Hoping to make a world of difference

Elsawy Ahmed had an immersive experience of the historical sites along Beijing's Central Axis in late April.

The professor from Egypt's Benha University got a close-up experience of the magnificent architecture and local customs in the surrounding area, including the Forbidden City, Jingshan Park, the Drum and Bell towers, and the Temple of Heaven.

During the tour, Ahmed was impressed by the exhibition featuring the history of the Bell and Drum towers, a drum performance and ancient timekeeping technology.

"Chinese culture is ancient and unique, which is fascinating,"Ahmed says, adding that he gained more insight into China's ancient culture and history.

The Egyptian professor has visited China more than 20 times, and he has traveled to a number of cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Heilongjiang province's Harbin, Gansu province's Lanzhou and Ningxia Hui autonomous region's Yinchuan.

"Each city has its own characteristics, the streets are so clean and tidy, and the residents are courteous," Ahmed says.

Ahmed was one of the nine international judges who were invited to participate in the final evaluation meeting of the first Orchid Awards that concluded on April 27.

The awards were initiated by the China International Communications Group and are aimed at promoting exchanges and interactions between China and the world, as well as fostering mutual understanding among nations.

"The intention of the CICG initiating the Orchid Awards fully aligns with the connotations of the Global Civilization Initiative, which is an important practice to promote the prosperity of the world civilization and the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind," says Du Zhanyuan, president of the group.

Du points out that, amid the current complex and challenging international situation, cultural exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations are more important than ever.

Du says he hopes that the joint efforts by Chinese and foreign judges will help promote cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries and advance mutual learning among world civilizations.

Candidates competing for the awards must demonstrate international vision and an authentic love for humankind, uphold the common values of humanity, and act on the vision of a global community with a shared future, according to the group.

They should also work in cultural sectors in a broad sense and actively engage in international cultural exchanges, make representative, marked and leading contributions in related fields, and demonstrate certain international influence.

The first Orchid Awards collected submissions from more than 300 individuals and organizations, including those from the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Russia, Australia, and South Africa.

Rosalind Oliver, director of the British Cultural Center at the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, says that during the selection, she focused on how the candidates touched people's lives, including how they have done it, and why they are participating in the awards, as well as what they are doing to promote cultural exchanges and friendship.

"It's about the friendships they are trying to create among people and the understanding they are trying to develop," she adds.

Oliver has been engaged in promoting Chinese culture over the years. In 2005, she established the Double Dragon Alliance Cultural Center, which acts as a bridge for foreigners seeking to gain a better understanding of Chinese culture. The center supports kung fu masters in teaching martial arts and organizes seminars and events for people to experience various aspects of Chinese culture, including acupuncture, traditional medicine, calligraphy, painting and Peking Opera.

In 2010, Oliver was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire for her contributions to Sino-British relations and cross-cultural work.

She says that cultural exchanges play an important role in helping people to learn about each other's background, countries and traditions, which is much needed for a peaceful world.

Speaking about the significance of the awards, Oliver says mutual trust is important in cultural exchanges, so it is imperative to find people who are trusted by the public.

"We need to find the right people to spread culture and friendship,"Oliver says.

Having spent more than two decades in Shanghai, Oliver says she has felt secure and been warmly welcomed.

"As a woman, I feel safe, and this is important for women all around the world. You can be whatever you want to be, and your imagination is the only thing that limits you," she says.

"It's the people who give you the feeling you can achieve anything."

In China, she has practiced tai chi for many years and benefited from it. "It requires balance and contains many Chinese cultural aspects," she says.

"It's good for my body, and it can also be a method for dealing with mundane affairs," she says, adding that a person needs to balance themselves, their circumstances and family, as well as society.

Speaking about her most impressive cultural exchange experience, Oliver says it has come from her Chinese friends.

"My friends have been the warmest and kindest people that I have ever met in my life," she says.

When her husband passed away in 2003, she says her Chinese friends were very helpful and kept her company.

"They have been very tolerant and understanding, so it feels like home here."

James Heimowitz, president of the China Institute based in the US and a judge for the awards, says he looks for how contestants are able to reach a broad audience, and how authentic their voices are.

"We want to have people who have had their own primary experiences here, not listened to other people's narratives," he says.

Speaking from his own experience, Heimowitz says China was very different when he first came to the country more than 40 years ago.

"If you think about how China is today, it has a global leadership role, and it's very international. That's very different from when I first came," he says.

He thinks China-US relations are very important and that's one of the reasons he visited this time.

"We have to do a better job, and the only way to do that is to reduce fear and eliminate ignorance. It's really dependent on people-to-people exchanges," Heimowitz says.

"That means those of us in the cultural sphere have a responsibility to connect people, because when people are connected, they have a chance to interact with each other. They can see for themselves and they can create their own stories and their own narratives, rather than listening to the ones constructed by other people," he adds.

Like Oliver, Heimowitz says his biggest impression of China has also come from the warmth of his Chinese friends.

"When I first came to China as a young boy, it was a really poor country," he recalls, adding that many of his friends here didn't have much, but they were so warm and generous with their spirit and everything they had, which made him always feel welcome.

"I think that's something important for all of us: to nurture and remember the connectivity we can feel at the people-to-people level," he says, adding that it can be used as a springboard to improve relations between the US and China, and help China to be better understood by different cultures and people across the world.

At the final evaluation meeting of the first Orchid Awards, the international judges exchanged ideas on the Global Civilization Initiative.

They proposed that strong relationships between countries depend on the mutual understanding and closeness between their peoples, which in turn depend on the blending of their cultures.

They concurred that different civilizations may have varying interpretations of values and beliefs, but the desire for a better life is universal. By actively embracing the global initiative for civilization, identifying common ground between different cultures, and fostering mutual understanding, a solid foundation can be established for building a community with a shared future for mankind.

After seeing more traditional folk customs and interacting with other Orchid Awards judges during the trip, Ahmed says he will bring his experience in Beijing back to Egypt.

Since 2019, Ahmed has cooperated with the China Cultural Center in Cairo to host "China in the eyes of Egyptians", a monthly cultural salon, which has now become an important platform for various sectors in Egypt, and even the entire Middle East region, to understand and get to know China.

"The development levels of Egypt and China were similar 50 years ago, but today China's developmental achievements are remarkable, and there are many things worth learning from,"Ahmed says.

"I hope that Egypt and China can learn from each other, make progress together, and develop even more."