Officials, scholars discuss measures to bolster confidence, tackle challenges

Hundreds of officials and scholars joined a major forum on Thursday to offer their ideas on how to strengthen China's cultural heritage.

Key challenges were also discussed in eight separate discussions held at the Forum on Building up China's Cultural Strength in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.

Wang Wei, director of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Academic Division of History, outlined the achievements of a comprehensive national research program, which started in 2002, in tracing the origins of Chinese civilization.

A sub-forum on preserving cultural heritage also discussed the historical process of early Chinese civilization viewed from archaeological progress made in the new era.

The forum was held after President Xi Jinping presided over a symposium on cultural inheritance and development on June 2 in Beijing.

At the symposium Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, expounded on the need to firm up the Chinese people's confidence in their history and culture.

Xi stressed that Chinese civilization has a long and continuous history, and said that a comprehensive and profound understanding of that history is essential to promoting the creative transformation and development of fine traditional Chinese culture more effectively, and to developing a modern Chinese civilization.

Wang said, "The prominent features of Chinese civilization identified by President Xi, namely its continuity, innovative nature, unity, inclusiveness and peaceful nature can be traced from many of our archaeological findings".

During a discussion on fostering the development of art and literature, Chen Yongquan, vice-president of the China Theater Association, said the country is at a new point in its history. "We who work to make dramas need to fulfill our duties and shoulder the mission to spread our culture, tell stories of our times and express people's feelings."

"We need to light up the stage with our beautiful creations, promote cultural prosperity, help build up China's cultural strength and foster modern Chinese civilization," Chen added.

During a sub-forum on the high-quality development of the film industry, participants discussed major problems facing the industry and offered suggestions.

Wang Bei, a senior executive of China Film Co Ltd, stressed the importance of content creators being sincere and thoroughly studying the cultural connotations and spirit of the nation in order to make films.

At another sub-forum, media industry experts discussed ways to be innovative in international communication in the new media era. Xia Xueping, president of the Chinese Academy of Cyberspace Studies, said the interests of young people need to be studied to strengthen work on improving international communication.

In other talks, government officials and industry leaders discussed topics such as China's latest cultural policies, the use of digital technology to promote Chinese culture globally, and adding new value to cultural products.

Yu Yunquan, president of the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies, emphasized the importance of promoting Chinese culture overseas. Yu said China's short videos, online literature and video games are highly competitive in global markets.

At a discussion on the development and application of cutting-edge technology in digital publishing, Wang Ying, vice-president of tech giant Baidu, talked about the use of artificial intelligence in online literature creation and publishing, saying it enhances the success rate of publication.

Another sub-forum on building a new internet copyright ecosystem focused on the important role of copyright in the new dynamics of cultural development.

Building up the cultural strength of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area was also discussed.

Chen Chunsheng, director of the Institute for the Study of Lingnan Culture at Sun Yat-sen University, elaborated on the cultural integration in the Greater Bay Area and the relationship of the culture with South China's regional culture.

The forum was hosted by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee. The main forum opened on Wednesday.