本分论坛的主题，取意于著名人类学家费孝通（1910-2005）的名言：“各美其美，美人之美，美美与共，天下大同。”这里的“美”，意指人类不同的文明传统所具有的那些优秀的文化基因和文明成果，诸如理想、精神、智慧、价值、贡献、经验等。中华文明素有“和而不同、兼容并包、海纳百川、有容乃大”的传统。在悠久的中华文明史上，记载着大量中外文化交流与互鉴的往事，如始于西汉的“丝绸之路”，唐朝“玄奘西行求法，鉴真东渡送经”，明末“西学东渐与东学西渐”等。
中国社会改革开放以来，既扎根中华文明大地，坚持自己的发展道路，又走向世界，在经济、政治和文化等领域广泛开展交流、合作、互鉴与互惠，则再次印证了“美美与共”的深邃哲理。诚如著名哲学家罗素（BertrandRussell, 1872-1970）所言：历史已多次证明，不同文明的交流是人类文明发展的里程碑，希腊学习埃及、罗马借鉴希腊、阿拉伯参照罗马，欧洲又模仿阿拉伯等，皆是如此。历史经验让我们相信，全球化时代的到来，更亟需促进不同文明的交流与互鉴，因为只有这样，才能让不同的民族、社会和国家相互了解、相互尊重、相互欣赏，并通过分享各自的文明成果与生存智慧，共同担当维护世界和平、繁荣人类文明的重任。
正是本着上述学术立意，本分论坛将诚邀海内外著名专家学者，围绕三方面题目来展开深度研讨：（一）不同文明交流与互鉴的历史经验，这部分研讨将注重扎实的史料与范例研究，同时欢迎较为宏观的历史回顾；（二）不同文明交流与互鉴的理论探讨，这部分研讨将着重哲学、宗教学、人类学和社会学等视角，更欢迎跨学科的理论探索；（三）全球化时代的文明传统对话，这部分研讨将主要围绕不同文明背景下的哲学与宗教文化传统展开，或致力阐释某哲学、宗教文化传统的基本精神、理想境界、理论贡献等，或致力不同的哲学、宗教文化传统的比较与对话。
This panel's theme draws its inspiration from the well-known exhortation of the eminent Chinese anthropologist, the late Fei Xiaotong (1910-2005): "One cherishes one's own Beauty but also cherishes the Other's Beauty. It is this mutual appreciation that may lead to universal harmony".In this context Beauty refers to the loftiest qualities and achievements in both the material and non-material spheres (e.g. ideals, ethos, values, experience, wisdom) that a represent in all cultures and civilizations.
Chinese tradition has long valued harmony and inclusiveness; often invoking the image of a vast ocean into which run hundreds of rivers. Chinese history's shows many examples of cultural exchanges and cross-cultural acquisition of knowledge. It has been profoundly impacted by the Silk Road (as early as the Han dynasty, 206BC-220 AD), by Chinese Buddhist monks’travels in Asia during the Tang dynasty(618-907), e.g. Xuanzang's pilgrimage to India to search for sacred Buddhist scriptures, or Jianzhen's missionary journey to Japan, and by the transmission of Western knowledge to China, and of Chinese knowledge to the West during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644).
The launching of the Open-door Policy in the late 70s renewed with this specific road map for national and cultural development. Since then, China has been continually engaged with the world in the economic, political and cultural fields in areas that include communication, co-operation, and cultural exchanges, thus attesting to its deep regard for the wisdom expressed by the"Beauty through Each Other's Eyes".
As the famous British philosopher Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) pointed out, are view of history shows that encounters between civilizations often create the landmark events that mark human progress. For instance, the Greeks learned from the Egyptians, the Romans from the Greeks, the Arabs from the Romans, medieval Europeans from the Arabs. It is in the light of this historical background that we are convinced that our new age of globalization is in urgent need of cross-cultural acquisition of knowledge, and inter civilizational communication. This is the only way through which different peoples, societies and countries may come to understand, respect and appreciate each other; the only way through which, by sharing their life experience and cultural achievements, nations may fulfill their mission of safe guarding world peace,and spur human civilization's continued progress.
To accomplish this goal, the panel invites experts and scholars from China and the world to present and discuss the following thematic areas: (1) case-studies or macro level overviews of historical exchanges between civilizations and of cross-cultural acquisition of knowledge; (2) theoretical investigation of civilizational exchanges and cross-cultural acquisition of knowledge, from aphilosophical, theological, anthropological, sociological standpoint-preferably with an inter-disciplinary approach; (3) inter-civilizational dialogue in the global age, with an emphasis on the philosophical, cultural and religious traditions of major civilizations, examined individually (e.g. ethos, ideals,theoretical contributions), or in the form of comparison or dialogue.
