(ECNS) -- Liu Hongyou, a famous calligrapher as well as president of the federation of the Chinese community in Japan, said the upcoming Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations will build a platform for the exchange of civilizations, enriching the cultural confidence of the Asian people.
Asian civilization is an important part of world civilization, as three of the four great ancient civilizations were in Asia, he said.
Before modern times, Asian civilization led the world in economy, culture and population until Europe and the United States began to catch up after the industrial revolution, Liu said.
Exchange and mutual understanding are inherent components of civilizations globally. The achievements of Asian civilizations, such as China's four major inventions, prompted the arrival of the industrial revolution in Europe, while Asian countries discovered their own ways to develop after modern industry and Western ideas were later introduced into Asia, he added.
Chinese civilization has a history of more than 5,000 years and China is the only ancient civilization whose culture has never been interrupted, said Liu, who added that Chinese civilization is inclusive and constantly embraces other civilizations in communication.
The Chinese philosophy of “Don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you” means that ancient China didn’t try to replace other civilizations, even when it was strong, and sought to coexist in harmony.
"This is also the right way to get along with each other in the contemporary world. All Asian civilizations have their own long histories and rich content. They should respect each other, learn from each other, and develop together through exchange and cooperation,” said Liu.
Liu has been teaching calligraphy in Japan for more than 30 years. He has held many exhibitions and exchanges around the world through calligraphy.
Under a theme of exchange and mutual learning among Asian civilizations and a community with a shared future, the conference in May will include an opening ceremony and six sub-forums, the organizer said.
