"We must let cultural relics speak, history speak, and culture speak." President Xi Jinping is concerned about the exchanges and mutual learning of civilizations. Over the years, President Xi Jinping has repeatedly told the stories of the integration and exchange of civilizations contained in it through cultural relics on diplomatic occasions.

On the occasion of International Museum Day on May 18, we will tell some stories about precious cultural relics and ancient books in China and abroad mentioned by President Xi Jinping, listen to the symphony of civilization of "Each person has its own beauty, and share beauty with beauty" and appreciate the power of exchanges and mutual learning in civilization.

In April 2025, President Xi Jinping wrote in a signed article published by Cambodian media that many eminent monks in Cambodia had visited China to spread the scriptures and spread the Dharma. "Zhen La Tempora" written by Zhou Daguan of the Yuan Dynasty became an important document for studying Cambodian history. The great Chinese civilization and Khmer civilization cross the long river of history and shine together.

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"Zhenla Temporary Records" vividly records the scene of the people of China and Cambodia who were mutually connected and lived in harmony, and described the glory of the Zhenla dynasty in detail, providing an authoritative guide for the people of the world to discover and understand the mysterious Angkor civilization.

"Many people told me that when the people of China and Peruvian countries are 'looked at each other' when they see each other', and when they see each other's cultural relics, they feel 'daily familiar'." In November 2024, President Xi Jinping published a signed article in the Peruvian media. In the article, he wrote: "For example, the Inca gold mask unearthed from Peru is exactly the same as the gold mask in Sanxingdui, China."

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The golden mask from the Western Kan culture in Peru and the gold mask unearthed from Sanxingdui, China show that the Andes and the ancient Shu people like to make gold masks, confirming the friendship between China and the Secretariat and the history of the mutual resonance of China and Secretariat civilizations.

In March 2019, President Xi Jinping received a precious French ancient book "Introduction to the Analects of Confucius" from French President Macron during his visit to France. President Xi Jinping said: "This gift is very precious, I want to take it back and collect it in the National Library of China."

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The French version of "Introduction to the Analects of Confucius", with a cowhide cover, a gold-puffed mouth, and a red-plated mouth. It was printed in 1688. It is reported that the Analects of Confucius was introduced to Europe in the 17th century. "The Chinese Philosopher Confucius" published in Paris in 1687 was the first Latin translation of "The Analects of Confucius" in the West. French Orientalist Benier compiled French based on this Latin book and completed the book "Introduction to the Analects of Confucius". Benier hopes that French readers, especially the monarchs and nobles at that time, could learn from Confucius' moral philosophical thoughts and "cultivate the spirit of benevolence, gentleness, integrity and humanity."

In May 2017, President Xi Jinping used the millennium "Gilded Copper Silkworm" and the "Black Stone" shipwreck as evidence to tell the feat of his ancestors opening up the ancient Silk Road more than 2,000 years ago and opening a new window for friendly exchanges between China and foreign countries.

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The gilded bronze silkworm of the Han Dynasty is now stored in the Shaanxi History Museum. It symbolizes the abundant and persistent dedication in Chinese traditional culture, and witnesses the "in-depth" connection between Eastern and Western civilizations; the "Black Stone" shipwreck discovered in the Indonesian waters is an ancient Arab ship carrying tens of thousands of Chinese Tang Dynasty cultural relics, most of which are ceramics, and exquisite gold and silverware, which has become a witness to the Maritime Silk Road.

In September 2014, during his visit to Sri Lanka, President Xi Jinping received a precious gift - a rubbing of the Zheng He Monument hidden in the Sri Lanka National Museum. In October 2023, President Xi Jinping specifically mentioned the Zheng He monument when he met with the President of Sri Lankan in Beijing, and pointed out that "it is a historical witness to the long-term friendship and mutual learning between the two peoples."

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The Zheng He Monument (full name is "Zheng He's "Plain of the Buddhist Temple of the Ceylon Mountain"") was erected after Zheng He arrived in Sri Lanka for the second time in 1409 AD. There are three inscriptions on the front of this monument, namely Chinese, Tamil and Persian, which record the fact that Zheng He went to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) more than 600 years ago to donate wealth and worship Buddha to Buddhist temples on the island. It is a precious historical material that witnesses the exchanges between Siberia during the ancient Maritime Silk Road.

In March 2014, when President Xi Jinping delivered a speech at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, he specifically mentioned 20 exquisite glassware unearthed in the underground palace of Famen Temple in Shaanxi in 1987. This is an Eastern Roman and Islamic glassware introduced to China in the Tang Dynasty. He said: "When I appreciate these extraterritorial cultural relics, I have been thinking about a question, that is, when dealing with different civilizations, I cannot only be satisfied with appreciating the exquisite objects they produce, but also should appreciate the humanistic spirit contained in it."

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The batch of glassware unearthed in the underground palace of the Tang Pagoda of Famen Temple is crystal clear, with beautiful shapes, and has obvious extraterritorial colors. They are not only a major discovery in the archaeology of Islamic glass in the world, but also a proof of the exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and Western civilizations at that time.

Planning: Huang Qinghua Annianjun

Coordination: Tang Haochen

Design: Yin Zhelun Pan Hongyu