(East and West Questions) Short Comment | China and Iran: How can the "two-way rush" of ancient civilizations get rid of the "clash of civilizations"?
China News Service, Beijing, August 17th, title: China and Iran: How can the "two-way rush" of ancient civilizations get rid of the "clash of civilizations"?
Author Cui Bailu
On August 16, 1971, China and Iran established diplomatic relations.
Over the past half a century, the two ancient civilizations have interacted in a positive way, continuing to write a new chapter of harmonious coexistence, exchanges and mutual learning between different civilizations.
China and Iran are located in eastern and southwestern Asia, separated geographically by mountains and seas.
But as early as more than two thousand years ago, the two countries had direct official exchanges.
During the Western Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian sent an envoy to the Western Regions and sent a deputy envoy to Anxi (an ancient Chinese name for Iran) and received high courtesy. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Prince of Anxi Anqing taught the Fa to the east and visited Chang'an, Luoyang and other places. The earliest Buddhist scriptures of Chinese characters in China.
Since then, the ancient Silk Road spanning Europe and Asia has been opened up with the joint efforts of the two countries. With this as a link, the products of the two countries are exchanged with each other, the government and the people are in constant flow, and the Chinese civilization and the Persian civilization complement each other.
From the Han Dynasty to modern times, the two have always maintained friendly exchanges.
Data map: Iranian traditional crafts.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Hou Yu
The Chinese sage Confucius said, "The saints endure the world as one family."
The Iranian poet Sadie said, "Adam's descendants are all brothers, and brothers are like brothers and sisters."
Since ancient times, China and Iran have made positive contributions to enriching world civilization and promoting human progress.
As the creators and important participants of the Silk Road, ancient China and Iran built a bridge between East and West. Chinese bamboo flutes and Iranian suona played eight-tone harmony along the Silk Road, Chinese peaches and plums, Chinese herbal medicine and Iran. The grapes and pomegranates are full of fruits in a foreign land.
In 1971, China and Iran established diplomatic relations, and the two countries met again across the long history of history.
Today, China and Iran have established a comprehensive strategic partnership, promoted the joint construction of the "Belt and Road", and signed the "25-year comprehensive cooperation plan" to help each other to fight the new crown pneumonia epidemic.
In the new historical period, the promotion of mutual respect and exchanges and dialogues among different civilizations is still the pursuit of value that China and Iran jointly advocate: In 1998, Iran promoted the "United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilizations" to enhance mutual understanding and communication among different civilizations; in 2019, The Asian Civilization Dialogue Conference, held under the initiative of China, provides a broad platform for promoting equal dialogue, exchanges and mutual learning between Asian and world civilizations.
China and Iran continue to use actions to contribute wisdom to the progress of world civilization.
Data map: Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Hou Yu
Civilization advances due to exchanges, and develops due to tolerance.
The Chinese and Persian civilizations have stretched for thousands of years. Not only did they fail to decline and die, but they continued to develop and pass on from generation to generation, and even radiate surrounding areas and spread overseas. This has nothing to do with the tolerance, integration and attractiveness of their civilizations. .
China and Iran in ancient times can be said to be a melting pot of civilization and culture.
Both China and Iran created brilliant civilization achievements earlier, with outstanding economic and cultural achievements, and still enriched their own civilizations by learning, borrowing from, and tolerating foreign civilizations.
For example, Buddhism spreads to the east, "Irish Confucianism", Buddhism and Islam "go to the countryside and follow the customs" through the integration of traditional Chinese culture; Iran's absorption of Chinese landscapes and figure paintings led to the golden age of Persian miniature painting.
Data map: Citizens visit Chinese landscape paintings.
Photo by Lu Ming
In the collision, exchange and fusion of civilizations, the two civilizations have developed sustainably.
It can be said that the progress and development of important civilizations all benefit from the realization of tolerance and reference to the outstanding achievements of other civilizations while maintaining the characteristics of their own civilizations.
At present, mankind has once again come to a fork in history.
Some politicians and scholars in the West take the "clash of civilizations" as their standard, regard differences in civilizations as irreconcilable contradictions, and often label "clash of civilizations" as the reality of today's world.
History has proved that different civilizations can achieve peaceful coexistence on the basis of mutual respect.
The country’s differences in social systems, development models, ideologies, and cultural connotations should not become obstacles and "scapegoats" for the exchange of human civilizations.
Transcend the superiority of civilizations with diverse coexistence, transcend the conflicts of civilizations with harmonious coexistence, transcend the barriers of civilizations with blending and sharing, and transcend the solidification of civilizations with prosperity.
Exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations are the driving force and mainstream of the progress of human civilization.
"Go in both directions", Si is the right way!
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