Universal harmony under heaven
This is an ideal world described in The Book of Rites, a vision pursued by the ancient Chinese. In such a world, the people under heaven are of one family, and everyone is equal, friendly and ready to help each other. This is called da tong (universal harmony) in Chinese.
As time goes by, other ideas about politics, the economy, science and technology, and cultural assimilation have been incorporated into this aspiration.
The da tong ideal was created by China, but it has many similarities with the Western idea of utopia, and the modern visions of communism and a global village.
Xi Jinping has referred to the traditional ideal of "universal harmony" on several occasions. Speaking at the meeting marking the 40th anniversary of the launch of reform and opening up, held in December 2018, he said: Since ancient times, the broad-minded Chinese nation has pursued "universal harmony under heaven" and "coexistence of all nations in harmony," and confidently and generously maintained contacts and conducted cultural exchanges with other nations. The camel bells along the Silk Road and the numerous foreign visitors to Chang'an, the prosperous capital of the Tang Dynasty, were all memories of a good past.
天下大同
“天下大同”源自《礼记》，是对中国古代追求的理想世界的描述，代表着人类对未来社会的美好憧憬，即天下一家、人人平等、友爱互助。随着时代变迁，这一理念融入了全球范围的政治、经济、科技、文化融合等思想。尽管大同理想为中国原创，但西方的乌托邦、现代的共产主义、地球村等愿景也与之有着极大的相似之处。
习近平汲取中华优秀传统文化的思想精华，多次提及“天下大同”的观点。2018年12月，习近平在庆祝改革开放40周年大会上指出，自古以来，中华民族就以“天下大同”“协和万邦”的宽广胸怀，自信而又大度地开展同域外民族交往和文化交流，曾经谱写了万里驼铃万里波的浩浩丝路长歌，也曾经创造了万国衣冠会长安的盛唐气象。
