Belt and Road points the way to a 21st-century Renaissance, if China stays true to its vision

Da Hsuan Feng believes the deep cultural engagement premised in Beijing’s grand vision could not only transform the inward-looking Chinese mindset, but also give birth to new thinking on the global stage

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Published: 5:28pm, 20 Oct 2016Updated: 2:00pm, 1 May 2017

While creating economic and cultural well-being through the Belt and Road is exciting for the world, the implications of the initiative could be more profound. Illustration: Craig Stephens

In September 2013, President Xi Jinping ( 習近平 ) announced China’s “One Belt, One Road” global initiative. In the three years since, the Belt and Road has certainly captured worldwide attention, if not curiosity.

As soon as one reads about the scheme on the official Chinese website, it is natural to link it to the ancient Silk Road, be it land-based (Belt) or maritime-based (Road). It immediately brings up a very intriguing question: What is the fundamental difference between the Silk Road and the Belt and Road?

As is well known, the Silk Road grew organically, with no single person or nation initiating it. Although it allowed merchants from the West to go to China to do business, and vice versa, I think it is safe to surmise that the traffic was more from West to East than the other way around. One interesting result was that during the Northern Song dynasty (960-1126), there was a flourishing Jewish community in Bianjing, now Kaifeng (開封) in Henan (河南) province. The Jews undoubtedly came along the ancient Silk Road to do business and eventually settled in Bianjing.