The first Forum on Building up China's Cultural Strength opens on June 7, 2023 in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province. Photo: Xinhua

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called for enhanced efforts to shoulder new cultural mission, and provide strong cultural and intellectual strength to build a stronger nation and achieve national rejuvenation, in his congratulatory letter to the first Forum on Building up China's Cultural Strength, which opened Wednesday in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province.

In the letter, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, also called for more efforts to shoulder the new cultural mission, consolidate cultural confidence, remain open and inclusive, uphold fundamental principles and break new ground, and encourage the cultural innovation and creativity of the whole nation.

It is imperative to continue boosting cultural prosperity, making China a leading country in culture, building a modern Chinese civilization and promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, Xi said.

Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, read out Xi's letter and delivered a keynote speech at the forum.

Li urged efforts to study and implement Xi's important instructions. He also called for advancing cultural prosperity and development and promoting exchanges and mutual learning.

The forum is under the theme of consolidating cultural confidence and self-improvement, promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

The forum came along with another grand culture event, the 19th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industrial Fair (ICIF) which kicked off on Wednesday in Shenzhen. The five-day national-level fair, featuring mainly offline events, has attracted more than 3,500 government groups, cultural organizations and enterprises, as well as over 20,000 overseas visitors from 108 countries and regions. 

And it's worth mentioning that Thethe number of overseas exhibitors has reached the best level before the pandemic as overseas cultural studios and companies are eying more chances and cultural exchanges between China. 

Chinese experts said that China is building a strong cultural power and enhancing the prosperity of Chinese culture with the spirit of openness and inclusiveness, while China's own creation in civilization has also inspired other civilizations in the world through exchanges. This is in stark contrast to the "cultural hegemony" of some countries that believe they are superior and force others to follow their path.

The 19th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industrial Fair kicks off on June 7, 2023 in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, attracting more than 3,500 government groups, cultural organizations and enterprises, as well as over 20,000 overseas visitors from 108 countries and regions. Photo: VCG

Cultural momentum 

The culture events in Shenzhen came after a high-level meeting on cultural inheritance and development Xi attended on Friday. During the meeting, Xi stressed that "it is our new cultural mission in the new era to further promote cultural prosperity and develop a great culture in China and a modern Chinese civilization from a new starting point." 

It is imperative to have greater confidence in our own culture, shoulder the mission, work diligently and proactively, and make concerted efforts to create a new culture of our times and build a modern Chinese civilization, Xi said.

Xi's letter shows that Xi and CPC has placed Chinese civilization and Chinese cultural construction in the new era at a very high level, especially in terms of the nation's governance, Wang Xuebin, a professor at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

Promoting cultural prosperity, as well as building a modern civilization of the Chinese nation, can inject strong spiritual power into the grand goal of national rejuvenation, Wang said. "The work in the culture sphere is practically integrated with other fields."

The importance that Xi attaches to Chinese culture shows that China takes Chinese culture as a conceptual root for the development of Chinese society, Zhang Yiwu, a professor at Peking University, told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

Guiding people to understand the value of our culture in terms of its identity and characteristics will provide a strong spiritual momentum to social development, Zhang added. 

At a time when the global political landscape is undergoing profound changes, the concept of "a modern Chinese civilization" proposed by President Xi actually analyzes the significance of Chinese civilization in the global context: China's path grows out of its culture, but it is also in a constant process of exploration and development, Zhang said. 

Exchange and openness 

An important engine for the development of China's cultural industry, and a window for promoting Chinese culture outreaching and openness, ICIF is expected to provide a platform for displaying and trading more than 100,000 cultural and creative industry products and more than 4,000 cultural industry investment and financing projects. 

Beuwens Benjamin from Belgium-based creative studio Dirty Monitor told the Global Times they have worked with Chinese companies for seven years. "We have hosted various exhibitions in Beijing and Shanghai, and learned many Chinese culture elements. We are returning to Shenzhen for more exchanges." 

Not just him, but also exhibitors from South Korea, India and many other countries, have seen ICIF as an important platform for cultural exchanges and mutual learning.

We need the exchange of cultures to understand the diversity of the world and the importance of building a community with a shared future for mankind, Zhang said.   

Chinese civilization is an important part of human civilization. In the spirit of openness and inclusiveness, China has absorbed other civilizations around the world to enrich its own, and at the same time, through exchanges, has provided inspiration and experience to other civilizations around the world as well, according to Zhang. 

China has always respected the peaceful exchange of cultures, and the preservation of diversity, Zhang said, noting that maintaining cultural confidence is not to emphasize the superiority, and mutual appreciation and exchange are not attempts to suppress others.

This is in stark contrast to the "cultural hegemony" of some countries that believe they are superior and force others to follow their path, Zhang stressed. 

On May 15, Xi proposed the Global Civilization Initiative at the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting, calling for respecting the diversity of civilizations, advocating the common values of humanity, valuing the inheritance and innovation of civilizations, and strengthening international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation. 

On April 25, 2023, Xi sent a congratulatory message to the General Assembly of the Alliance for Cultural Heritage in Asia, saying that China is ready to join hands with all other Asian countries for further experience sharing on cultural heritage preservation, actively promote international cooperation in the field of cultural heritage, and establish a network for dialogue and cooperation among the world civilizations, so as to promote mutual understanding, forge closer bonds between people of different countries, and jointly promote the progress of human civilizations.

Beyond the government, the public needs cultural industry development to provide them with cultural services, and the creation of culture itself will grow in the marketplace, Zhang said.

"A vibrant cultural market is essential not only for local culture to flourish, but also for expanding the influence of Chinese culture to more countries to understand and enjoy, Zhang said. "This is the significance of events like ICIF and forum."