The Warmth of Dialogue Between Civilizations -- A 700-Year Journey of Shared Aspirations

BEIJING, June 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from China.org.cn on dialogues between civilizations:

The Warmth of Dialogue Between Civilizations — A 700-Year Journey of Shared Aspirations

At the moment, Moroccan cyclist Karim Mosta, who is over 70 years old, is hosting a photography exhibition in Auxerre, France. The photos have rekindled memories of his 204-day journey last year, during which he pedaled from Casablanca, Morocco, to Beijing, China, spanning 15 countries.

For Mosta, this epic challenge to cross three continents was inspired by Ibn Battuta, whose spirit Mosta sought to honor by retracing the great traveler's footprints along the ancient Silk Road.

Ibn Battuta, a famous medieval Moroccan explorer, shared a profound connection with China. In the early 14th century, long before the advent of steam engines, Battuta spent over 20 years journeying through many countries across Asia, Africa, and Europe. Along the way, he left his mark on many stops of the ancient Silk Road, eventually reaching Chinese cities including Quanzhou and Hangzhou.

While Ibn Battuta marveled at the thriving prosperity of Citong (Quanzhou), he didn't know that Wang Dayuan, a young Chinese explorer also living in his time, set sail from that very city, paying visits to many foreign lands via the Maritime Silk Road, including Battuta's homeland of Morocco. Both travelers left behind written accounts of their explorations, respectively describing their experiences in the distant worlds of Yuan Dynasty China and Morocco. The coincidentally echoing journeys created an invisible thread of connection between the two cultures, stretching across thousands of miles along the ancient Silk Road.

Seven centuries later, the two countries renewed their ties along the ancient Silk Road, opening a fresh chapter. As the first North African country to sign the document of jointly building the BRI with China, Morocco has collaborated with China on infrastructure, trade, investment, and green energy, among other fields. As pragmatic cooperation continues to deepen, so too have mutual trust and people-to-people exchanges. For Mosta, who cycled from Casablanca to Beijing, the friendliness and hospitality of the Chinese people left a deep impression on him, becoming a heartfelt testament to the cross-cultural kinship that has spanned over seven centuries.

In recent years, people-to-people exchanges in fields including tourism and education have been increasingly vibrant, and activities fostering mutual understanding and mutual learning have also flourished. To some degree, all those who took part in the process were "retracing" the ancient paths that Ibn Battuta and Wang Dayuan pioneered. They breathed new life into their centuries-old friendship, opening new chapters in dialogue between the two civilizations.

The over-700-year dialogue between the Chinese and Moroccan civilizations, coupled with their enduring people-to-people exchanges, epitomizes how diverse civilizations can coexist in harmony. When they embrace inclusiveness and mutual understanding, and engage in communication and mutual learning, they only strengthen friendly ties rooted in mutual respect and win-win cooperation, and therefore, add resilience to global peace and stability, while providing momentum for shared development in the future.

China Mosaic

The Warmth of Dialogue Between Civilizations — A 700-Year Journey of Shared Aspirations