According to archaeologist Su Bingqi, Chinese civilization resembles "a constellation of stars". Hongshan culture, Liangzhu culture — a Neolithic culture that existed in China's Yangtze River Delta region 5,300 to 4,300 years ago — and the later-period Shimao culture form the wellspring of Chinese civilization.

An early example of this is the approximately 6,000-year-old Niuheliang site of Hongshan culture, discovered in Liaoning province, an area located at the crossroads of Northeast Asia that was a historical cultural melting pot. A region where farming, fishing-hunting, nomadic and maritime cultures intersected and blended.

Throughout history, the area that is now Liaoning has been a region where diverse ethnic cultures interacted, absorbed influences and merged together, shaping Liaoning's character — bold and profound, open and enterprising — which has been an irreplaceable molder of the Chinese national identity.

Hongshan culture fostered a philosophy of harmony between humans and nature while forging a cross-ethnic cultural identity through shared ancestral beliefs. Its influence spread not through violence but through cultural attraction, making peace and inclusivity the essence of Chinese civilization.

A jade dragon artifact, featuring a boar-headed profile, incised deer eyes and a coiled snake-like body, is an iconic representation of the syncretic Hongshan culture, which emerged in Liaoning, integrating agrarian and hunting traditions.

The evolution of dragon artistry — from the Hongshan jade dragon to the dragon-serpent motifs in Liangzhu's divine-human-beast iconography, the dragon patterns carved on Shimao stone, the royal-ritual turquoise dragon of the Erlitou culture, its crystallization as the emblem of the Chinese nation during the Qin (221-206 BC) and Han (206 BC-AD 220) dynasties, and the imperial dragon motifs of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties — embodies the symbiosis of continuity and innovation in Chinese civilization, where cultural sparks from over five millennia ago remain traceable.

Hongshan culture exemplifies how Chinese civilization developed cultural symbols and philosophical concepts revered across communities. By championing equality and respect rather than civilizational superiority, dialogue and exchange rather than estrangement and conflict, and cooperation and mutual benefit rather than zero-sum rivalry, this wisdom transcends the "clash of civilizations" theory. The strengths of civilization lie not in conquest and exclusion, but in forging unity out of diversity.

The seeds of five defining characteristics of the Chinese civilization — continuity, creativity, unity, inclusiveness and peacefulness — were already planted in Liaoning millennia ago. Over time, these traits were nurtured and institutionalized, eventually crystallizing into the deep-rooted code that has allowed the Chinese civilization to renew itself time and again. To understand Hongshan culture, therefore, is to engage with the sources of "what makes China" and the foundations of its cultural confidence.

During President Xi Jinping's inspection of Liaoning on Jan 24, last year, he emphasized the importance of fostering cultural confidence, an emphasis that is reflected in the central leadership's recommendations for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30).

China is leveraging its cultural tradition of harmony into tangible public goods such as the Belt and Road Initiative and its four global initiatives. Rooted in the fertile soil of Chinese civilization, China's global development, security, civilization and governance initiatives represent a modern incarnation of its civilizational heritage that can be traced back to Hongshan culture.

Now nominated to be inscribed on the list of UNESCO World Heritage, Hongshan culture illuminates the way to a shared future for humanity.