Ambrose Mong
The Chinese dream
China’s National Day, which falls on October 1, and the concept of the “Chinese Dream” [中国梦] are two deeply intertwined ideas that form the core of contemporary Chinese national identity and patriotism. While National Day celebrates the founding of the state, the Chinese Dream serves as the modern ideological roadmap for its future development.
President Xi Jinping, in promoting the “core socialist values” [社会主煙核心价值蠣] known as spiritual civilisation [精神文明建蠎], asserting that “If the people have faith, the nation has hope, and the country has strength” [人民有信仰，国家有力量，民族有希望].
This spiritual civilisation encompasses China’s ideological and cultural development, complementing its material civilisation [物謫文明].
Promoting patriotism, Xi’s signature statement is used widely in cultural and political contexts to emphasise the moral foundation of national development. In this context, faith denotes the collective confidence of citizens; hope expresses aspirations for progress and unity; and strength signifies resilience and vitality.
Broadly used in schools, media, and community campaigns, it captures the essence of the Chinese Dream [中国梦]—a vision of shared moral conviction and confidence in the nation.
This spiritual civilisation encompasses China’s ideological and cultural development, complementing its material civilisation [物謫文明]
On a broader scale, Xi’s remark is often interpreted as incorporating Confucian moral teaching with modern national ideals. Confucius upheld harmony [he, 和] as the highest ethical ideal framing personal conduct and social order, grounded in mutual respect [xianghu zunzhong 相互尊重], propriety [li 禮], and benevolence [ren 仁]. Harmony signifies the dynamic balance among people, roles, interests, and virtues.
It is noteworthy that the slogan on the façade of the Forbidden City facing Tiananmen reads: “Long live the unity of all peoples of the world” [世界人民大旨滂万占].
Once associated with Mao Zedong’s rhetoric on international solidarity, it now conveys a message of global unity transcending national, ethnic, and ideological boundaries.
Associated with the Chinese Dream, this phrase integrates the aspirations of the individual and the nation, linking China’s development’s role and contribution to global peace and stability.
In sum, the Chinese Dream envisions a fully developed, modern socialist state characterised by national strength, social harmony, cultural renewal, and environmental care. It is a dream that belongs to the people and is to be realised through their collective effort
In sum, the Chinese Dream envisions a fully developed, modern socialist state characterised by national strength, social harmony, cultural renewal, and environmental care. It is a dream that belongs to the people and is to be realised through their collective effort.
Mirroring in name but not in spirit nor content, the American Dream emphasises individual ambition, opportunity, and upward mobility, the Chinese Dream stresses collective responsibility, national renewal, and social harmony.
The Christian Dream
The emphasis on prosperity, peace, and community in the Chinese Dream resonates with biblical hopes for the flourishing of all peoples. The prophet Jeremiah exhorted the exiled Israelites: “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile, and pray to the Lord for it, for if it prospers, you too will prosper” [Jeremiah 29:7].
Likewise, Amos envisioned a just society where “justice rolls on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream” [Amos 5:24].
The Church emphasises the primacy of the spiritual over the material and cautions against absolutising the state at the expense of individual dignity. A truly humane vision—both Chinese and Christian—must integrate material progress with care for the poor and marginalised. From a Christian perspective, genuine faith in God gives rise to hope, and the true strength of a nation lies in truth, justice, compassion, and love of neighbour.
[Pope Francis] teaches that faith, hope, and love unite people through trust in God—echoing Xi’s insight that inner conviction leads to outward strength. Christians formed by faith become hopeful and generous in service to society.
Fratelli Tutti
In his 2020 encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis laments that our world is deeply wounded by nationalism, egoism, and indifference. He calls for a shift from the pursuit of national power to a culture of care rooted in faith, human dignity, and fraternity. For Francis, hope is not passive optimism but an active Christian virtue promoting human solidarity and the common good.
He teaches that faith, hope, and love unite people through trust in God—echoing Xi’s insight that inner conviction leads to outward strength. Christians formed by faith become hopeful and generous in service to society. True strength reveals itself not in domination, but in serving the vulnerable, and in promoting peace and justice—a moral rather than military power.
Pope Francis describes this vision of fraternity as a splendid secret of human life:
“No one can face life in isolation… We need a community that supports and helps us… How important it is to dream together. Dreams, on the other hand, are built together. Let us dream, then, as a single human family… as children of the same earth which is our common home” [Fratelli Tutti, 8].
For Francis, hope grows in shared life, not in isolation or rivalry. His words express a fundamental truth of our existence: we are relational beings. We cannot live in isolation without harming our humanity. It is in relationship that we learn empathy, forgiveness, and service.
No one can face life in isolation… We need a community that supports and helps us… How important it is to dream together. Dreams, on the other hand, are built together. Let us dream, then, as a single human family… as children of the same earth which is our common home
Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti, 8
Shattered dream
Sadly, this dream of solidarity has been shattered in many parts of the world. Pope Francis mourns the resurgence of old conflicts and the rise of aggressive, resentful nationalism. Under the guise of national interest, some nations wage wars against weaker ones, fostering selfishness and eroding social conscience [Fratelli Tutti 11].
Recently, Pope Leo XIV condemned the US–Israel war against Iran, calling it an “unjust war” and “the madness of war.” He urged an immediate ceasefire, warning that “God does not bless any conflict.”
Advocating for global peace, Pope Leo called on world leaders to choose dialogue over violence, defining true peace not as mere absence of war but as the fruit of justice, forgiveness, and human dignity. Similarly, Xi has stated that China would play a “constructive role” in promoting peace negotiations in the Middle East.
Despite differing worldviews, the Catholic Church and China could jointly promote global peace by championing dialogue over confrontation. China’s foreign policy emphasises the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence [和平共夙五㎜原共]—non-interference, equality, and mutual benefit among them. By focusing on shared humanistic goals, both the Church and China can become unexpected yet effective partners in the pursuit of peace.
Pope Francis mourns the resurgence of old conflicts and the rise of aggressive, resentful nationalism. Under the guise of national interest, some nations wage wars against weaker ones, fostering selfishness and eroding social conscienc
Together in purpose, diverse in spirit
Both the Chinese Dream of societal harmony and cultural renewal and the Christian Dream of compassion and fraternity build upon material progress yet draw their true strength from moral responsibility to humanity. There are abundant opportunities for convergence, pointing toward a future grounded in justice, harmony, and shared hope.
We still have hope—a dream shaped by both Christian and Chinese characteristics.
1 See Chiaretto Yan, My Chinese Dream: Dialogues and Encounters with Christianity (Obis Books, Maryknoll, New York, 2026).
