HANGZHOU, China, Dec. 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --  A report from Xinhuanet North America:

The first Liangzhu Forum, with "Implementing the Global Civilization Initiative, Promoting Exchanges and Mutual Learning between Civilizations" as its theme, kicked off on December 3, 2023, in Hangzhou, the capital of East China's Zhejiang Province. 

The forum, co-hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the People's Government of Zhejiang Province and China International Culture Association, has attracted more than 300 international guests from over 80 countries.

Foreign representatives of the six major International Alliances of Silk Road Cities participated in the forum. Tan Huism, the Executive Director of Qatar National Library and a member of the Silk Road International Library Alliance, said she believes that the prospect of the Alliances is bright because the members are eager to share and learn from each other and constantly create value for communities.

The Forum carried out diverse events, including sub-forums on "Dialogue of Young Sinologists in the New Era: Civilization Exchanges and Mutual Learning Between China and the World" and "Dialogue of Chinese and International Artists: Civilization Exchange and Mutual Learning". A "Silk Road Artists' Rendezvous" exhibition will also be held. 

"I have been to Mexico, Egypt, Italy and other countries. In different countries and cultures, the origin of art is related to' love'." Yu Xuhong, director of the Art Museum of the China Academy of Art, shared with the audience the similarities between Eastern and Western cultures, "Art is an international language that needs no translation".

"I believe that if I can understand China's past, I can also have a deeper understanding of China's present and future." Albert Tadeusz Kozik from the University of Warsaw in Poland said the opportunity to see the great cultural heritage of Liangzhu helped him further understand ancient Chinese culture. 

Professor Lord Colin Renfrew, a British archaeologist, spoke highly of Liangzhu, said that it showcases the great early Chinese civilization in parallel with other ancient civilizations such as Mesopotamian, the Indus Valley, the ancient Greek, Indian and Mayan civilizations.

Liangzhu Forum is one of China's eight actions to support the higher-quality and higher-level construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It aims at promoting people-to-people communication and presenting the richness, openness, and inclusiveness of the Chinese civilization to the world.