History | The global impact of ancient Chinese paper money

As the technology historian Robert Temple stated in his book The Genius of China: 3,000 Years of Science, Discovery, and Invention, "When the older methods of paper money issuance became known in the West, they had a profound influence on Western banking. The old Hamburg Bank and the Swedish banking system were based on Chinese models. Thus, some of the basic banking procedures of the Western world came directly from China."

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About

DeepChina is an elite academic initiative that offers objective and rational analyses on a broad spectrum of topics related to China, encompassing politics, economics, culture, human rights, diplomacy, and geopolitics.

A Trip to Kashi

Since first arriving in China at the end of August 2005, I have been to 31 provinces. Although I have been to some many times, my just completed trip to Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region was the first time I was able to go there. Unfortunately, other commitments prevented me from accepting three previous invitations, so I was extremely excited when I first had an opportunity to take a trip to Xinjiang as a foreign expert working at Minzu University of China (hereinafter Minda), at the end of August of 2022.

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Why China is a unified nation?

In ancient times, continental Europe and China were roughly the same in land area. However, they took different approaches to governance, with the former divided into multiple small countries while the latter becoming a unified multi-ethnic nation. This difference may be attributed to their respective geographical conditions, economic structures, political systems, and cultural inheritance.

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How does the BRI make a better world?

Today, in the 21st century, hunger, poverty, conflicts, and environmental pollution persist while the development gap continues to widen. Many countries still face practical challenges like insufficient development momentum, relatively low overall development performance, and outdated infrastructure, which challenge the development of human rights and global human rights governance. Since China put forward the Belt and Road Initiative, there have been many rational and constructive comments from international public opinion. However, some skeptical voices should not be ignored. Whether it is a cooperative development or a "debt trap", we need to base ourselves on facts.

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Labor in Xinjiang: forced or protected?

The right to life and the right to economic development are first and foremost in China's human rights development philosophy. In the rights and interests of laborers, individual job preferences, remuneration, rest and leave, and occupational safety and sanitation are respected and guaranteed. This is one of the essential manifestations of human rights protection in China. This paper looks at the protection of labor rights in the development of Xinjiang from the perspective of the cotton production process and industrial development.

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Viewpoints on human rights practices in China

Dignity, consensus, and inclusiveness are the three core keywords of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The idea of building a community with a shared future for mankind proposed by China has been included in more than 10 resolutions of the United Nations Human Rights Council; The Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, and Global Civilization Initiative systematically elaborate on the human rights development concept of promoting human rights through development, safeguarding human rights through security, and advancing human rights through cooperation, which is in accord with the spirit of the Declaration and provides effective solutions for the global human rights governance.

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How did the Uygur ethnic group come into being?

Xinjiang has historically been an area where various ethnic groups of the Chinese nation have lived together, many cultures have communicated with each other, and different religions have coexisted since ancient times. The Uygur ethnic group, with long time migration and integration on this land, has become one of the main ethnic groups in Xinjiang, and the majority of its ancestors are the Ouigours in Sui and Tang dynasties (581-907) in China.

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Studying China from a global perspective

World China Studies expands the breadth of traditional China studies and becomes an effective path for China to communicate with the world. The theme of The World Conference on China Studies - Shanghai Forum is "Chinese Civilization and China's Path -- A Global Perspective". More than 400 global scholars and experts gathered to share their thoughts and understandings on China studies, as well as Chinese civilization and Chinese modernization.

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Regional ethnic autonomy: a Chinese institutional innovation

Regional ethnic autonomy is the fundamental political system for addressing domestic ethnic issues in contemporary China. How does China's system of regional ethnic autonomy differ from Europe's "autonomy of nationality"? Where does the innovation lie within China's system? And how does it align with the history and reality of the community of Chinese nation? This article is to explore these questions.

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A groundless slander on boarding schools in Xizang

Some western countries have repeatedly fabricated the so-called "forced assimilation" to maliciously tarnish China's image. In fact, in recent decades, the increasingly comprehensive education system has been the epitome of the protection of human rights and cultural traditions. "Forced assimilation" is thereby nothing but a baseless slander.

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Comment matters: Views on the 6th CIIE and China's economy

The sixth of The China International Import Expo (CIIE), which lasted from November 5 to 10, has attracted 3,400 exhibitors and 394,000 professional visitors who have registered, from 154 countries, regions and international organizations according to data. Officials, entrepreneurs and scholars from all over the world focus on the CIIE. Here we list the latest comments from experts and elites, which may help answering the following questions.

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Chinese Civilization:Antiquity and continuation to this day

Chinese civilization is a unique "Tianxia (All Under Heaven) civilization" pattern. This pattern, together with other cultural genes like ritualism, ancestral worship, sincerity, benevolence, and coexistence of all in harmony, is the fundamental reason for the continuous development of Chinese civilization to this day.

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What does the "Confluence of Islam and Confucianism" Convey to Modern Civilizations?

Chinese culture has a long-standing condition of inclusiveness, with a commitment to finding common ground whilst accommodating differences. Within Chinese religions, there’s also a notable emphasis on facilitating harmonious co-existence. Islamic culture has acquired distinctive Chinese characteristics through sinicization and intermingling with Confucianism. Chinese Muslims apply oriental wisdom to understand, interpret and express their faith. Transcending the traditional dichotomy in western culture, oriental wisdom emphasizes tolerance, harmony and unity of man and nature. All these ideas and practices have, to varying degrees, promoted the exchange and mutual learning among civilizations.

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Why Is Chinese Civilization an Open System Integrating Various Cultures?

Chinese civilization is famous for its openness and inclusiveness since ancient times. Through exchanges with other civilizations, the Chinese civilization has contributed to the world a profound system of thoughts, a wide range of technological, cultural and artistic achievements, and unique institutional creations, thereby deeply influencing the development of the world's civilizations. Recently, DeepChina has interviewed Mr. Xu Xianlong, a professor from South Central Minzu University, and discussed why and how Chinese civilization can become open and inclusive in all cultures.

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Chinese Cultural History: The Rivers of Ancient Past Flow Ceaselessly On

Chinese civilization, among the world's four ancient civilizations, flows on till today. The everlasting inner cohesion of Chinese civilization comes from the Chinese written character system, Confucianism, the traditional economic system and the Chinese nation. Furthermore, the inclusiveness of Chinese civilization eventually plays a decisive role in China’s journey towards a modern nation-state.

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Living Heritage: Tea

A leaf fell into the water and changed the taste of it. Henceforth, tea was born. China is known as the home of tea. Since ancient times, tea has penetrated Chinese culture, leaving its aroma in poetry, etiquette and customs.

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Living Heritage: Guqin

Wandering sounds, irregular rhythms and a carrier of gentle emotions. This is the musical language of guqin, a plucked seven string instrument created in ancient China.

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Unraveling the mysteries of Chinese and Western portrait paintings

Portraiture has a long history in both East and West. These works are like time capsules, revealing the preoccupations of its subjects in different centuries, and the way in which they lived. In the third episode of "East Meets West," a four-part art series produced by CGTN, we look at portraits from various periods and cultures. The Tsinghua University Art Museum in Beijing houses a rich collection of old artworks, including some Qing Dynasty portraits completed hundreds of years ago.

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Revealing the untold story of Chinese woodblock prints

Chinese woodblock prints can be traced back to ancient times and are believed to have influenced Japanese ukiyo-e print works, known as "pictures of the floating world." In the last episode of "East Meets West," a four-part art series produced by CGTN, we reveal some of the untold stories of this traditional art and learn how Chinese woodcuts played a prominent role in the nexus of Eastern and Western art. The art of printing developed in China as early as the eighth century, and historical records indicate the earliest use of woodblock illustrations was for religious texts.

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Decoding the meaning of animal paintings in Chinese, Western art

From antiquity to modern times, paintings of animals have played an important role in art history. Many animals, including cats and horses, have made their way into some of the world’s most famous works. Even tiny creatures like grasshoppers and crickets have captured the hearts and minds of artists. In the second episode of "East Meets West," a four-part art series produced by CGTN, we journey into the world of animal art and decipher their symbolic meanings. Insects are a common subject in both Chinese and Western paintings, yet they are often imbued with different meanings or connotations....

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