Page 6 - ON BUILDING A HUMAN COMMUNITY WITH A SHARED FUTURE

SPEECH AT THE UNESCO HEADQUARTERS

been added by UNESCO to that list, and to its World Intangible Cultural
Heritage list and its Memory of the World list. Here, I would like to
express my sincere gratitude to UNESCO for all it has done to preserve
and spread knowledge of the Chinese civilization.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Friends,
The world in which we live, is one of different cultures, ethnic
groups, skin colors, religions, and social systems, and the people of each
country have come to form a community with a shared future in which
there’s a little part of others in each of us.
The Chinese have long appreciated the logic of “harmony in
diversity.” Zuoqiu Ming, a Chinese historian living 2,500 years ago,
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recorded in the Chronicle of Zuo a passage from Yan Ying, Prime
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Minister of the State of Qi in the Spring and Autumn Period, on
harmony (he): “Harmony is like the how-to of making thick soup. The
right touch of water, fire, vinegar, fish sauce, salt, and plum is required
to get the fish or meat just right.... Music too is like flavor. The
right instruments, rhythm, pitch, tone, and style are needed to produce a
pleasing melody.... Who will eat soup flavored only with water? What ear
can take one tune played repeatedly on only a zither?”
The world has over 200 countries and regions, over 2,500 ethnic
groups, and a great many religions. It’s hard to imagine what the world
would be with only one kind of lifestyle, one language, one type of
music, or one form of dress.
In the words of Victor Hugo, “There is a prospect greater than
the sea, and it is the sky; there is a prospect greater than the sky, and it
is the human soul.” Approaching different civilizations we need to be as
open-minded as the sky is boundless. Civilizations are like water; they
bedew things without a sound. We need to encourage mutual respect
and harmonious relations between civilizations, and turn exchange and
mutual learning into a bridge to foster friendship among peoples, into a
driving force to promote the progress of human society, and into a bond
to protect world peace. We should draw wisdom and nourishment from
different civilizations to offer our people support for the spirit and solace
for the soul, and to join hands in tackling the many challenges faced by

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