Cultural Fuel for the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road

On February 11, 2015, the International Seminar on the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative kicked off in Quanzhou. Themed “Collectively Building the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road and Creating a Community of Common Destiny,” the two-day seminar drew 280 scholars from 30 countries, who conducted in-depth exchange on the theme.

The idea that cultural communication should play a specifically important role during construction of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road shot energy through the seminar. Fang Zhenghui, vice president of China International Publishing Group (CIPG), opined that closer attention to culture will lay a solid foundation for long-term communication between countries along the line while they focus primarily on economics and trade, investment hot spots and infrastructure.

“An old Chinese poem goes, ‘You must become knowledgeable if you want to understand poetry.’ From my perspective, the key to the Belt and Road Initiatives transcends money.”

Looking back at history, the millennium-old Maritime Silk Road was a magnificent feat in the history of communication between human civilizations. Over half of the world’s population is found in the countries along the Road, where their ancestors contributed to the development of ancient civilizations. These countries maintain their own histories, varying social systems, paths of development, religious beliefs, and cultural customs that together form a stunning array of culture. Communication across such cultures offers a favorable environment and conditions for the economic and cultural development of all countries along the ancient Maritime Silk Road.

Historically, conflicts and disagreements inevitably occurred during the long course of communication among these countries. Nevertheless, it is inspiring that they have all helped fuel each other through learning, digestion, fusion, and innovation.

Today, communication of humanity and culture still play an important role in the construction of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road.

“Interconnection should be highlighted by people-to-people exchange, which to a great extent demands cultural identification and comprehension that requires cultural exchange,” Fang asserts. “What I mean by ‘the key transcends money’ is that not only should China invest in infrastructure such as bridges and high-speed trains, but that it should place greater value on communication between cultures and humanities, to lay profound groundwork for the campaign of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, which can stretch further in the future.”

Fang Zhenghui, vice president of CIPG, the country’s oldest, largest institution for international communication, believes that mass media should serve as a major force and an irreplaceable player in people-to-people exchange. He opines that to reach the goals, efforts should be made in the following sectors:

First, mass media should play a major role in exchange surrounding the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road and help navigate cultural identities of different countries through communication. Second, mass media should focus on studies of economics, society, religion and customs of countries along the Road, playing a role as guide, tie and bridge. Finally, mass media should intensify reports on economic and social development and cultural customs in these countries, publish books, and reinforce support of public opinion, as part of a multidimensional media campaign.

Vice President Fang suggests jointly establishing a multi-lingual journal involving all countries along the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road to publish related research, introduce economic, social and cultural development in these countries, and cover stories about the latest progress of the construction of the Road.

“I believe that communication founded on culture and humanities will promote the construction of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road and help it win extensive support from people of the countries involved,” Fang illustrates.

According to Fang, CIPG has listed related ideas in its major tasks for 2015, such as localizing reports from ASEAN countries and promoting new magazines of different languages in these countries. An ASEAN-version of China Report in collaboration with Thailand is in the works and will hit the presses by summer.