Hong Kong's first Five-Year Plan: What it means for the city

China is one of the world’s oldest civilizations, alongside Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Indus Valley Civilization. Yet, unlike these civilizations, China does not seem to have the same religious soft power that shapes global identity and influence.<br><br>Islam gives Iran and many other countries a strong religious identity. Hinduism connects India with its ancient civilization and traditions, while Christianity has deeply influenced Western countries and their global cultural influence.<br><br>What I find interesting is why China never developed a similarly powerful, globally recognized indigenous religion. Confucianism is an important part of Chinese civilization, but it is generally understood more as a philosophy and ethical system than a conventional religion. Buddhism is influential in China, but it originated in India rather than China.<br><br>China has its own ancient traditions, such as Taoism and Chinese folk religion, but they have not achieved the same global religious influence as Christianity, Islam, or Hinduism.<br><br>I wonder whether China’s historical focus on state power, Confucian governance, and social order limited the development of a single dominant religion with a strong worldwide following.<br><br>Could China have become even more culturally influential if it had developed a major indigenous religion with millions of followers across the world? Or was China’s civilization simply shaped by a different path, where philosophy, culture, language, and state institutions played the role that religion played elsewhere?<br><br>This is something I find fascinating about the relationship between ancient civilizations, religion, and soft power.<br><br>If China wants to take America’s place as the leading global superpower in the future, I wonder whether it also needs stronger religious and cultural soft power. Economic strength, military power, and technology are important, but global influence is also shaped by culture, shared values, and the ability to connect with people across different countries.<br><br>America’s global influence has been supported not only by its economy and military, but also by the worldwide reach of Christianity, English, Hollywood, music, universities, and popular culture.<br><br>China has its own rich civilization, language, philosophy, and traditions, but I wonder whether the absence of a globally dominant indigenous religion limits its cultural influence compared with countries whose religions have millions of followers worldwide.<br><br>Does China need to develop or promote a stronger indigenous religious identity to strengthen its global soft power, or can it become a superpower through civilization, technology, economic strength, and culture alone?<br><br>Perhaps China’s future influence will depend on whether it can make its ancient civilization emotionally meaningful to people beyond its borders—not only through economic partnerships and infrastructure, but also through ideas, values, traditions, and cultural connections.<br><br>That is what makes China’s rise so fascinating: Can a civilization become the world’s leading superpower without a globally dominant religion, or will religious and cultural soft power remain an important part of global leadership?