More than 100 years BC, China began to open the Silk Road to the Western Regions. In 138 BC and 119 BC, Zhang Qian of the Han Dynasty made two missions to the Western Regions, spreading Chinese culture to the Western Regions, and also introducing grapes, alfalfa, pomegranates, flax, sesame and other cultural achievements of the Western Regions. During the Western Han Dynasty, Chinese fleets reached India and Sri Lanka, exchanging Chinese silk for glass, pearls and other items. The Tang Dynasty was an active period of foreign exchange in Chinese history. According to historical records, there were more than 70 countries with good diplomatic relations with Chinese envoys in the Tang Dynasty, and envoys, merchants, and students from various countries gathered in Chang'an, the capital at that time. This great exchange has promoted the spread of Chinese culture to the world, and also promoted the introduction of cultures and products from various countries into China. At the beginning of the 15th century, Zheng He, a famous navigator of the Ming Dynasty in China, made seven voyages to many countries in Southeast Asia and arrived in Kenya on the east coast of Africa, leaving behind a good story of friendly exchanges between China and the people of all countries along the way. At the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the Chinese actively studied modern scientific and technological knowledge, and European astronomy, medicine, mathematics, geometry, and geography knowledge were introduced to China, broadening the knowledge horizons of the Chinese. Since then, exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and foreign civilizations have been carried out more frequently, including conflicts, contradictions, doubts, and rejections, but more about learning, digestion, integration, and innovation.

- Speech at UNESCO Headquarters (27 March 2014)

Further reading:

"The ancient silk road of camel bells, Huma still smells the Tang and Han winds." Since the Western Han Dynasty, there has been a major trade route connecting China, Central Asia, West Asia and Europe, crossing the Eurasian continent. Silk and porcelain went west, and good horses and gems came to the east, and the opening of this channel wrote a magnificent chapter in the history of Sino-Western exchanges. At the end of the 19th century, the German geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen called this passage the "Silk Road" in his book "China", which was widely recognized.

"The clouds sail high, the stars gallop day and night, wading through the turbulent waves, and walking on the thoroughfare." There is also a large channel of maritime economic, trade and cultural exchanges, from the southeast coast of China, through the Indochina Peninsula and the South China Sea countries, through the Indian Ocean, into the Red Sea, to East Africa and Europe, named the "Maritime Silk Road" by the French sinologist Sha Wan. After the Song Dynasty, porcelain replaced silk as the main commodity of China's exports, so the Maritime Silk Road was also known as the "Ceramic Road".

On the Silk Road and the Maritime Silk Road, there are two Chinese who have made outstanding contributions. One is Zhang Qian of the Western Han Dynasty. In 138 BC and 119 BC, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Zhang Qian to the Western Regions twice, opening up a passage starting from Chang'an (now Xi'an) and reaching the countries of the Western Regions through the Hexi Corridor, forming the basic artery of the overland Silk Road. Zhang Qian spread Chinese culture to the Western Regions, and also introduced grapes, alfalfa, pomegranates, flax, sesame and other cultural achievements of the Western Regions. Because the places he passed through were all places that the Han people had not visited, they were called "Zhang Qian's hollowing" in history.

The other was Zheng He of the Ming Dynasty, who was ordered to lead more than 200 ships and more than 27,000 people to sail to the western Pacific and Indian Oceans, visiting more than 30 countries and regions, as far as East Africa and the Red Sea. Zheng He's voyage to the West was the largest, most ships, most seafarers and longest sea voyage in ancient China, more than half a century earlier than the navigation time of European countries, and was a direct reflection of the strength of the Ming Dynasty.

As a great innovation in the history of human civilization, the Silk Road and the Maritime Silk Road are the longest international communication routes between the East and the West in ancient times. The Silk Road and the Maritime Silk Road are not only the link of economic connectivity, but also the blood vessels of civilization integration, which have made significant contributions to the promotion of scientific and technological progress, cultural dissemination, the introduction of species, the ideological, emotional and political exchanges of various ethnic groups, and the creation of a new human civilization.

Spanning thousands of years of history, the Silk Road is not only a road of mutual communication, but also a road of people-to-people communication, and a road of mutual learning between civilizations. Xi Jinping told the story of the exchanges between China and the countries of the ancient Western Regions on the Silk Road, not only to tell everyone that "Chinese civilization is a civilization born on the land of China, and it is also a civilization formed through continuous exchanges and mutual learning with other civilizations", but also emphasized that "only through exchanges and mutual learning can a civilization be full of vitality".

Looking back on history is to move forward better. In his speech, Xi Jinping quoted two famous Western sayings, one is what Hugo said, "The widest in the world is the ocean, wider than the ocean is the sky, and wider than the sky is the human mind"; Another is what Napoleon said, "There are two forces in the world: the sword and the mind; In the long run, the sword is always defeated by the mind." In this way, he told the world that, on the one hand, we need to be more broad-minded than the sky in dealing with different civilizations; On the other hand, we should seek wisdom and nourishment from different civilizations, provide spiritual support and spiritual comfort to people, and work together to solve the various challenges facing mankind.