of human civilization. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that, from the historical eastward transmission of Buddhism and the “Confucian-Islamic synthesis,” to the modern “eastward spread of Western learning,” the New Culture Movement, and the introduction of Marxism and socialist thought into China, and then to the all-round opening up since reform and opening up, Chinese civilization has always been renewed through the ages in the process of eclectically absorbing diverse elements. [8] Since the founding of the Party, the Communist Party of China has always treated the civilizational creations of the peoples of all countries with an open vision and a broad mind, has consistently emphasized establishing a world perspective, actively learning from and drawing on the civilizational achievements created by the peoples of all countries, and applying them in light of China’s actual conditions. Marxism is precisely the scientific truth that Chinese Communists learned from abroad. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that, regarding all kinds of civilizations created by human society, “we should all adopt an attitude of learning from and drawing on them, should all actively absorb the beneficial elements within them, so that the excellent cultural genes from all of humanity’s creations are adapted to contemporary culture and coordinated with modern society, and so that the excellent cultural spirit that transcends time and space, transcends national boundaries, is full of eternal charm, and possesses contemporary value is carried forward.” In the historical process of exchange and mutual learning with other civilizations, Chinese civilization has contributed profound systems of thought, rich cultural achievements, and unique institutional creations to the world, enriching the connotation of human civilization and profoundly influencing the course of world civilization.

中华文明是同世界其他文明不断交流互鉴而形成的文明，体现了人类文明发展的一般规律。习近平总书记指出，从历史上的佛教东传、“伊儒会通”，到近代以来的“西学东渐”、新文化运动、马克思主义和社会主义思想传入中国，再到改革开放以来全方位对外开放，中华文明始终在兼收并蓄中历久弥新。建党以来，中国共产党始终以开放的眼光、开阔的胸怀对待世界各国人民的文明创造，历来强调树立世界眼光，积极学习借鉴世界各国人民创造的文明成果，并结合中国实际加以运用。马克思主义就是中国共产党人从国外学来的科学真理。习近平总书记强调，对人类社会创造的各种文明，“我们都应该采取学习借鉴的态度，都应该积极吸纳其中的有益成分，使人类创造的一切文明中的优秀文化基因与当代文化相适应、与现代社会相协调，把跨越时空、超越国度、富有永恒魅力、具有当代价值的优秀文化精神弘扬起来”。中华文明在同其他文明交流互鉴的历史进程中，向世界贡献了深刻的思想体系、丰富的文化成果、独特的制度创造，丰富了人类文明内涵，深刻影响了世界文明进程。

Chinese-path modernization has created a new form of human civilization and made tremendous contributions to the progress of human civilization. The key to this lies in properly grasping the relationship between maintaining cultural subjectivity and drawing on and absorbing the outstanding civilizational achievements of humanity. Chinese-path modernization is rooted in the historical and cultural traditions accumulated by Chinese civilization, embodies the advanced essence of scientific socialism, and absorbs and draws on the beneficial achievements of human civilization. Based on its own national conditions and practice, China draws wisdom from Chinese civilization, extensively adopts the strengths of both Eastern and Western schools, adheres to its own path without becoming rigid, draws on others without copying them, and has formed its own development path through continuous exploration. This is a path established from China’s history and actual national conditions, and it is also a path of civilizational development formed in the process of learning from each other’s strengths, choosing the good and following it, eclectically absorbing diverse elements, while simultaneously discarding the dross and selecting the essential, and discarding the false and retaining the true. Chinese-path modernization emerges from the depths of history, is a product of civilizational integration, and also provides experience in civilizational development that can be shared with the world.

中国式现代化创造了人类文明新形态，为人类文明进步作出了巨大贡献，其中的关键是把握好坚守文化主体性和借鉴吸收人类优秀文明成果的关系。中国式现代化，植根于中华文明积淀的历史文化传统，体现科学社会主义的先进本质，吸收借鉴了人类文明有益成果。中国立足自身国情和实践，从中华文明中汲取智慧，博采东西方各家之长，坚守但不僵化，借鉴但不照搬，在不断探索中形成了自己的发展道路。这是一条从中国历史和现实国情出发确立的道路，也是在同其他文明取长补短、择善而从、兼收并蓄同时去粗取精、去伪存真中形成的文明发展道路。中国式现代化从历史深处走来，是文明融合的产物，也提供了可以向世界分享的文明发展经验。

(The author is a Boya Distinguished Professor at Peking University and a specially appointed researcher at the Beijing Research Center

（作者系北京大学博雅特聘教授、北京市习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究中心特约研究员）

Online editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心