In a world increasingly marked by fragility and division, the need for dialogue among civilizations has never felt more urgent. That call to action lies at the heart of the Global Civilizations Initiative, introduced by Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Communist Party of China (CPC) in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting on March 15, 2023. The initiative calls for respecting the diversity of civilizations and promoting exchange among them.

"It's not just an initiative," said Irina Bokova, former Director General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), as she accepted the Lifetime Honorary Award at the Second Orchid Awards Ceremony in Beijing on July 10. "It is a vision of a world that is peaceful, that collaborates, that is respectful and that respects all the different cultures for the better future of humanity."

Launched by China International Communications Group (CICG) in 2022, the Orchid Awards, a national-level award, recognize non-Chinese individuals and institutions for their contributions to facilitating exchange and mutual learning among civilizations. The first awards ceremony took place in Beijing in September 2023. This year's awards honored 10 recipients across three categories: the Lifetime Honorary Award, the Outstanding Achievement Award and the Friendship Envoy Award. They stood out from over 300 nominees from around 80 countries and regions.

The awards ceremony gathered more than 300 people, including award winners, nominees and jury members from over 30 countries. Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, attended the ceremony and delivered a keynote speech.

"Every recipient and participant of the Orchid Awards is an advocate and practitioner of mutual learning and cultural exchange. We must actively promote intercultural dialogue, create more platforms for interaction, broaden channels of communication, and revitalize human culture through meaningful engagement and collaboration," Li said.

Building global understanding

Bokova's recognition with the Orchid Awards' highest honor of the year celebrates not only her pioneering leadership at UNESCO but also her steadfast advocacy for global peace and her lifelong dedication to preserving cultural heritage and advancing sustainable development.

At 73, Bokova is now a senior advisor to the Board of Directors of the Europe-Asia Center. She is most renowned for her tenure as head of UNESCO from 2009 to 2017, during which she made great contributions to the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, especially in the realms of culture and education.

Reflecting on UNESCO's founding mission, Bokova emphasized its lasting importance in today's interconnected world. She considered receiving the award more than a personal milestone. It was, from her viewpoint, a recognition of shared values. "I believe this honor reflects China's deep commitment to UNESCO, to multilateralism and to the broader mission of promoting culture, protecting both tangible and intangible heritage, and fostering intercultural dialogue," she said at the ceremony.

The occasion also brought Bokova back to a defining moment in her career. "More than a decade ago, President Xi visited a United Nations agency for the first time, and that agency was UNESCO," she recalled. "In his speech, he stressed that although we come from different cultures, ethnicities, religions, languages and social systems, we are all part of a shared humanity and a shared future."

For Bokova, that message captures the essence of UNESCO's mission and the spirit of the Global Civilizations Initiative, grounded in mutual respect, inclusivity and global cooperation.

A major part of Bokova's legacy is the strengthening of UNESCO's collaboration with China. Under her leadership, 11 Chinese cities joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, nine major Chinese cultural sites were added to the World Heritage List, and the UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education was launched in partnership with China, an ongoing initiative that promotes global gender equality through education.

"It was a very fruitful period, and I'm pleased that China shows such strong interest in UNESCO's diverse programs," Bokova said in a group interview on July 9. "It reflects China's commitment not only to its own development, through creativity and the role of culture, but also to engaging with the world and contributing globally."

Bokova also highlighted China's innovative approach to heritage conservation, citing the inclusion of Beijing's Central Axis on UNESCO's World Heritage List last July as a groundbreaking example. "It's a very innovative approach," she said. "It redefines heritage beyond individual monuments to include entire urban landscapes, complexes and public spaces that tell the story of a city's evolution."

Spanning nearly 8 km, the Central Axis is an urban artery running from north to south through the heart of Beijing, along which the city's architectural essence can be found. It offers a unique view of China's urban development across centuries.

"It gives us a new perspective on how cities evolve over time, and I believe it will inspire other countries to showcase their own models of heritage and urban development," Bokova said. "This is how China helps broaden the global understanding of what constitutes world heritage."

Roots of friendship

At the ceremony, a heartfelt voice from Rhode Island, the U.S., captured the essence of cultural exchange. "Orchids are beautiful, they last and they are full of life, just like friendship," said Elyn MacInnis as she accepted the Friendship Envoy Award. Her words reflected a lifetime of dedication to building bridges between China and the U.S., not through policy, but through people.

MacInnis has spent decades chronicling stories of compassion, collaboration and cross-cultural friendship rooted in the hills of Kuliang, a tranquil mountain retreat near Fuzhou in the southeastern Chinese province of Fujian.

Her award is not merely for past efforts, but for a living, ongoing mission. Through the Friends of Kuliang group she created in 2016, MacInnis and her husband Peter MacInnis have helped recover and preserve the history of early 20th-century American families in Kuliang who lived and worked alongside local Chinese communities in mutual respect. These expatriates included teachers, doctors and missionaries.

"President Xi once said the foundation of China-U.S. relations lies in the people," MacInnis shared during her speech. "I've seen that truth again and again."

The MacInnis family has a longstanding bond with China. Donald MacInnis, Elyn MacInnis' father-in-law, was a Flying Tigers lieutenant and beloved wartime educator in China, arriving in China in the 1940s. The Flying Tigers was a famous American volunteer fighter unit that helped the Chinese fight Japanese invaders during World War II.

Elyn MacInnis' research over the past decades has unearthed over 1,000 artifacts and personal accounts on China-U.S. wartime friendship, including a newspaper called Tide, painstakingly hand-copied by Chinese students under the guidance of Donald MacInnis, who carried the original copy back to the U.S. and returned it nearly 50 years later to his former student, Chen Shiming.

In 2015, Elyn MacInnis and her husband fulfilled Donald MacInnis' final wish by scattering half of his ashes into the Minjiang River flowing through Fuzhou, close to the school where he once taught. "Although his ashes lie on two continents, they flow into the same ocean," she said. "It's a symbol of our shared humanity."

Receiving the Orchid Award brought her story full circle. It was a recognition not just of academic contribution, but one of heartfelt storytelling, empathy and grassroots diplomacy. "I accept this award with deep gratitude, and I share it with all the families of Kuliang, both past and present—and all those around the world who are planting the seeds of peace, one friendship at a time," she said.

(Print Edition Title: Harmony in Full Bloom)

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon

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