Tony Blair once said, if you don’t know China, then you’ve got no way to know the world. China’s five thousand years of history interests not only Mr. Blair, but also the Chinese people, who are to understand, study and promote the Chinese culture. Today, no matter to view China from an angle of western civilization, or to look at west from a prospective of Chinese culture, the culture and civilization have both become the most valuable element of the live of human beings.
The development of human civilization and culture is to satisfy human material need, while it cannot be separated with the pursuit of energy. In China, from the ancient times to the end of 19th century, the special production manner fostered the prevailing development view of agricultural civilization. People’s need for energy is based upon the pure principle of drawing on native-grown and local materials. There are plenty of idioms and proverbs concerning energy, such as drill wood to get fire, pass the flame, the fire burns high when everybody adds wood to it, as long as green hill remains, there will never be a shortage of firewood. During this period, human’s view upon the development and use of energy is basically to let the nature take its course, and each takes what he/she needs.
Ushering into the 20th century, the flourish and advance of industrial civilization sped up the economic development, causing human’s need from above the ground surface to below the earth. Coal, petroleum, natural gas are largely exploited out, and the China’s energy culture is thus changed. During the past decades, China’s use of energy is led by the State Grid for large-scale public service. The State Grid drove China High-Speed Rail, China Telecom, China Gas and agricultural modernization, raising the use of energy to an unprecedented height. The topics we discuss today, such as energy saving and emission reduction, climate change and ecological civilization, are all endowed with special meanings of the time during the development of energy and culture.
Facing the 21st century, those who know the energy know the future. People has been soberly aware that the favor and obsession of fossil energy is unreliable. Relying upon the scientific & technological advancement and social development, human shall ultimately solve the future energy need with their wisdom and hard work, and the development of new energy dominated by solar energy will be widely accepted. There will be a historic connection between the ancient Silk Road and the present new energy road, and China’s future energy culture will be given the brand-new interpretation due to its universal principle of harmony.
The economic belt along the Silk Road will bring people a sunshine avenue. It was the sunshine that light the sky. Circling around the sun, the earth will finally own a new energy internet of itself. This internet will certainly bear the scientists’ dream, the entrepreneurs’ spirit and the poets’ sensation, and will eventually harbor enormous energy to meet people’s need for material and cultural life. The future development of China’s energy culture is worthy of your sincere expectation!