From July 10 to 11, 2024, the 10th Nishan Forum on World Civilizations was convened in Qufu, located in Shandong Province, People’s Republic of China. This forum, held under the theme “Traditional Cultures and Modern Civilizations,” took place in the birthplace of the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius. The Nishan Forum has established itself as an esteemed platform, facilitating renowned scholars and cultural experts in fostering understanding and dialogue between diverse cultures, thus perpetuating the enduring legacy of Confucius beyond his era.
Today, in conditions of geopolitical uncertainty and increasing intolerance and violence in various regions of the world, the spiritual legacy of Confucius in the dialogue between East and West in the context of general world civilizational interaction is important. This dialogue is built in two directions, when the East is represented, on the one hand, primarily with Confucian -Taoist (China, South Korea, Japan) and Indo- Buddhist type of culture (India), and on the other hand, the culture of Muslim countries, since it is the dialogue of cultures that is one of the main foundations in the development of man and society. The wide variety of cultures shows the uniqueness of each individual culture, where the tradition of living in harmony with others and with oneself is an important imperative for the development of world civilization and culture as a whole.
It should be noted here that in the context of the development of modern information and communication space, China occupies an important place. The Celestial Empire, over a long period of interaction between three teachings: Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism (“San Jiao”,三教/ “three teachings”), created a special type of civilization and culture, where Chinese culture included a unique scale of moral values that determined the formation and the formation of a special national character and a special type of personality, with an extraordinary vision and understanding of reality, becoming “the cultural gene and life blood of the Chinese people” (Shao Longbao, professor at Tongji University , Shanghai).
As noted by the famous Russian sinologist V.V. Malyavin, the common sense of the Chinese is based on their confidence that it is the most worthy who achieve success, i.e. the most sensitive and morally developed. To shake this confidence means to destroy the entire Chinese society. “Chinese wisdom lurks in the very depths of the Chinese soul, how the Chinese answer these fundamental questions of life – the meaning of life, why a person lives, how he should live. No more, no less…” [See: https://china-oral.ivran.ru/f/014_Malyavin_07_05-18_06_2010.pdf ]. This is one of the reasons for the success of “modernization with Chinese characteristics” in the Middle Kingdom. The assumption that there is a certain universal “code of the universe” in Chinese traditional science remains a promising hypothesis, but the Chinese themselves rely more on methodically developed intuition. In the age of information technology, the Chinese worldview can no longer seem strange to a person living in the 21st century. This worldview corresponds better to the realities of the “digitized world” than the postulates of classical Western philosophy.
Therefore, Chinese culture as a whole has a special picture of the world, a system of views on nature and man, where the emphasis was on the need to achieve the “heavenly Tao”, where Tao is the invisible origin and basis of things and phenomena, and the “human Tao”, i.e. – harmony between man and nature. The “harmonious unity of heaven with man” in the value orientations of Chinese culture, as the “psychology of harmony”, with its closeness to the surrounding world and dependence on it, developed among the Chinese in conditions of macro-stability and agricultural production on a closed continent, where living conditions pushed the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire to treat moments of life axiologically.
The harmony of the “unity of man and heaven” was thus a fundamental feature of Chinese holistic thinking, which views nature and man not as opposing “subject and object”, but as a “single whole”, more important than its constituent parts. This is how Chinese thought differs from Western thought, where the opposition between nature and man is emphasized and where the question is raised: what is more beautiful – pristine beauty or nature transformed by man.
The 10th Nishan Forum of World Civilizations was attended by about 400 international guests, including foreign dignitaries, representatives of international organizations, ambassadors to China and foreign experts. Conducting a dialogue between different civilizations of the planet, promoting their exchanges and mutual learning, as well as promoting the formation of a community with a common destiny for humanity, is more relevant today than ever, since bringing philosophical meaning into the life of the “global man” (A. Zinoviev) to solve the global problems of our time is extremely necessary.
According to Carlos Morais Jose, Director of Macao Today, Confucianism provides important insights in the context of today’s increasingly interconnected world, for Confucianism’s focus on harmony among people and the mutual learning of cultures provides valuable methods and ideas for building a harmonious world. Confucius said: “How can you be a man if you cannot trust your words.” And it is no coincidence that the Confucian concept of “xin” (“trust”), as a principle, is of great importance in modern Chinese governance and is often used by Chinese President Xi Jinping in his speeches.
The Nishan Forum of World Civilizations is the largest platform for exchange and mutual learning between Chinese and foreign civilizations. As Xi Yanchun, deputy head of the propaganda department of the CPC Shandong Provincial Committee, notes, “Today, Nishan, which is characterized by confidence, openness and inclusiveness, has become an important platform for dialogue between different civilizations around the world. This is an important window for countries around the world to gain insight into Chinese culture.”
The 2024 Forum included keynote addresses, high-level interviews, sub-topic discussions and side forums, attracting the largest number of participants in the Forum’s history, with more than 50 percent representing the scientific community from 63 countries.
During the opening ceremony of the Forum, Yasuo Fukuda, Chairman of the International Confucian Association and former Prime Minister of Japan, emphasized that “Even in Japan’s modern high-tech society, Confucianism still exists and continues to develop. The essence of Confucianism lies in its focus on social and national stability, in guiding us on how to live. Its principles are universal, applicable throughout the world and in any era. This shows that Confucianism can become a globally popular philosophy and way of thinking.”
Confucius is believed to have lived from 551 to 479 BC. e. The outstanding German thinker of the 20th century, Karl Jaspers, attributed Confucius to the “Axial Age” (800 – 200 BC), when everything created by mankind has survived to this day. Throughout his life he emphasized the importance of morality, social harmony and education. His teachings, recorded in Lun Yu, laid the foundation for Confucianism and continue to inspire people around the world.
The Forum discussed the deep connections of Confucianism with human civilization and its relevance in solving modern problems. For example, there was an in-depth dialogue between the classical civilizations of China and Rome (Roman Civilization), as well as discussions on how ancient Chinese wisdom and the ideas of modern Western philosophers can help solve modern problems.
In this regard, the theses of Jeffrey D. Sachs, professor of economics at Columbia University and president of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, are very relevant: “The Confucian concept of harmony without uniformity is the best interpretation of the modern era. No country is superior in itself. We are connected together and share the world’s oceans, air, biodiversity, fuel and food supplies. This is why harmony is so important. Ancient Chinese and Western philosophers considered ethical issues in their respective regions and sought the best ways to govern. In today’s interconnected world, we need to explore global ethical frameworks together.”
In addition to discussions about exchanges between civilizations amid global challenges, other topics of discussion also included the ethical integration of AI into society and the modernization of traditional medicine by combining ancient practices with modern scientific research, which could lead to breakthroughs in healthcare.
For the first time, the Forum included sessions on sports and family culture. For example, on the eve of the opening of the next Summer Olympics in Paris (July-August 2024), a session on sports focused on the connection between traditional Chinese culture and the Olympic spirit, emphasizing shared values such as moral excellence, respect and harmony. “The Olympics aims to build bridges and strengthen mutual understanding between different cultures. The Nishan Forum shares this goal, deepening mutual understanding through respectful dialogue and exchange,” said International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach at the opening ceremony.
Established 14 years ago (2010) in response to an initiative by the United Nations, the Nishan Forum has continuously expanded the scope of cultural exchanges, prioritizing dialogue on important issues such as religion, ecology and social change, continuing to serve as an important platform for promoting international dialogue and cultural understanding. “Civilization must adapt to new circumstances as times, lifestyles and methods of production change. It must constantly reflect and develop” (Dong Ping, Professor, School of Philosophy, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou).
Thus, the 10th Nishan Forum of World Civilizations, which took place from July 10 to 11, 2024, once again showed the importance of the Global Civilization Initiative, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in the spring of 2023. history (diversity and heritage of world civilizations), on future (jointly promoting the development and progress of human civilization) and on reality (to work together to solve global problems for the future destiny of humanity), where Chinese traditional civilization, through Confucianism, offers solutions to modern problems. And as Chinese Minister of Culture and Tourism Sun Yeli noted: “We strive to deepen exchanges and mutual learning with civilizations from around the world through the Nishan Forum and constantly strengthen our cultural cooperation.”
Erkin Baidarov specially for China Studies Centre.
