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Abstract How can harmonious communication, integration, and coexistence among different ethnicities with distinct cultures be achieved in a multi-ethnic country? What lessons can we draw from China’s multi-ethnic cultural exchanges throughout history? Are Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism exclusive to the culture of the Central Plains? These questions are essential for forging a sense of the Chinese nation as one community and building a shared cultural home of the Chinese nation. Throughout Chinese history, the Han, Tibetan, and Mongolian ethnicities have engaged in mutual exchanges and integrations of their respective religious-cultures, fostering mutual promotion and collective growth, leaving behind valuable experiences that shaped the Chinese cultural pattern of “Diversified Communication and Harmony.” Drawing upon extensive literature and materials documenting the religious-culture exchanges and interactions among the Han, Tibetan, and Mongolian ethnicities since the Tang and Song dynasties, this article investigates the interaction, exchange, and integration history of religious-culture among these ethnicities, aiming to explore the historical evolution of this pattern of “Diversified Communication and Harmony”.

Abstract Historically, China’s religious culture centered on the triumvirate of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, fostering a diverse, multi-ethnic, and multi-faceted communication model. Whether through grand narratives of official diplomacy, subtle and organic grassroots interactions, or the catalytic efforts of scholars, these exchanges consistently promoted interaction, exchange, and integration among numerous ethnic groups in China. The harmonious coexistence and vibrant interactions of multiple ethnicities and diverse religious beliefs not only enriched and expanded the mainstreams of traditional Chinese culture, namely Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism—developing flourishing branches and generating new innovations—but also infused fresh vitality into each ethnicity’s cultural practices. Together, these exchanges formed the profound, enduring, diverse and unified Chinese culture. This article primarily examines the types and characteristics of Interaction-Exchange-Integration History among diverse religious cultures of ethnic groups such as the Han, Tibetan, and Mongolian in Chinese history and derives insights from them for the contemporary era.