This article was automatically translated from the original Turkish version.
When we journey into the depths of history, we see that some civilizations held a central position not merely through political or military power, but through their cultural and intellectual influence. China stands at the forefront of such civilizations. For thousands of years, it has been not only a “great power” but also a “great center of attraction.” But why?
Powder, compass, paper, printing press—these inventions bestowed by China upon world civilization were not merely technological; they also triggered intellectual and social transformation. These innovations laid the foundations of the modern world while revealing that China was not merely a geographically isolated region, but a mentally open and productive civilization. Was the driving force behind all these developments solely human intellect, or was there a deeper, divine or metaphysical orientation at play?
The Qur’an states, “To every people a warner was sent” (Fatir 24). Based on this, it is not implausible that prophets, whose names have not reached us, were also sent to vast regions such as China. Perhaps the wise path of Tao, the moral teachings of Confucius, or Buddha’s call to inner journeying are reflections of these divine missions. Although we do not know their names, the ethical, social, and spiritual systems left behind by these lost figures may have enabled China to endure for centuries without dissolving under external influences.
A visual representing Chinese culture (generated by artificial intelligence)
Throughout history, China has been invaded multiple times: the Mongols arrived, the Manchus arrived; in modern times, the Japanese occupied parts of it, and Western imperial powers forced open its ports. Yet all of them, in some way, transformed themselves to conform to China’s spirit. Here emerges an intriguing phenomenon: rather than becoming like their invaders, the invaders became like China. This reveals a crucial distinction: being politically dominated is not the same as being culturally dominated. China may have suffered political defeat, but it never submitted culturally. It was occupied, yet not assimilated. On the contrary, over time, it transformed its occupiers, “Sinicizing” them. This is the “silent victory” of a civilization.
Today, China is no longer a civilization merely on the defensive, withdrawn into its shell. On the contrary, it has launched a major economic, technological, and geopolitical offensive toward becoming a global power. A “modern China” now exerts influence from Africa to Southeast Asia, from the Middle East to Latin America. But is this new China merely a continuation of ancient China, or does it operate with an entirely different spirit? This is not only a political question, but a cultural and moral one. For thousands of years, China was regarded as a “delicate maiden.” Today, for the first time, it may have assumed the role of the “demanding,” the “guiding,” and even the “shaping” force. This transforms it, for the first time in history, into a genuine imperial subject.
