There are many iconic streets in the world. Whether it’s Wall Street in New York, Downing Street in London, Bourbon Street in New Orleans, 42nd Street in Manhattan, or Temple Street in Hong Kong, all these stretches of road instantly evoke powerful cultural images. None of them, however, have the inspirational quality of a less-well-known street in Malaysia. If you ever visit Georgetown, Penang, be sure to take a stroll down Harmony Street.

Originally called Pitt Street, and now officially named Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling, it is better known by locals and tourists alike as Harmony Street. It is so called because this one single stretch of road is home to an Anglican church, a Hindu temple, a mosque, and two Taoist temples. This confluence of different religious buildings reflects the melting pot of cultures which characterizes Penang. They were constructed in the 18th century by migrant settlers, mainly originating from China, India, Armenia and Britain. The British East India Co had established a trading base there, while many Chinese, Indians and Armenians had migrated there to escape conflict or wars in their own lands. Over succeeding generations, these diverse groups were able to maintain their own religious beliefs and practices, while also integrating into a vibrant, peaceful, international community, embracing one another’s different cultures.

In a world riddled by violence, conflict, bigotry and intolerance, Harmony Street provides a vision of how we should all be leading our lives. It is the antithesis of the sort of newspaper headlines we’ve become accustomed to reading. War atrocities, demonization of perceived enemies, anti-migrant rhetoric, racism and xenophobia are far more likely to feature in the world’s media than any stories about different nationalities co-existing in peace and harmony. Residents of Harmony Street would be aghast at the underlying premise that people from different religious and cultural backgrounds were incapable of living together peacefully and respectfully in a single, unified state.

In the Analects, Confucius specifically advocated “harmony with distinctiveness”. This is at the heart of one of the greatest challenges we face in our modern world — for different peoples, states and cultures to achieve harmony by coexisting peacefully with one another. ... the philosophy of “harmony with distinctiveness” is achieved through acknowledging, accepting and even celebrating the differences between diverse nations, cultures and beliefs. This ancient Confucian principle is the key to peace and happiness in our modern world

There clearly needs to be a paradigm shift in how too many people view the world. Every country needs to mirror the values epitomized in Georgetown’s Harmony Street. This isn’t a new idea. For thousands of years, harmony has been seen as the basis for all human interaction in Eastern philosophies such as Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism.

In Confucianism, harmony is the most highly valued human ideal. Being in harmony with other people and with nature is regarded as the secret to human happiness. The fundamental belief, expressed by Confucius 3,000 years ago, is that a sensible person should always respect different opinions and be able to work with different people in a harmonious way. This is true at all levels of human interaction — within the family, within the state, and “all under heaven”, meaning globally. In the Analects, Confucius specifically advocated “harmony with distinctiveness”. This is at the heart of one of the greatest challenges we face in our modern world — for different peoples, states and cultures to achieve harmony by coexisting peacefully with one another. This does not necessitate the eradication of differences. On the contrary, the philosophy of “harmony with distinctiveness” is achieved through acknowledging, accepting and even celebrating the differences between diverse nations, cultures and beliefs. This ancient Confucian principle is the key to peace and happiness in our modern world.

Many will see this as idealistic, but it is exemplified in Harmony Street and similar enclaves around the world, including here in Hong Kong. As with Penang, Hong Kong has embraced religious pluralism, offering places of worship for Buddhists, Taoists, Christians, Sikhs, Muslims, Jews and Zoroastrians, as well as for traditional Chinese religions, including ancestor worship and the veneration of local deities. The city exhibits a strong sense of harmony between these different religions and cultures, rooted in its history as a meeting place for Eastern and Western cultures. From Buddha’s Birthday and the Ching Ming Festival to Easter and Christmas, religious practices and festivals from both Chinese and Western traditions are celebrated across the city, creating a rich cultural life and fostering mutual respect and social harmony.

In our global village, the need for harmony and peaceful coexistence between different nations, cultures and ideologies has never been more pressing. Harmony Street in Penang and the harmony of East-meets-West Hong Kong provide much-needed inspiration for a happier world.

The author is a British historian and former principal of Sha Tin College, an international secondary school in Hong Kong.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.