10 June 2025 is the first International Day for Dialogue Among Civilisations. On 13 June, the Chinese Embassy in the UK and Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology (BIFT) jointly hosted an event in London themed “Dialogue Among Civilisations: Chinese Tea and Costume” and invited people from various sectors in the UK to celebrate this special occasion. Over 100 Chinese and foreign guests attended the event, including Chinese Ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang, his wife Counsellor Hua Mei, Chair of the BIFT Council Huang Keying, Baroness Uddin of the House of Lords, Professor Martin Albrow of the British Academy of Social Sciences, Professor Alan Macfarlane of the University of Cambridge, and Director of the Royal Museums Greenwich Paddy Rodgers. A video address made by Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi for an event celebrating the first International Day for Dialogue Among Civilisations was shown at the event. Ambassador Zheng and Chair Huang delivered remarks.
Ambassador Zheng noted that President Xi Jinping’s Global Civilisation Initiative calls for upholding the common values of humanity, emphasizing both heritage and innovation and strengthening international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation, thus setting the course for efforts to promote dialogue among civilisations. In his video remarks, Foreign Minister Wang elaborated on the necessity and urgency of promoting dialogue among civilisations. In the face of a turbulent world, countries should place greater value on civilisation, embrace the principles of harmony in diversity, harmonious coexistence, and mutual prosperity for all, and strengthen dialogue, exchange and mutual learning among civilisations to promote peace and stability in the world and progress of human civilisation.
Ambassador Zheng pointed out that both China and the UK are countries with long histories and splendid cultures, serving as important representatives of Eastern and Western civilisations. The two sides should uphold mutual respect and equality among civilisations, support dialogue, exchange and mutual learning, and continue coordination and cooperation to advance human civilisation. The two sides should respect each other’s independent choices of development path and social system, firmly oppose talks of “clash of civilisations” and acts of unilateral bullying, and jointly uphold fairness and justice; strengthen dialogue and coordination to address climate change, biodiversity loss, pandemics and other common challenges facing humanity; and encourage people from all sectors in both countries to engage in exchange and dialogue to deepen mutual understanding and friendship and to promote practical cooperation in various fields. Citing figures of mutual visits and international students, Ambassador Zheng highlighted the achievements of China-UK people-to-people exchanges and expressed hope for various sectors to further deepen interactions and contribute to dialogue between the two civilisations.
At the event, a Tang Dynasty-style tea ceremony was performed, and Chinese and British scholars offered comparative insights about the tea cultures of the two countries. BIFT presented a costume display themed “Coexistence along the Silk Road”, in the form of both exhibition and fashion show, highlighting the rich heritage and modern innovation of Chinese costume culture. Amid the aroma of tea and the splendour of Chinese costume, Chinese and British guests immersed themselves in the joyful atmosphere of intercultural dialogue and deepened their understanding and appreciation of each other’s cultural traditions.
