Embracing the World with Virtue

THE phrase “embracing theworld with virtue” （厚德载物） is taken from a linein the nearly 3，000-yearoldbook of The Book of Changeswhich reads， “As heaven maintainsvigor through movement，a gentleman should constantlystrive for self-perfection. Like theearth， which is genial and generous，a gentleman should embracethe world with virtue.” This sayingconveys the traditional Chinesevalues and wisdom of inclusiveness，generosity， and a strongsense of duty， which have servedas an inexhaustible source of"strength for the Chinese nationover the last few thousand years.

In the earliest known writtenform of Chinese writing calledoracle bone inscriptions， the characterfor “virtue” （德） symbolizesboth a road and action. It henceimplies that people should not bebiased an should act impartially.In addition to maintaining properbehavior， people should continuouslycultivate their character toexhibit moral virtues. Virtue iscritical to an individual’s attitudetoward others and the world atlarge， and the Chinese nation hasa long tradition of advocating andcherishing virtue. “Without virtue，a country cannot prosper， and a"person has no place in the world，”noted President Xi Jinping， emphasizingthe importance of virtueto state governance and personaldevelopment.

Chinese politicians during thelate Spring and Autumn Period（770-476 B.C.） were divided betweenthose who ruled by forceand those who ruled with virtue.Confucius himself emphasizedthe importance of putting virtueabove everything. One day， Ji KangZi， a minister of the State of Lu，asked Confucius about how to rulethe government. He said， “SupposeI were to kill the unjust in order toadvance the just. Would that bemorally right？” Confucius replied，“What is the need of killing in exercisinggovernance？ If you desiregood， the people will be good. Thenature of the noble man is like thewind， the nature of the inferior manis like grass. When the wind blowsover the grass， it always bends.”

During the late Warring StatesPeriod （476-221 B.C.）， Qin annexedthe other six states by force， butits despotic rule lasted for onlytwo generations. Lu Jia， a seniorofficial of the Western Han Dynasty（202 B.C.-8 A.D.）， later citedthis example to warn Emperor LiuBang， saying that one can seizepower by force but cannot governthe state in the same manner. Inthe collection of his political writings，he argued that governanceshould be primarily based onvirtue.

Over millennia， the commitmentto embracing the world withvirtue has shaped the collectivemoral values of the Chinese nation，which emphasizes generosity，solidarity， and love for peace.Though times have changed， Chinaremains steadfast in pursuingfriendly ties with its neighbors andharmony among all countries. Inthis spirit， it has been earnestlycarrying out cultural exchangeswith other nations since ancienttimes， noted Chinese President XiJinping during a speech he deliveredat a celebration of the 40thanniversary of reform and openingupin 2018.

More than 2，000 years ago， theHan Dynasty （202 B.C.-220 A.D.）reached out to the kingdoms on itswest border and further away byopening up the Silk Road. Alongthis trade route， Chinese silk andother products were shipped tothe Mediterranean region and RomanEmpire， while various kindsof food， plants， and handicraftsfrom Rome， Persia， and India werebrought into China.

During the Tang Dynasty （618-907）， China enjoyed an evencloser integration with the rest ofthe world. Instead of flouting itsmilitary might， the empire demonstratedthe appeal of the inclusiveChinese culture. Its writing system，architectural style， philosophicalteaching， and political institutionswere adopted by Japan， Korea andother regions， exerting a profoundinfluence that extends to today.

During the Ming Dynasty （1368-1644）， the Chinese admiral and diplomatZheng He led the world’s largestand most advanced maritimefleet on seven voyages traveling allthe way to Africa. Everywhere hewent， he brought Chinese porcelain，silk， tea， farming techniques，and weaving， papermaking andshipbuilding skills， while at thesame time， he did not seize an inch"of foreign land. Today， he is stillcommemorated in shrines acrossThailand， Indonesia， and otherplaces. His naval expeditions exemplifyChina’s diplomatic traditionof building friendly ties throughcultural exchanges and mutuallearning， testifying to the inclusivenessand openness of Chinesecivilization.

The Opium War in 1840 plummetedthe Chinese nation intounprecedented suffering and humiliation.However， the traditionof pursuing constant self-improvementand embracing the worldwith virtue motivated generationsof Chinese people to fight for independenceand rejuvenation. In1914， Liang Qichao， a prominentscholar and reformist thinker， gavea speech at Tsinghua Universityentitled “On the Gentleman，” inwhich he encouraged young peopleto strive for self-perfection and embracethe world with virtue. Sincethen， the two phrases have becomethe motto of Tsinghua.

At a meeting with teachers andstudents from Peking Universityon May 4， 2014， President Xi urgedthem to serve the people and thecountry， saying that this is thegreatest virtue and basis for greatachievements. The youth shouldcommit themselves to servingthe interests of the people andthe country， cultivate moralcharacters， and become capableof shouldering the mission of nationalrejuvenation.

Virtues are also an importantquality required of those who holdpublic office. When addressing anevent marking the 95th anniversaryof the founding of the CommunistParty of China （CPC） in July 2016，Xi Jinping， general secretary of theCPC Central Committee， said， “Animportant element in an official’ssuccessful growth is their use ofvirtue to practice self-cultivation，establish authority， and win thepeople’s trust.” This echoes the remarksof Confucius who once said，“The person who rules with virtueis like the North Star which is surroundedby other stars.”

The commitment to embracingthe world with virtue， in additionto being the spiritual pillarof Chinese civilization， also holdsgreat significance for politicalprogress in the new era. Whendelivering a report at the 20th NationalCongress of the CPC， GeneralSecretary Xi declared， “Buildinga human community with ashared future is the way forwardfor all the people of the world.”The human community with ashared future that he envisionedis an epitome of the traditionalChinese view of harmoniouscoexistence among all countriesand the continuity of its commitmentto embracing the worldwith virtue. China stands againsthegemonism and power politics，while it supports world peaceand respects the diversity of civilizations.It calls on all countriesto allow cultural exchanges totranscend estrangement， mutuallearning to transcend clashes，and coexistence to transcendfeelings of superiority. Only indoing so， will we build an openand inclusive world that enjoyslasting peace， universal security，and common prosperity.