The thesis studies the cultural value of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road by analyzing the historical and cultural traditions and the current development status of countries along the Road. The thesis believes that countries along the Maritime Silk Road feature diverse cultures and are thus more conducive to cultural exchange and of greater value of communication. Those countries are diverse and complementary in terms of their economy, society and culture, and will therefore materialize the value of communication on a higher level. Those countries feature ingrained cultures and their own collective memories, and have forged similar cultural pursuit and steadfast spiritual bond in the course of time. People-to-people exchange, which stands at the forefront of building the Maritime Silk Road, embodies human-oriented value, attaches more importance to people’s value and displays the humanist spirits. It is thus the key to building the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. Based on the aforementioned analysis, the thesis puts forward suggestions and measures on how the media should play their role in building the Silk Road.

Fang Zhenghui graduated with a BA degree from the School of Literature of Nankai University in Tianjin in 1983, and earned an EMBA degree from China Europe International Business School. Mr. Fang is a Senior Editor. He successively worked as Director of the Editorial department, Member of the Party Committee, and Associate Editor-in-Chief and General Manager of China Comment, a biweekly of Xinhua News Agency; Vice President and Associate Editor-in-Chief of China International Publishing Group (CIPG). He spent time as a visiting scholar at Harvard University in the United States. In March 2011, Mr. Fang undertook the role of Associate Editor-in-Chief of Guangming Daily, and became Vice President of CIPG once again in December 2013. Mr. Fang is recognized as a leading publisher in press and publication industries.