A Beijing-based political commentator, Yi Fan, has said civilisations thrive when shared history is preserved.
Yi Fan, who made this assertion in his paper titled ‘China: A Bridge for Exchanges Between Civilisations Over Eighty Years’, said the China-U.S. “50,000 Strong” initiative, which aims to bring 50,000 American students to China, exemplified it.
“As custodians of humanity’s collective memory, World Heritage sites serve as bridges between past and future, a mission China has embraced through global collaboration.”
He also stated that youth engagement is central to China’s vision for sustainable cultural exchange, saying that the future of inter-civilisation dialogue lies with the young.
He added: “Sports and arts are universal languages that transcend division. As the world’s only Dual Olympic City, Beijing showcased this in 2022 when Russian and Ukrainian athletes embraced, reminding the world that human bonds outlast conflict.
“Even digital spaces foster connection. On Xiaohongshu, a Chinese social media platform, the hashtag #ChinaUSFamilyExchange has millions of views, featuring heartwarming meetups between American ‘TikTok refugees’ and Chinese netizens. Algorithms may divide, but humanity’s desire for connection prevails.”
Yi Fan stated that over the past eight decades, China has proven that heritage preservation, institutional innovation, and youth engagement can build resilient bridges among civilisations, adding that within the U.N.
framework, China continues to forge connections, guiding humanity toward shared prosperity.
The political commentator said that China’s commitment to civilizational dialogue traces back centuries, asserting that “The Han Dynasty’s Silk Road, pioneered by envoy Zhang Qian, turned windswept deserts into thriving arteries for exchanging goods and ideas.”
“Today, as cultural tensions rise globally, China’s Confucian ideal of harmony without uniformity offers a timely antidote to the ‘clash of civilisations’ narrative. The Global Civilisation Initiative underscores this vision, rejecting cultural hierarchy in favour of mutual learning,” said Yi Fan.
