BEIJING, July 7 (Xinhua) -- The contemporary value of the legacy left by the American journalist Edgar Snow was highlighted in a think tank report released Tuesday, which called for more Snow-like figures to present a comprehensive, multi-dimensional, and truthful picture of the world from an objective standpoint and with cool-headed observation.
Titled "Legacy of Edgar Snow: Contemporary Value and Inspiration to the World," the report was issued by the National High-Level Think Tank of Xinhua News Agency at an international symposium held in Beijing.
It was jointly written by the Xinhua Institute -- a think tank affiliated with the news agency -- and the School of Journalism and Communication, Peking University (PKU).
This year marks the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Long March by the Red Army under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and also the 90th anniversary of Snow's first visit to the CPC's Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia revolutionary base, which inspired his renowned work "Red Star Over China."
Ninety years ago, 31-year-old Snow broke through blockades and ventured deep into China's impoverished northwest to interview the Red Army, producing the world-shaking work. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he made three reporting trips to the country, opening a new window on "Red China" to the international community.
Snow consistently approached the Chinese people in a spirit of equality, empathy and friendliness, making him a true practitioner of inter-civilizational dialogue on an equal footing, the report said.
According to the report, in writing "Red Star Over China," Snow did not have the condescending and self-important approach toward China that was common among many Westerners of his time. Instead, he met everyone he interviewed and worked with on equal terms and in mutual assistance, regardless of background or nationality. This enabled him not only to gain access to more authentic information but also to win broad trust and respect.
The report said Snow's legacy is still relevant today for bridging the civilizational divide to understand the real China.
Only by approaching China with an objective eye, walking its ground, listening to its people, and seeing it for oneself as Snow did, can one move beyond prejudice and stereotypes, understand the historical inevitability and practical rationality of China's pursuit of the Chinese path, and view China's development achievements, opportunities and challenges fairly, it said.
The report said the legacy still inspires the world to build bridges of friendship, promote exchanges and mutual learning and address global challenges with joint efforts.
It called for more "new Snows" to uphold an attitude of openness, inclusiveness, exchange and mutual learning, continue writing new chapters of friendship between China and the rest of the world, illuminate the way forward for the peace and development of humanity, and rally the people of all countries around a new vision of building a better world.
Co-organized by Xinhua News Agency and PKU, the symposium is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday at PKU. More than 160 guests attended the event, including Snow's family members, representatives of the Edgar Snow Memorial Foundation in the United States, and Chinese and foreign scholars on Snow studies.
As early as the 1930s, Xinhua worked side by side with Snow, sending out the "voice of resistance against Japanese aggression" from northern Shaanxi to the world, Fu Hua, president of the news agency, said at the symposium.
On the new journey, Xinhua will better tell the stories about the CPC's governance of China, the stories of China in the new era, and the stories of the international community jointly building a community with a shared future for humanity in a true, multi-dimensional and comprehensive way, and will continue to strengthen the bonds of friendship left by Snow, Fu said. Enditem
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