
Chinese and foreign guests exchanged views on topics such as cultural heritage protection, international cooperation and the protection of ancient capitals in the process of urbanization.
AI-generated summary
The Beijing Cultural Forum is an important platform for discussing cultural heritage protection and civilization exchanges. This forum focuses on the systematic protection of cultural heritage and the application of science and technology in archaeology.
China News Service, Beijing, September 22 (Reporters Lu Shaowei, Xu Jing, Zhang Huandi) The two-day 2026 Beijing Cultural Forum opened in Beijing on the 22nd. During the forum, Chinese and foreign guests will focus on mutual learning between cultural heritage and civilizations, and conduct in-depth exchanges on topics such as systematic protection of cultural heritage, international cooperation in cultural heritage protection, protection of ancient capitals in the process of urbanization, cultural heritage and literary and artistic creation.
This year's forum takes "Cultural Heritage and Mutual Learning among Civilizations" as its annual theme, and has a main forum, 5 parallel forums, 6 professional salons, and regular activities in the Beijing Cultural Forum reception room.
The main forum was held on the same day. Nayef Fayyad, Assistant Director-General for Culture of UNESCO, pointed out in a video speech that the protection of cultural heritage is not limited to preservation, but also to inheritance and continuation. It also means creating the necessary conditions so that traditional cultural expressions, knowledge and practices can maintain the vitality of the times, enhance public awareness and influence, and continue to develop through inheritance.
Fayyad proposed that to promote heritage protection, it is necessary to formulate effective policies, build strong institutions, cultivate professional talents, and encourage the actual participation of relevant communities. It is necessary to protect everyone's right to participate in cultural life and make culture an important force in promoting inclusive and sustainable development.
Judd Talbot, Honorary Chairman of the Lebanese National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites, said in his speech that mutual learning among civilizations has always been the only way to protect and inherit heritage - it is based on the exchange of knowledge, skills and care among different people.
Judd Talbot said that nowadays, this kind of communication is increasingly relying on new means-digital mapping, satellite monitoring and artificial intelligence, which allow us to freeze vulnerable ruins with unprecedented accuracy and reconstruct in the virtual world those ruins that were damaged by natural disasters or war. This opens up a new path for mutual learning among civilizations, but it is also a responsibility: to ensure that these tools are designed to protect the origin and true meaning of heritage, rather than reducing it to spectacle or data; to ensure that the results benefit all participating civilizations, rather than favoring only a few with abundant resources.
"Every culture is a precious heritage jointly created by mankind. Only by respecting and embracing each other can we achieve harmony and co-prosperity." Wang Wei, a first-level researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that China has made new contributions to the excavation, research and protection of world heritage through scientific and technological archaeological methods such as field archeology, remote sensing, DNA, and isotope research. By jointly integrating archeology and cultural heritage protection, we can share work experience, learn from each other, and promote the benefits of civilization to more countries.
To commemorate the 140th anniversary of the birth of Comrade Dong Biwu and the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Long March, the Jilin Provincial Touring Exhibition of Dong Biwu's Handwritings, "The Beginning Is Simple, the Ending Is Big", co-sponsored by the Propaganda Department of the Jilin Provincial Party Committee and the Jilin Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, was launched at the Jilin Provincial Museum on September 22, with 63 exhibits on display, including 6 original national cultural relics and 57 calligraphy copies. The exhibition will last until October 28.

The thank-you letter written by the Chen Ye family in the United States to the Ministry of Culture revealed their family’s experience in participating in the top 100 cultural base activities and exploring Taiwanese culture through collecting stickers. They especially mentioned the enthusiastic assistance of Awa, the clerk of Bixin Bookstore, and shared the recovery story of Guangfu Bookstore, emphasizing that children can learn about Taiwan’s diverse culture through on-the-ground experience rather than relying solely on 3C products.

The Chinese Consulate General in New York held the second "Listening to the Moon" Mid-Autumn Festival Concert at the Rainbow Hall of Rockefeller Center in New York on the evening of September 21. Nearly a hundred overseas Chinese and American friends attended. Chinese violinist Huang Mengla and pianist Shen Jingtao jointly performed classic Chinese and Western repertoire. Consul General Chen Li delivered a speech, saying that Sino-US relations are at an important juncture, calling for strengthening exchanges and dialogue to promote constructive strategic and stable relations.
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Suzhou Museum, Pei Li-zhong, son of I.M. Pei, held a lecture in Suzhou on the 22nd to discuss in depth his father’s architectural legacy, especially how the Suzhou Museum translated the logic of traditional Chinese gardens through modern techniques and became an architectural gift that spans cultures.

On September 22, the "Great Wall Gallery" cultural space of Shanhaiguan China Great Wall Museum was unveiled in Qinhuangdao, Hebei. During the event, 20 cultural, museum and research institutions along the Great Wall jointly issued an initiative to build a "Great Wall Narrative Community" and promote the protection, research and dissemination of Great Wall culture through a collaborative linkage mechanism.

The 2026 Beijing Cultural Forum was held in Beijing, focusing on "Mutual Learning between Cultural Heritage and Civilizations." The forum discussed Beijing's practical experience in the systematic protection of cultural heritage, activation of heritage value through literary and artistic creation, and youth participation in protection and inheritance, aiming to contribute Eastern wisdom to global cultural heritage protection.