Roundtable highlights civilization exchanges

Beijing Culture Forum hailed a success after hundreds attend and agreements signed

Beijing, with its long history and profound cultural heritage, serves as a powerful testament to the continuity, innovation, unity, inclusiveness and peaceful nature of Chinese civilization, a top Chinese leader said in his congratulatory letter to the 2023 Beijing Culture Forum held last week.

China will leverage the advantages of Beijing as an ancient capital and a national cultural center to strengthen cultural exchanges with the rest of the world and enhance mutual learning among different civilizations, according to the letter.

The forum, with a permanent theme of "inheritance, creativity and mutual learning", kicked off in the capital on Sept 14. The two-day event was jointly hosted by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the CPC Beijing Committee and the Beijing government. It organized 50 guest speeches and roundtable dialogues. More than 600 Chinese and foreign experts, scholars and other participants gathered together to appreciate the beauty of Chinese culture, promote cultural inheritance and innovation, and enhance exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

Christine Cayol, a French Sinologist and the founder of Yishu 8 Beijing Art Center, said at the forum that culture is the key to dialogue among civilizations, connecting the past, present and future.

Mutual learning between civilizations requires the development of free, clear and friendly communication channels, through which emotional expression and sharing among different civilizations can be realized, she added.

Wang Meng, an eminent Chinese writer, said: "The Chinese civilization has its internal stability and durability, and it also boasts the flexibility and practicability to keep pace with the times."

Zhang Yimou, chief director of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, echoed Wang's views. He said he has always taken traditional Chinese culture as the source of inspiration and the root of creativity.

"As an original civilization formed on the basis of its own cultural traditions, the Chinese civilization has continuously communicated, exchanged and integrated with other ancient civilizations", Zhang said.

To build a community with a shared future for mankind and a harmonious international community requires joint efforts from all people around the world, he added.

Christos Dimas, Greek deputy minister of culture, said Greece and China have a long history of close and profound cultural exchanges and communication, which has made important contributions to and exerted far-reaching effects on the development of world civilization.

Through mutual understanding, equal exchanges and cooperation among countries, cultural heritage will become the inspiration and starting point for the achievements of modern civilization, Dimas noted.

In recent years, digital culture has played an increasingly important role in promoting Chinese culture overseas.

Ren Yuxin, chief operating officer of Tencent, said digital cultural products, which are represented by six business formats — including online movies and TV dramas, online games and short videos — have become a crucial force for Chinese culture to go global. "They are popular among young people worldwide and have enhanced the acceptance of Chinese cultural elements in different regions," Ren added.

Wang Yiming, deputy head of the China Center for International Economic Exchange, said an important approach to the high-quality development of the cultural industry is to follow the trend of the times and promote digital transformation of the industry via advanced technologies and innovation.

Tamara Rastovac Siamashvili, chairwoman of the executive board of UNESCO, said: "By inviting key actors from within the cultural world and beyond, I'm convinced that this forum will bring new shared knowledge, strengthen partnerships and renew our commitment to invest in culture."

At a parallel session of the forum held on Sept 15, Art Exhibitions China and the National Library of China (National Museum of Classic Books), signed an agreement to organize an Egyptian cultural relics exhibition.

More than 170 cultural relics from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo are to be displayed. They include a large statue of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, a bust of Pharaoh Amenhotep and a stone tablet of Pharaoh Ramses II. The exhibition is scheduled to tour China for a year.

Egyptian Minister of Culture Nevien El Kilany said cultural relations serve as an important bond between China and Egypt. The countries, two of the oldest civilizations in human history, both advocate a culture of equality and mutual benefit, and respect the cultures of other countries. Egypt is eager to strengthen cooperation with China in all aspects of the cultural field, she added.

During this year's Beijing Culture Forum, 52 cultural projects were signed and a batch of achievements were released.

Among them, the announcements of the 10 major events for advancing the national cultural center construction for 2022 has captured the attention of industrial insiders.

They included the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games; a themed exhibition showcasing China's historic achievements over the past decade; the inauguration of the Beijing headquarters of the China National Archives of Publications and Culture; the opening of the Beijing-Hebei section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal to tourists; and the Grand Performance in Beijing Seasonal Productions.

haonan@chinadaily.com.cn