Page 4 - ON BUILDING A HUMAN COMMUNITY WITH A SHARED FUTURE

SPEECH AT THE UNESCO HEADQUARTERS

the fruit of labor of body and mind, and each one is unique. Copying
unthinkingly or using a Procrustean approach to borrow from another
is not only unfeasible but also most damaging. All civilizations’
achievements deserve our respect and should be treasured.
History tells us, only through exchange and learning from others
can a civilization be full of vitality. If we could all act in the spirit of
inclusiveness, there would be no such thing as a “clash of civilizations,”
and harmony among us would become the reality. To put it plainly, as we
say in China, “Radishes or cabbages, each to their own.”
The Chinese civilization has been through 5,000 years and more of
change, but can still be traced back to its original roots. It contains layer
upon layer of our nation’s deepest pursuits of the mind, and represents
the cultural identity of the Chinese nation, offering rich nourishment
for our life and growth as a nation. It was born on Chinese soil, but has
come to its present form through constant exchange and learning from
other civilizations.
In the second century BC, China began opening up a Silk Road
to Xiyu, or the Western Regions. In 138 BC and 119 BC, Envoy
Zhang Qian of the Han Dynasty travelled twice to those regions,
spreading Chinese culture and introducing on his return grapes, alfalfa,
pomegranates, flax, sesame, and other products. In the Western Han
Dynasty, Chinese merchant fleets reached India and Sri Lanka where they
traded silk for colored glaze and pearls. The Tang Dynasty was a period
of great activity in Chinese exchanges with the world outside. According
to historical records, Tang Dynasty China exchanged envoys with more
than 70 countries, and its capital Chang’an was a bustle with foreign
envoys, merchants, and students. Exchanges of this scale spread Chinese
culture around the world and brought in cultures and products from
other countries. In the early 15th century, a well-known Ming Dynasty
navigator named Zheng He, made seven expeditions to the western seas.
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He reached many Southeast Asian countries, made it as far as Kenya
on the east coast of Africa, and left behind many a story of friendly
exchanges with peoples along the route. In the late Ming and early Qing
dynasties, Chinese people became hungry to learn about modern science
and technology, and European knowledge of astronomy, medicine,
mathematics, geometry, and geography flowed into China, broadening

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