Only through creative absorption can a culture incorporate positive elements from other cultures into its development. Any indiscriminate duplication of outside models, which would reflect a lack of cultural self-confidence, would inevitably result in the forfeiting of its own foundation, says a People's Daily article.

The Chinese civilization is the only one that has experienced uninterrupted development, due to its unique linguistic, cultural and value systems and its capability for ceaseless self-renewal. The vitality of the Chinese civilization comes from its millenniums-long cultural self-confidence and its continuous interactions among its own ethnic groups and with outside civilizations.

However, the wane of Chinese civilization and the rise of Western civilization in modern times has led to the impression some have that Chinese culture is inferior to other cultures and its "backwardness" can only change by faithfully imitating Western culture. A look at history indicates that, compared with its long time prosperity, the decline of Chinese civilization is a transient moment. China's backwardness in modern times is a result of its self-isolation, and we do not need to go to extremes in our efforts to overcome the remaining elements of "cultural insulation" and abandon our own cultural roots.