中国人早就懂得了“和而不同”的道理。生活在2500年前的中国史学家左丘明在《左传》中记录了齐国上大夫晏子关于“和”的一段话：“和如羹焉，水、火、醯、醢、盐、梅，以烹鱼肉。”“声亦如味，一气，二体，三类，四物，五声，六律，七音，八风，九歌，以相成也。”“若以水济水，谁能食之？若琴瑟之专壹，谁能听之？”

The Chinese have long come to appreciate the wisdom of “harmony without uniformity”. Zuo Qiuming, a Chinese historian who lived 2,500 years ago, recorded in the Chronicle of Zuo the following comments by Yan Ying, Prime Minister of the State of Qi during the Spring and Autumn Period: “Harmony is like cooking the thick soup. You need water, fire, vinegar, meat sauce, salt and plum to go with the fish or meat.” “It is the same when it comes to music. Only by combining the texture, length, pace, mood, tone, pitch and style rightly and executing them properly can you produce an excellent melody.” “Who can eat the soup with nothing but water in it? What ear can tolerate the same tone played repeatedly on one instrument?”

世界上有200多个国家和地区，2500多个民族和多种宗教。如果只有一种生活方式，只有一种语言，只有一种音乐，只有一种服饰，那是不可想象的。

There are 200-odd countries and regions, over 2,500 ethnic groups and a multitude of religions in the world today. We can hardly imagine if this world has only one lifestyle, one language, one kind of music and one style of costume.

雨果说，世界上最宽阔的是海洋，比海洋更宽阔的是天空，比天空更宽阔的是人的胸怀。对待不同文明，我们需要比天空更宽阔的胸怀。文明如水，润物无声。我们应该推动不同文明相互尊重、和谐共处，让文明交流互鉴成为增进各国人民友谊的桥梁、推动人类社会进步的动力、维护世界和平的纽带。我们应该从不同文明中寻求智慧、汲取营养，为人们提供精神支撑和心灵慰藉，携手解决人类共同面临的各种挑战。

Victor Hugo once said, “There is a prospect greater than the sea, and it is the sky; there is a prospect greater than the sky, and it is the human soul.” Indeed, we need a mind that is broader than the sky as we approach different civilizations. Civilizations are like water, moistening everything silently. We should encourage different civilizations to respect each other and live in harmony, so that exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations will become a bridge promoting friendship between people around the world, an engine driving progress of human society, and a bond cementing world peace. We should draw wisdom and nourishment and seek spiritual support and psychological consolation from various civilizations, and work together to tackle the challenges facing mankind.