The Organizing Committee of the 4th Liangzhu Forum
This golden October season once again draws global attention to Liangzhu in Yuhang, east China's Hangzhou City, as the 4th Liangzhu Forum opened on October 18, drawing hundreds of Chinese and foreign guests to conduct in-depth discussions under the theme "Bridging the Past and Future: Safeguarding Cultural Heritage for Our Times."
This year marks the 90th anniversary of the discovery of the Liangzhu Site. More than 5,000 years ago, ancient Liangzhu people built a grand city here and created a brilliant rice-farming civilization. In 2019, the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City were inscribed on the World Heritage List, providing tangible evidence for China's 5,000-year-old civilization.
Today, this ancient land is far more than an archaeological excavation site. It has grown into a venue where different civilizations listen to each other and draw mutual inspiration.
Launched in 2023, the Liangzhu Forum has advanced civilizational dialogue between China and Belt and Road partner countries. Building on the achievements of its previous three sessions, it has evolved into a permanent national-level mechanism for civilizational exchanges.
It has welcomed over 1,300 guests from 115 countries and regions worldwide. It has delivered substantial cooperation outcomes including joint archaeological research, reciprocal cultural relic exhibitions, and technical exchanges on heritage conservation. This national-level dialogue platform has been incorporated into the outline of China's 15th Five-Year Plan this year.
Apart from the opening ceremony and main forum, the 4th edition features five sub-forums and five supporting events, according to the organizing committee of the forum. The agenda addresses widely-discussed global heritage topics, covering early-civilization archaeology, World Heritage nomination, technology-driven heritage conservation, restitution of lost cultural relics, and sustainable tourism for heritage sites.
The main forum will host keynote speeches, international cooperation signing ceremonies, and the release of key findings from the Yangtze-River civilization origins research. During parallel sub-forums, scholars will trace the origins of ancient civilizations while tackling real-world challenges. Discussions will focus on new-tech heritage protection, the return of lost cultural relics, and the balance between heritage conservation and tourism development.
Meaningful exchanges go beyond conference halls. A rich array of supporting activities makes ancient civilizations visible and tangible. Twenty-five artists from 14 countries have come to Hangzhou for field-inspired creation. They visit UNESCO sites including the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City, West Lake and the Grand Canal, capturing encounters between civilizations through artworks.
A lively Liangzhu cultural-creativity market blends traditional craftsmanship with AI-driven innovation, forming a complete industrial chain from cultural resources to creative products. Youth dialogue sessions will also take place, where foreign ambassadors to China and experts talk with students about the value of mutual learning among civilizations.
Beyond forum activities, the Liangzhu Cultural Corridor integrates heritage protection into ordinary people's daily lives. Many World Heritage sites face a well-known dilemma: closed protection may create isolated "cultural islands", while over-development risks damaging relics.
Liangzhu has explored a viable alternative approach. Centered on the ancient city ruins, it links historical sites, ancient towns, villages and cultural-creative parks. Archaeological resources fuel local industries and raise household incomes, achieving coordinated progress among conservation, industrial growth and public wellbeing.
Cultural heritage here is not merely a specimen locked behind fences. Ancient jade-cong motifs are adapted for cultural-creative merchandise. VR technology transports visitors back to the 5,000-year-old ancient city. Villagers near the site also share the benefits brought by cultural development.
Civilizations become colorful through exchange and enriched through mutual learning. The Liangzhu Forum provides an equal and open dialogue platform rooted in this 5,000-year-old land, enabling global participants to revisit humanity's shared ancient origins and explore how cultural heritage can respond to modern-day challenges, so that time-tested civilizational wisdom can illuminate the present and the future.
