From top to bottom, left to right: Li Guoqiang, Alfred Hornung, Qian Chengdan, Wu Zhiliang, Zheng Yongnian, and Xu Tianjin
Presented by the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region, organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau and supported by the Chinese Academy of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the 1st “International Forum on Mutual Learning among Civilizations” will be held in Macao on 16 and 17 December. Themed “Mutual Learning among Civilizations, Inheritance and Development”, the Forum will feature nearly 20 keynote speeches and academic exchange sessions conducted by 40 representatives from government departments and international organizations, top experts and scholars from 10 countries worldwide, fully exemplifying Macao’s role as “One Base” and establishing a new bridge for inter-civilizational dialogue.
The Forum brings together world-acclaimed experts and scholars in various research fields such as Chinese history and culture, modern world history, cross cultural disciplines, politics and economy, cultural heritage, archaeology, museology and philosophy. The line-up of experts and scholars include: the Member of the Academic Division of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Vice President of the Chinese Academy of History, Li Guoqiang; the Member of the Academia Europaea, Research Professor and Director of the Obama Institute at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany, Alfred Hornung; the Boya Chair Professor of the Peking University, Qian Chengdan; the Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference on Culture, History and Learning, and Chairman of the Administrative Committee of the Macao Foundation, Wu Zhiliang; the Dean of the School of Public Policy, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and President of the Institute for International Affairs, Qianhai, Zheng Yongnian; and the Director of the Liangzhu Museum (Liangzhu Research Institute), Xu Tianjin. They will deliver keynote speeches on the following topics, respectively: “Enlightening Civilizational Dialogue and Mutual Learning Through Historical Perspectives”, “From the Silk Road to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI)”, “Mutual Learning and Co-Flourishing: On Civilizational Exchange and Heritage”, “Macao’s Role, Wisdom and Mission in Inter-civilizational Dialogue”, “Chinese Civilization and Its Modernity”, and “The Liangzhu Practice of Cultural Heritage Sharing and Mutual Learning among Civilizations”. From multiple perspectives such as the historical context, material and spiritual essence of the Chinese civilization, as well as national development strategies in the new era, the experts and scholars will unveil the profound significance of exchange and mutual learning among civilizations and promote their equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness. In doing so, they will give insights into the continuation, innovation and evolution of different civilizations while also elaborating on Macao’s role and mission in promoting cross-cultural dialogues.
In addition, the Forum will feature two parallel sub-forums entitled “Mutual Learning among Civilizations and Diverse Coexistence” and “Conservation and Sustainable Development of Cultural Heritage”, as well as four academic salons namely “Civilizational Continuity and Historical Path”, “Global Challenges in the Protection of World Cultural Heritage”, “The Contemporary Value of the Practice of‘ “One Country, Two Systems” and Mutual Learning among Civilizations” and “Practices and Experiences in International Cooperation on Cultural Heritage Protection”. Representatives from government departments and international organizations, experts and scholars from Mainland China and Macao, as well as Egypt, Indonesia, Tunisia, Portugal, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom and Canada will engage in cross-cultural dialogue and exchange under the different themes of the parallel sub-forums and academic salons, stimulating ideas and unleashing innovative thinking.
The “2025 International Forum on Mutual Learning among Civilizations” is held in Macao for the first time. It is a key initiative to fully leverage the cultural and institutional strengths of Macao, accentuate the country’s cultural development strategy, practically execute and promote President Xi Jinping’s Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), and strive to establish Macao into “an important bridgehead for the country’s high-level opening-up to the world” and “a vital window for the exchange and mutual learning among Chinese and Western civilizations”. Building on the history of Macao that witnesses the coexistence and friendships of civilizations over the past centuries, the Forum aims to build a widely influential international platform for dialogue and cooperation among civilizations. With this goal, the Forum strives to promote the image of China as a reliable, lovable and respectable nation, inject new momentum and build a new bridge for nurturing a flourishing, harmonious and beautiful garden of global civilizations together.