Exchange and Mutual Learning Among Civilizations and Reshaping of Global Order

The history of development of human society over thousands of years is a history of exchange and mutual learning among different civilizations. In ancient times， this happened in a slow way like “natural history” process. It is imperceptible but persistent and pervasive. Today， the world has entered the era of globalization， and civilizations have both the motivation to interact and integrate more deeply with each other， and more convenient conditions for exchange and mutual learning. Exchange and mutual learning among civilizations in diversity and with respective characteristics are shaping the basic features of the world in the era of globalization. However， the global order of the present time is an unequal one with western centrism and hegemonic dominance. Obviously， such a global order can hardly serve as the vessel of the common value and pursuit of humanity for peace and development. In order to shape a more just and reasonable global order， it is necessary to take the introduction of the Global Civilization Initiative as an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the significance of civilizational exchange and mutual learning for the world and its due role in reshaping the global order.

Exchange and Mutual Learning Among Civilizations Has Shaped the World History

The evolution of human history has some common and fundamental momentum. Specially， in modern times， as the “world system” had come into being， in which every nation-state was involved， the factor of the “world” or “international” became the basic driving force and structural factor that propelled the evolution of the system and， consequently， the development of world history. Among all these internal， institutional or essential motives， as well as external， systemic or structural motives， the exchange and mutual learning among civilizations have been breaking the walls between the internal and external， by institution and system， and of essential and structural nature and have largely shaped world history. Exchange and mutual learning of civilizations is both a key to understanding world history and an important means to build an international order in the era of globalization.

In the world history， a variety of civilizations have emerged. The types of civilizations are extremely diverse due to different geographical environments and historical stages that nurtured them. “Human history is the history of civilizations....This story stretches through generations of civilizations from ancient Sumerian and Egyptian to Classical and Mesoamerican to Christian and Islamic civilizations and through successive manifestations of Sinic and Hindu civilizations. Throughout history civilizations have provided the broadest identifications for people.”

Even in ancient times， when transportation was difficult， exchange and mutual learning between civilizations always occurred and developed. All civilizations that have developed and flourished have been the product of exchange and mutual learning. The reason for the decline of some civilizations， in addition to natural disasters and social unrest， also has to do with their failure to draw advanced elements from other civilizations to achieve sustainable development.

In the case of Western civilization， the ancient Greek civilization and its successor， the ancient Roman civilization， are often considered to be the source of today’s Western civilization， and thus the basis of contemporary “Western centrism” or “Eurocentrism”. In reality， however， Western civilization has an “Eastern origin”. “Ancient Greek civilization was in fact significantly derived from ancient Egypt”， and “its rise of the West would have been inconceivable without the contributions of the East”. “Historically， European civilization has been closely related to West Asian， North African and Indian civilizations”. All these are reflected in the integration of languages， religions and the sharing of common myths and knowledge. The great achievements of Chinese civilization， such as the “Four Great Inventions” of the compass， paper-making， printing and gunpowder， contributed to the rise of Western civilization， as well as silk， porcelain， iron smelting techniques and Chinese masterpieces， which were spread to the West by the Central Asians or the Arabs.

In ancient East Asia， the process of Chinese civilization from its origin to its prosperity was also a process of continuous exchange and mutual learning with neighboring regions based on its agricultural civilization. The influence of Chinese civilization， mainly in the form of Confucianism， on the neighboring regions was not only reflected in “soft power” such as ideology， cultural masterpieces and religious beliefs， but also in the shaping of the international order in ancient East Asia through civilizational exchanges.

In recent years， the “Belt and Road” has become a buzzword， but in fact， the cultural roots of the “Belt and Road” initiative lie in the strong and distinctive temporal and spatial marks left by the historical Silk Road for the exchange and mutual learning of civilizations with the exchange of goods. Japanese scholar Kazutoshi Nagasawa writes in his book A Study of the History of the Silk Road that “the Silk Road， which connected Europe and North Africa via Syria from East Asia， was a road connecting three continents， so its area was exceptionally vast and complex， and countless peoples had relations with this road. Its scale is so grand that it would not be too much to say that the entire history of mankind is associated with it.” In analyzing the reasons for the importance attached to the Silk Road by various countries， he discusses three aspects. First， the Silk Road， as a major artery through Asia and Africa， was central to the development of world history. Second， the Silk Road linked the womb of the world’s major cultures. In particular， the ends of the road had produced many ancient civilizations such as Mesopotamian， Egyptian， Khorezm， Indus， and Chinese civilizations. Third， the Silk Road was a bridge between the civilizations of the East and the West. The cultures that appeared all over the Silk Road， relying on caravans， spread to all parts of the East and West， while receiving a variety of different cultures and promoting the development of civilizations everywhere. The Silk Road was the artery of cultural exchange between East and West， which fully illustrates the role of the Silk Road in the exchange and mutual learning of human civilizations and its impact on the construction of the modern international order.