THE 2024 Beijing Culture Forum was held in the capital city of Beijing from Thursday to Saturday. With a permanent theme of “Inheritance, Creativity, Mutual Learning,” the forum was held under the specific theme of “Enhance Culture Exchanges for Common Progress.” Over 800 Chinese and foreign participants, including more than 240 international guests from over 70 countries and regions, attended the forum and held in-depth discussions on a wide range of topics, including mutual learning between civilizations, cultural heritage protection and inheritance, and new cultural business forms and technology integration. During the event, the participants stressed the importance of protecting cultural heritage and tapping into its value. They called for efforts to inspire the creativity of writers, artists and the public to produce more excellent cultural works. They also underscored the need to foster exchanges between civilizations, practice the Global Civilization Initiative, and step up international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation to enhance mutual understanding and friendship among people of all countries. This year’s Beijing Culture Forum had a special focus on the recent successful addition of the Beijing Central Axis to the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). As the cultural and political capital of China, Beijing boasts key cultural heritage landmarks, such as the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China, among others. In addition to the opening ceremony and the main forum, the three-day event also hosted six parallel forums as well as cultural activities for professionals and the public, according to the organizers.(Xinhua) | 