The 2021 China (Qufu) International Confucius Cultural Festival and the 7th Nishan Forum on World Civilizations opened in Qufu, Shandong, on September 27th. Nearly 200 Chinese and international experts and scholars engaged in debates and exchanges of views under the theme of “Dialogue among Civilizations and Global Cooperation” within two days.

Yang Huilin (Former Vice President of Renmin University of China)

"Harmony without uniformity" is of vital importance to diversity of civilizations

Yang Huilin said that the traditional vision of the Chinese people of "harmony without uniformity" is of vital importance to diversity of civilizations. The principle proposes to forge ahead while reserving differences and finding things that can be shared. It reflects the fundamental meaning of dialogue among cultures.

Yang Huilin maintained that what matters the most in dialogues among cultures is to tell stories that others can understand. We should tell stories in a convincing way instead of just focusing on finding good stories.