The international people-to-people and cultural exchange, as a cultural dissemination course for a sovereign state, plays a significant role in national cultural soft power and overall national strength competition. It is a complex and systemic project to intensify people-to-people and cultural exchanges with other countries, demanding not only scientific top-level design but also intensive strategic focus to tirelessly explore a new ground.
The mutual learning and exchange are a strong impetus for the progress and development of human civilizations. The Chinese nation has created and developed numerous fine traditional Chinese civilizations throughout a long history of more than five thousand years. Meanwhile, there is still some dross in culture left that is contradict with the trend of the times. To this end, only by further expanding cultural exchanges and enhancing cultural dialogue, China will be sure to realize the creative evolution and development of the Chinese civilization. Moreover, the international cultural exchange, as an interactive process of communication, is a double-edged sword that helps China to absorb the nutrition from other cultures, as well as makes some countrymen overstate Western civilizations and disdain the Chinese civilization. Therefore, on the basis of cultural awareness, it should be regarded as a prerequisite for China’s international exchanges to build confidence in culture. Confidence has represented one’s courage, pride and responsibility. With strategic focus in cultural confidence, China will be encouraged and mobilized to promote international cultural exchanges, fulfill the mission and responsibility of international cultural exchanges, and take proactive actions to defend national cultural sovereignty and safeguard national pride. In modern times, to maintain strategic focus in national cultural confidence is a premise of a independent and subjective Chinese civilization, as well as an significant spiritual support for cultural communications with other countries.
Nowadays, the world is being shaped as a flat (streamlined and efficient) pattern with the development of economic globalization. On one hand, a close-knit community with a shared future for mankind has been seen as traditional security concerns are interwoven with non-traditional security concerns; on the other hand, the nongovernmental diplomacy is emerging in global stage to play an increasingly basic role in building national image and shaping international order. According to UN’s report, there are approximately 29 thousand international non-government organizations in the world. The international politics has evolved from a government-monopoly model to an order where governments and nongovernmental organizations are all actors. Against this historical background, it is not enough to only rely on governmental publicity and cultural departments in exploring new ground of international cultural exchanges, but with concerted and coordinated efforts of all sides. While giving full play to the guiding role of government, we must mobilize universities, international companies, media, think tank and religious groups to expand citizen’s participation and cement civil and social foundation for international people-to-people and cultural exchanges, thus enabling each and every of 1.3 billion people to be involved in spreading Chinese virtues and civilization. This will not only help to change the government-dominated diplomacy and boost bilateral and multilateral people-to-people and cultural exchanges among governments, but also be conducive to intensifying public credibility and influence of international exchanges, thus telling Chinese stories well and make Chinese voice heard.
The international cultural exchange shoulders the historical mission of expanding China’s influence in the world and improving its international rights of speech. Since the founding of the New China (1949), especially after the reform and opening-up policy (1978), we have been always criticized because of our inadequate ability to carry out cultural exchanges with other countries, though successfully addressing foreign invasions and starvation with arduous efforts. In global stage, the international pattern established in the interests of Western countries including America has undergone some changes and the pursuits of developing countries have been taken into account to some extent in global governance with strong rejections by emerging economies including China. However, the international cultural order where the developed countries take control of international public opinion and rule in making the world agenda still remains unchanged, letting alone fulfil the aspirations of people in the world for equality, inclusiveness and peaceful co-existence in cultural values.
It is a long-term and progressive process to intensify international right of speech and improve China’s national image through people-to-people and cultural exchanges with other countries. One should forge ahead in an innovative and enterprising spirit and work tirelessly with tenacity and persistence. Cultural Exchange Organization of Presenting China to the World will take proactive actions to do a better job in conducting international cultural exchanges, and continue to create new ways of foreign cultural communication so as to build a international discourse system with Chinese characteristics and create a favorable environment of international public opinion for the realization of the Chinese Dream.