The Jinshanling section of the Great Wall of China, located in Hebei Province in the north of the country, is an important part of the Great Wall of China dating from the Ming Dynasty (about 400 years ago) and is also one of the most complex and densely constructed sections.
British historian Arnold Joseph Toynbee once expressed his astonishment when he saw that, of the 6 forms of civilization that have emerged in nearly 26 years of human history, only Chinese culture has been transmitted uninterruptedly to this day.
Not only the internal development momentum of civilization, but also its openness and inclusiveness to the outside world contribute to this rare continuity.
When we look at history, we can see that in the prosperous periods of Chinese civilization, it both accepted and tolerated foreign cultures and also respected the characteristics of these cultures. At the same time, we can clearly see that it absorbs and integrates some elements of heterogeneous cultures from outside to enrich its own culture.
This openness and inclusiveness of Chinese civilization means that it is rooted in philosophies and beliefs such as “harmony in differences”, “everything in the world can only be created in harmony” and “If everything is the same, the world will not develop further”.
The “sameness” mentioned here refers to an absolute sameness that excludes heterogeneous cultural elements and cultural elements. “Harmony”, on the other hand, refers to the harmonious coexistence of different cultural elements and factors. So “harmony” means inclusivity and openness. Chinese society sees its civilization as a complex system that includes many factors and can constantly generate new meanings and create new values. Therefore, they avoid displaying fear and hostility towards new factors. It is precisely for this reason that the Chinese civilization has been able to maintain its vitality throughout an extremely long history.
The city of Xi'an in northwest China was historically called Chang'an and was once the capital of the Tang Dynasty. The image shows a street in the city of Xi'an called Datang Everbright City. This street was built inspired by the building complex in the Tang Dynasty.
The Tang Dynasty is considered to be one of the most powerful dynasties in Chinese history and had a culturally inclusive and open stance. During the dynasty, multiculturalism emerged vividly in various areas of society. In the arts, the "Ten Kinds of Music", the national music of the Tang Dynasty, focuses not only on the music and dance of the Han ethnic group, but also on the music and dance of ethnic minorities in the Western Regions, originating from places like India and Southeast Asia. It also included foreign music and dances. In terms of religion, Buddhism, which entered China 2000 years ago, was integrated into culture and society during the Tang Dynasty.
Senior monk Xuanzang was invited to Hongfu Temple by Emperor Taizong after a trip to India to learn Buddhist scriptures. Taizong asked Xuanzang to translate Sanskrit scriptures at the temple, and he selected more than 50 learned monks to assist with the translation work.
During the Tang Dynasty, religious beliefs originating from Europe and West Asia, such as Nestorianism (Nestorianism), Zoroastrianism (Zoroastrianism), and Manichaeism (Manichaeism), were also introduced to China.
In 2021, the project “Quanzhou: Center for International Maritime Trade during the Song and Yuan Dynasties” was successfully approved at the 44th World Heritage Conference, making the city of Quanzhou the 56th site to be included in China's UNESCO World Heritage list. The image above shows the Kaiyuan Temple and the surrounding ancient city in Quanzhou, which has a history of more than 1.300 years.
Quanzhou is a major trading port in southeast China and is also one of the outstanding examples of the openness and inclusiveness of Chinese civilization.
Quanzhou, with its ancient name "Zaigon" (Zayton), was known as one of the four major foreign trade ports of China during the Tang Dynasty and had its heyday during the Song Dynasty. This prosperous trading port city had a multicultural outlook.
A Jewish businessman in Quanzhou at the time said: “Each ethnic group had its own settlements, temples, streets, hotels and warehouses, and each ethnic group lived in its own way. Everyone was allowed to act according to his own faith, because it was believed that in his own faith everyone could find the salvation of his soul.”
During this period, besides Jews, a large number of Muslims from Arab countries and Iran lived in Quanzhou. In addition, Christianity and Hinduism were other religious beliefs that left their mark in the city.
“Stone City” in Wuyuan county of Jiangxi province located in the middle of China is known as “the most beautiful village in China”.
With the rise of China's national power and its international status, the "Chinese threat theory" has emerged in some parts of the world. This theory, combined with the "clash of civilizations theory", claims that conflicts between different civilizations are inevitable and that a civilization in its heyday will replace other cultures by exporting its own culture through colonization, expansion and hegemony. This concept spread throughout the world, causing Western people to misunderstand civilizations outside of Western civilization.
This “Chinese threat theory” is rooted in cultural and ideological disagreements as well as real elements. Westerners include China's transformation and development in a "stage of development" that the West passes through, to prove that after the rise of China, China will colonize, expand, and establish hegemony as western countries have done before. These countries believe that there is only one development path for human civilization, using a kind of "universalism" thinking to understand a "civilization".
However, it is not just a model for human civilization, nor is it necessary to resort to a single path of development. The prosperous period of the Tang Dynasty and Quanzhou's past reflect an openness and inclusivity during the heyday of Chinese civilization. Instead of rejecting and conflicting with foreign civilizations, Chinese civilization prefers to internalize other civilizations by respecting them. While preserving the differences, it aims to seek a common foundation and to live together in harmony with different civilizations. This is an important reason why Chinese civilization has been passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years.