The Bohai Initiative

To discuss the deep and complex religious relationship in contemporary China's strategic culture, faculties of the Humanities Department and Institute of World Religions from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, together with the Research Center for the global civi-lizations at Zhejiang University, held an academic symposium, “Bohai View: Religion and Cultural Strategy”, at Tianjin's Astor Hotel from September 18th to 20th in 2012.

Present at this symposium were famous scholars, representatives of religion, and business leaders, as well as prominent community members and cultural elites who also study or are concerned with the developments of religion and culture. These participants came together to explore important questions related to religion and the rebuilding of Chinese cultural values, including the deep relations between shaping strategic culture and cultural autonomy, and other issues.

Tianjin was built during the Ming Dynasty as a gatekeeper to Beijing and as fortification on China's Grand Canal. The city sits at the head of the Haihe River leading to the Bohai Sea; its strategic position has made Tianjin a prosperous city since its inception. During the past hundred years, Tianjin has equalled Shanghai as a witness of China's modern history, mixing Chinese tradition and Western moder-nity.

The organizers chose the great city of Tianjin as the meeting location because this city serves as a symbol for the aims of our sym-posium. These aims are to integrate the perspectives of ancient and modern, East and West; to guide the development of religion and Chinese cultural strategy with an open and inclusive attitude; to advocate the unique role and mission of religion in the Chinese cultural renaissance; to break barriers between different schools and initiate leaders in all circles of society so that they can pool their wisdom together and jointly change people's standing preconceptions of religion; and to promote and explore the suitable position and values of religion in a constructive productive and civilized way as Chinese strategic culture takes shape.

After a full day of open and intense discussion concerning relations between religion and Chinese strategic culture, the participants proposed the following initiatives：