Modernisation refers to a historical process of the world involving universal and essential features. Chinese culture has a distinct and a typical spirit that has gradually developed over the years. Our main objective is to examine the possibility of integrating cultural thought and political philosophy in the process of modernization and build a bridge of cross-cultural understanding. We adopted a mixed methods approach consisting of survey and semi-structured interviews to 50 participants selected from the International Cultural Exchange School in Shanghai, China and were uniformly distributed into 25 from the West and 25 from China. The findings showed that modernization was a potential challenge to traditional hierarchies, with possibilities for meritocratic systems and increased calls for democracy. However, balancing social stability with individual freedoms (expression, dissent) remains a complex issue. Interview themes highlighted cultural communication challenges due to differing communication styles and the importance of patience and understanding. Therefore, there is a dynamic interplay between cultural values, political structures, and the ongoing process of modernization.