BEIJING, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Reading China's classical and modern works has given Chinese President Xi Jinping a broad intellectual foundation, allowing him to draw with ease on well-known authors and texts in articulating his governance and diplomatic philosophy.
"Outstanding literary and artistic works reflect the capacity of a country and a nation for cultural creation. Only with fine works can we attract, guide, and inspire people and make progress in bringing Chinese culture to the world," Xi said.
To better preserve Chinese classics, the China National Archives of Publications and Culture -- a grand project approved by Xi -- was inaugurated in July 2022. Dubbed the "seed gene banks" of Chinese civilization, the project systematically collects important editions of classic and cultural works.
On the global stage, Xi frequently invokes Chinese classics to explain his ideas and promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. These references reflect time-honored wisdom which Xi uses to introduce traditional Chinese cultural concepts like harmony, inclusiveness, cooperation and mutual respect to global audiences.
In Xi's view, civilizations only vary from each other, and no civilization is superior to others.
When he proposed the Global Civilization Initiative in 2023, Xi cited lines compiled in a Ming Dynasty collection of maxims: "A single flower does not make spring, while one hundred flowers in full blossom bring spring to the garden" to reaffirm his view that "A civilization can flourish only through exchanges and mutual learning with other civilizations."
Peace and war have been a recurring theme in Xi's remarks on various international occasions.
During a state visit to Greece in 2019, Xi paused before the "Mourning Athena," a marble relief dating to around 460 BC, at the Acropolis Museum. Then Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos remarked that the goddess was resting and contemplating after a battle.
"Zhi Ge Wei Wu," Xi quoted the idiom from the ancient Chinese historical chronicle "Zuo Zhuan," meaning that boldness lies in the suspension of hostility. "She (Athena) is reflecting on what exactly war means."
In today's world, changes unseen in a century are unfolding at a faster pace, transformation and turbulence are intertwined, and wars and conflicts keep flaring up in some regions.
"Stability brings a country prosperity while instability leads a country to poverty," Xi quoted a saying from "The Guanzi," a collection of ancient Chinese writings, when he proposed the Global Security Initiative in 2022, urging joint efforts to maintain world peace and security.
Martin Albrow, a fellow of the British Academy of Social Sciences, said that Xi, by drawing wisdom from China's ancient history and splendid civilization, has put forward important thoughts and a theoretical system on how to govern the modern society.
"With today's world facing common challenges of peace, cooperation and development, the philosophy and wisdom from the East will serve as an important enlightenment for countries around the world on how to deepen cooperation and strengthen global governance," he said.■
