One of the most stimulating and controversial theoretical ideas in the social sciences is undoubtedly the difference between civilization and culture, usually conceived asymmetrically. The original source of this distinction, which is designed to distinguish sharply between the material and the spiritual, can be traced to various European scholars and philosophical traditions. Immanuel Kant or Gottfried Herder may not have used today’s exact terminology, but their suggestive ideas have shaped the contemporary distinction. The dichotomy of culture and civilization resonated strongly with intellectuals, social scientists, and humanists in the decades of the 1920s and 1930s in Europe and beyond. In an age of fundamental social upheaval, this basic distinction has influenced social theory and political perspectives on a global scale. Based on our historical account we will comment on the Chinese discourse on ecological civilization.