How global exchange strengthens the protection of Chinese cultural heritage
Views from scholars, experts in the Global Civilizations Dialogue Ministerial Meeting
Under the theme of "Safeguarding Diversity of Human Civilizations for World Peace and Development," the Global Civilizations Dialogue Ministerial Meeting was held in Beijing from Thursday to Friday in Beijing.
The event has brought together over 600 guests — including scholars, experts, and political figures from around 140 countries and regions — for in-depth discussions on civilization, underscoring the importance of cultural diversity and cooperation in a world marked by turbulence and uncertainty.
At the forum, several Chinese speakers shared valuable insights on China's approaches to cultural heritage protection and the promotion of cultural exchanges.
I noticed a common point mentioned by all these Chinese experts: international exchange and cooperation have played a crucial role in the preservation and transmission of China’s cultural heritage. The reform and opening-up policy has been essential in advancing preservation techniques and helping the world better understand Chinese culture.
Today's newsletter highlights key perspectives from this important dialogue.
Topic: Major Challenges Facing China's Cultural Heritage Protection
Speaker: Liu Yuzhu, head of the China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Conservation
Key Insights:
China's cultural heritage protection faces several critical challenges, including insufficient social consensus, conflicts between economic development and heritage preservation, limited social participation, and the need for enhanced international cooperation. These challenges are not unique to China—I've observed that countries worldwide, with the possible exception of some European nations, face similar issues.
How can we address these challenges? First, we must actively engage society in understanding and protecting cultural heritage values, transforming people from bystanders into participants and guardians.
Second, governments must fulfill their primary responsibilities, particularly in establishing legal frameworks, institutional mechanisms, and public investment—areas where government action is irreplaceable.
Third, social participation remains insufficient in China. We need to learn from international best practices, especially from European countries, regarding legal frameworks, incentive policies, rights and obligations, and recognition systems. Given China's 5,000-year civilization and vast array of heritage sites, government efforts alone cannot ensure comprehensive protection—social engagement is indispensable. Finally, international cooperation has proven highly effective over the years, particularly in combating transnational cultural property crimes, artifact repatriation, archaeological research, and exhibitions.
Topic: Preserving Dunhuang's Cultural Heritage
Speaker: Su Bomin, dean of the Dunhuang Academy,
Key Insights:
The Dunhuang Academy's development has been inseparable from international cooperation. Through reform, opening up, and a favorable environment for global collaboration, we've enhanced our conservation techniques, broadened our perspectives, and adopted advanced international preservation concepts and practices, significantly improving Dunhuang's cultural heritage protection.
Furthermore, Dunhuang Studies has deepened cross-cultural exchanges between nations. Dunhuang culture itself represents a crystallization of multicultural exchange. As Professor Ji Xianlin noted, traces of all four major world civilizations can be found in Dunhuang, making it a concentrated hub of multicultural interaction. Through international exchanges, we've enabled people worldwide to gain deeper understanding of Dunhuang culture while benefiting from global perspectives in interpretation and analysis.
Currently, we have an American expert working with us, bringing valuable international perspectives. We've held "Dunhuang Culture Week" events in the United States twice in recent years. During these embassy-hosted events, American visitors were amazed by the vibrant colors and diverse imagery of Dunhuang murals. This reinforces our commitment to taking Dunhuang culture global and fostering greater cultural exchange.
Topic: Effective Cultural Transmission
Speaker: Wang Wei, Director of Henan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology
Key Insights:
As an archaeologist with 43 years of experience, I initially focused on the origins and development of Chinese civilization before expanding internationally to excavate sites in Egypt, Honduras, and Uzbekistan. Chinese civilization's longevity stems from its continuous absorption of advanced foreign elements while maintaining innovation. For instance, wheat, cattle, sheep, and metallurgy came from West Asia, while China contributed silk, ceramics, jade, and millet cultivation techniques westward. Civilization exchange drives progress.
Through reform and opening up, Chinese archaeology and heritage protection have absorbed advanced methods from Europe and America, demonstrating the vital importance of exchange for civilization's existence and development. We're delighted to witness China's "museum boom" and growing public interest in traditional culture.
Effective cultural transmission requires: 1) Deepening research—studying both our own and other cultures for mutual understanding; 2) Strengthening protection; 3) Enhancing interpretation and promotion. Today's "archaeology fever" results from museums becoming more accessible. Twenty years ago, only archaeologists could understand museum displays; now exhibitions are more engaging and accessible. Good interpretation helps audiences appreciate our culture's rich connotations while maintaining interest. This applies internationally—whether through physical or virtual exhibitions, cultural artifacts should enable people of all nationalities to deeply understand their meaning and facilitate exchange, sharing our civilizational achievements globally.
Topic: Building a Sound Art Museum
Speaker: Qin Siyuan, Co-founder of the Sound Art Museum
Key Insights:
The Sound Art Museum represents a fascinating project that raises fundamental questions: What is a sound art museum? How do we display and exhibit sound? As the world's first institution to present sound through a museum format, we face unique challenges.
Traditional music requires physical structures for display and performance—ancient instruments like the guqin exemplify this. However, theoretically, we don't need such physical frameworks to perform music. In the 21st century, new musical presentation models have become commonplace.
When creating our sound museum, we first needed to construct the physical space, completed in Beijing in 2023. We exhibit both tangible music and people's sonic memories. Visitors can immerse themselves in Antarctic sounds, natural sounds including those unique to Xinjiang, southern Chinese silk and bamboo music, as well as sounds of science, art, society, and contemporary sound art—all presented in our Beijing facility.
We now aim to transcend musical limitations, exploring how digital technology and museums can present richer content to the public. Recently, we've partnered with two important Chinese organizations—the Institute of Zoology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the China Environmental United Association—on a collaborative project. We invite artists and professionals from various fields and countries to help create innovative projects in China, enabling unprecedented exploration and understanding of nature through digital technology, including new ways of sharing music and information.
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