By Li Hongmei
The Chinese yearning for national rejuvenation, a better life and personal achievements have made the "Chinese Dream" vastly solidifying and inspiring, said Cai Mingzhao, director of the State Council Information Office, at a high-profile forum held in Shanghai yesterday.
Cai said the idea of Chinese Dream has become a driving force behind the deepening of reforms.
The dreams of 1.3 billion Chinese are a new dynamic in human history and will have wide-reaching implications for the country and beyond, speakers at the forum echoed.
The two-day forum with "International Dialogue on the Chinese Dream" as its theme, was held to help understand the meaning and significance of the "Chinese Dream," the catchphrase President Xi Jinping first used on November 29 last year.
Achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is the greatest dream for the nation in modern times, Xi said then.
The forum was sponsored by The State Council Information Office and co-organized by China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration and Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences. About 100 experts from more than 20 countries attended the event.
The idea will benefit the entire humanity as China adopts an open-minded and eclectic approach to interact with and learn from the world's other civilizations, said Wang Weiguang, president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
While it has generated a lot of buzz and stirred high hopes and anticipations on one hand, it has also fueled questions on the other hand.
Robert Lawrence Kuhn, chairman of the Kuhn Foundation, dismissed the stereotypical view prevalent among some Western media and academics that the Chinese Dream embodies personal sacrifice for national goals.
"The fulfillment of the national dream is dependent on the fulfillment of personal dreams," Kuhn said in a keynote speech.
The veteran China watcher also said that elements of the "Chinese Dream," like higher standards of living, will mean more products imported and jobs created overseas, which is a sign of China's contribution to the world development and prosperity.
By rejuvenating China, the "Chinese Dream" will benefit the world, he said.
British scholar Martin Jacques, author of the bestseller "When China Rules the World," noted that as China grows, it serves as a "microcosm of what can be similarly achieved by other developing countries." China's confidence in participating in global affairs is the essence of the "Chinese Dream," he said.
