Cultural Roundtable held during Boao Forum

       (Wang Baosheng, Editor-in-Chief of Chinese Culture Figures)  On the evening of March 28, the Cultural Roundtable during the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2023 was held in Boao, south China's Hainan Province. Lyu Hailin, former President of the UN Women's International Forum, presided over and made a concluding speech. Eighteen representatives from the fields of painting, calligraphy, seal carving, dance, design, performance, archaeology, publishing, sports, business, education, and politics attended the session and spoke successively. They were: Gong Hanlin, Member of the 11th, 12th, and 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and a comedy performance artist; Xu Mengtao, deputy to the 20th National People’s Congress (NPC) of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and winner of the gold medal in women's freestyle skiing aerials at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics; Feng Li, Member of the Committee on Culture, Historical Data and Studies under the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and President of the China National Theatre for Children; Feng Shuangbai, Vice Chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLAC), Chairman of the China Dancers Association (CDA), and Member of the 11th and 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC); Wang Wei, Member of the Education, Science, Culture and Public Health Committee of the 13th National People's Congress, director of the History Department of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Chairman of the Society for Chinese Archaeology, and lifelong foreign academician of the Society for American Archaeology (SAA); Su Shishu, Member of the Standing Committee of the 11th and 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and honorary chairman of the China Calligraphers Association (CCA); Chen Zhenlian, Vice Chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLAC), deputy to the 12th National People's Congress (NPC), dean of the School of Arts and Humanities of Zhejiang University, and deputy director and secretary general of the Xiling Society of Seal Arts; Xu Qinsong, Member of the 11th and 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and former chairman of the Guangdong Federation of Literary and Art Circles; Tian Qinxin, Member of the Standing Committee of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and president of the National Theatre of China; Zhang Endi, Member and Deputy Secretary General of the Standing Committee of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Vice Chairman of the Shanghai CPPCC, and Executive Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the China Zhi Gong Party; Wang Linxu, Member of the Standing Committee of the 11th, 12th, and 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and an expert in culture and art with outstanding national contributions; Chak Mei Hing, Member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Member of the Committee on Economic Affairs of the CPPCC National Committee, and Honorary President of the Hong Kong Culture Association; Ieong Weng Kuong, Dean of Macao Painting Academy and winner of the International Art Gold Award at the 157th Paris International Art Salon Exhibition; Zhou Zhandong, chairman of China Trade (Hainan) Cross-border Investment Group Bureau and Chairman of the Board of Directors of East Zone Education Group in Xi'an High-tech Industries Development Zone; Jin Shangyi, Honorary Member of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLAC) and Honorary Chairman of the China Artists Association; Fang Kuo-chiang, a world-famous fashion and jewelry designer; Wang Baosheng, a representative of the organizer of the Cultural Roundtable during the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2023, President of the Chinese Cultural Figures Magazine, and adjunct professor of the International Sinological Research Center of Shandong University.
       In a world of turmoil and transformation, humanity is faced with unprecedented challenges. Instability, uncertainty and unexpected developments have become the norm. Amid the momentous shifts where uncertainty abounds, people yearn for more and stronger forces of certainty to drive the world to a brighter future.
       With the theme of “Building Consensus through Culture and Meeting Challenges through Cooperation,” the Cultural Roundtable during the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2023 was committed to promoting the international community to        strengthen cultural exchanges and dialogue among civilizations, increase people-to-People connectivity, meet common challenges and promote common development.
       Lyu Hailin, former President of the UN Women's International Forum, presided over and made a concluding speech. She agreed with the delegates' views and encouraged them to constantly explore international cultural exchanges. Lyu Hailin said that intellectuals should have a sense of mission, make efforts to explore, break the shackles of and remove obstacles to foreign exchanges so that they can communicate smoothly and increase mutual understanding. She said that every Chinese going global represents the image of an ancient civilization, and is the carrier of Chinese culture no matter what the art form is or where they come from. Regarding the connotation and value of culture, Lyu Hailin said that language and writing themselves are tools for people to communicate, and the feelings generated by them are culture. Culture is an idea, a philosophy, a spirit, a vision, a perspective, and a thought formed by traces of history, and its value, not in commodity terms, lies in its spiritual strength. She emphasized the important role of culture in people's spiritual world and encouraged everyone to make efforts to carry forward Chinese culture and rewrite a new chapter in China's splendid history.
       Gong Hanlin, Member of the 11th, 12th, and 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and a comedy performance artist, said in his speech that just as Mencius, the great philosopher in ancient China, said, “Things are born to be different.” Everything in the world is very different, which is determined by its own characteristics. There are more than 200 countries and regions in the world, and each country and nation has its own culture, art, ideas, history, system, and path. If they are required by the same standard and measured by the same yardstick for different nations and countries, contradictions, and disputes will arise. It is very important for civilizations to learn from each other and exchange cultures. The consensus gathered by cultures can best touch people's sense of belonging and identity. Chinese traditional culture and oriental philosophy themselves contain a way of thinking that respects pluralistic civilizations. A responsible major country does not use a ruler to measure the whole world.
       Xu Mengtao, deputy to the 20th National People’s Congress (NPC) of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and winner of the gold medal in women's freestyle skiing aerials at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, said that with the in-depth development of economic globalization, the modern Olympic Games has become an important stage for countries around the world to display many elements such as economy, politics, culture, diplomacy, sports, and art. Beijing Winter Olympics is not only an important platform to show the competitive strength of ice and snow sports but also a stage for athletes from various countries and regions to interact and show their elegant demeanor. It is also an important place for Chinese civilization to exchange and learn from each other's civilizations. The oriental culture, oriental style, oriental character, and oriental artistic conception displayed are vivid interpretations and supplements of the Olympic spirit, which fully embodies the Olympic spirit of multicultural blending and complementarity, promotes the exchange and mutual learning of world cultures, and makes the world know each other better.
       Feng Li, Member of the Committee on Culture, Historical Data and Studies under the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and President of the China National Theatre for Children, said that children's dramas convey the common values of all mankind, such as the pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty and their understanding of themselves. It creatively transforms and innovatively develops Chinese traditional culture, and produces works that meet today's artistic standards, so it has a strong communication effect in the world. Like sowing seeds, it makes the watching children full of curiosity about Chinese culture—this is the beginning and foundation of all cooperation and friendly exchanges.
       Feng Shuangbai, Vice Chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLAC), Chairman of the China Dancers Association (CDA), and Member of the 11th and 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said in his speech that he recently entrusted his friends to ask ChatGPT on the other side of the ocean: Do you know China’s Flying Apsaras? It replied: Of course, Dunhuang Flying Asparas is an image of ancient Chinese art, which is widely expressed in Dunhuang Grottoes. These images are usually considered to represent gods or fairies of ancient Chinese religious beliefs. I was surprised and gratified to see this answer. He said that although it is not perfect, it proves that the great power of civilization exchange and mutual learning from ancient times to the present is crossing ancient and modern times, across continents and oceans, and promoting the development and progress of today's world.
       Wang Wei, Member of the Education, Science, Culture and Public Health Committee of the 13th National People's Congress, director of the History Department of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Chairman of the Society for Chinese Archaeology, and lifelong foreign academician of the Society for American Archaeology (SAA), said in his speech that archaeological work provided objective and real evidence for the exchange and mutual learning of different civilizations and cultural diversity. As the chief expert on the Chinese civilization exploration project, he shared the value of archaeology with his own work experience. In his view, the Chinese civilization revealed by archaeology has enhanced our cultural confidence and broken through ideological barriers. For example, the legendary Sanxingdui Ruins, Terra-Cotta Warriors, and other civilization heritages are welcomed all over the world.
       Su Shishu, Member of the Standing Committee of the 11th and 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and honorary chairman of the China Calligraphers Association (CCA), mentioned in his speech that the development of technology has brought great impact to the habit of writing with a pen, and modern people are less and less likely to use a pen to write. He suggested that children should cultivate their writing ability from an early age. Because science has proved that calligraphy can promote the development of five kinds of intelligence and is conducive to the improvement of concentration; By writing Chinese characters, children can have cognition and identity with the country and nation.
       Chen Zhenlian, Vice Chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLAC), deputy to the 12th National People's Congress (NPC), dean of the School of Arts and Humanities of Zhejiang University, and deputy director and secretary general of the Xiling Society of Seal Arts, shared his story of participating in “seal carvers use Chinese traditional techniques to seal foreign characters”. He believes that Chinese traditional culture and art forms face some difficulties in going out because it is difficult to understand Chinese culture and art without understanding Chinese character culture, which requires promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of fine Chinese culture. For example, using Chinese seal cutting to engrave the characters of Thailand, Russia, Brazil, and other countries not only makes the people of that country know at a glance but also preserves the spirit of Chinese traditional culture.
       Xu Qinsong, Member of the 11th and 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and former chairman of the Guangdong Federation of Literary and Art Circles, said in his speech that in recent years, with the deepening cooperation of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), the construction of the Cultural Bay Area is also steadily advancing. The construction of the Cultural Bay Area is in line with the mission of “building cultural confidence and strength and securing new successes in developing socialist culture” put forward in the report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. In response to the construction of the “Cultural Bay Area” and the “Art Bay Area” in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, artists engaged in great social changes should take the initiative to take responsibility and make a difference, and actively participate in the construction of the Greater Bay Area.
       Tian Qinxin, Member of the Standing Committee of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and president of the National Theatre of China, said that culture is the spirit and soul of a country and the blood and foundation for the development and continuation of a long history and national tradition. Literature is the vehicle of ideas. “Culture should be promoted to society so as to spread it to the wider public.” Culture, as a spiritual force deeply rooted in the national historical genes, has a kind of appeal, penetrating power, and influence like a spring breeze and rain. Chinese culture should start with the profound Chinese civilization with a long history of 5,000 years, from our belief in harmony between man and nature to the political governance philosophy that “all under heaven belong to the people,” from the principle of “harmony in diversity” in our society, to the cherished harmony and benevolence in our ethics. In the mighty river of history surging forward, the ideological spirit of “harmony among all nations” in Chinese culture shines with dazzling wisdom, contributing to the evolution and advancement of human civilization.
       Zhang Endi, Member and Deputy Secretary General of the Standing Committee of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Vice Chairman of the Shanghai CPPCC, and Executive Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the China Zhi Gong Party, said in his speech that overseas Chinese culture gave birth to the China Zhi Gong Party. As China is getting closer to the center of the world stage, overseas Chinese have not only laid a good foundation abroad but also actively promoted cooperation between China and other countries, especially cultural cooperation, while promoting the development of their host countries. He said that overseas Chinese culture supports us to take overseas Chinese as a bridge, expand our “circle of friends” all over the world, better tell China’s stories to a broader audience, and seek broad international consensus.
       Wang Linxu, Member of the Standing Committee of the 11th, 12th, and 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and an expert in culture and art with outstanding national contributions, said that as a painter, going out of culture means speaking with paintings, better telling China's stories, and presenting a China that is open, confident, modest, credible and appealing. Therefore, it is necessary to draw on the wisdom of Chinese traditional culture, find creative inspiration from China's glorious history, the great process of national rejuvenation, people's rich and vivid life, and the concerns and needs of the times, and tell China’s stories well in innovative artistic language to better meet the people's needs for a better life.
      Chak Mei Hing, Member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Member of the Committee on Economic Affairs of the CPPCC National Committee, and Honorary President of the Hong Kong Culture Association, said that Hong Kong is an important link for cultural exchanges between China and the West, and Hong Kong and the motherland are inseparable. Fine Chinese traditional culture is the root and soul of the nation, and it is also the shared spiritual blood ties between our compatriots in Hong Kong and the people of the motherland. 2023 is the first year to fully implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress. Hong Kong Culture Association will work harder and join hands with people from all sectors of Hong Kong society to jointly promote the prosperity and development of Hong Kong culture.
       Ieong Weng Kuong, Dean of Macao Painting Academy and winner of the International Art Gold Award at the 157th Paris International Art Salon Exhibition, said that since Macao's return to the motherland more than 20 years, he has not only deeply felt the great achievements made by China but also found that people in Macao around him have an increasing sense of national identity, and loving the motherland and loving Macao are becoming the core value of Macao society. Macao artists should strengthen their cultural confidence, fulfill their cultural mission, tell Macao’s stories and China’s stories well, and work together with mainland artists to contribute to national development.
       Zhou Zhandong, chairman of China Trade (Hainan) Cross-border Investment Group Bureau and Chairman of the Board of Directors of East Zone Education Group in Xi'an High-tech Industries Development Zone, said in his speech that the continuation of culture cannot be separated from education, which is the basis on which the nation is established and the foundation to build a strong country, and the importance of education to any country and any region is self-evident. Many modern and contemporary industrialists have made outstanding contributions to China's educational development and cultural inheritance, and they will take Mr. Zhang Jian as an example and continue to contribute educational strength to culture.
       Jin Shangyi, Honorary Member of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLAC) and Honorary Chairman of the China Artists Association, said that as a big cultural country, what is worth considering is how to communicate effectively in the modern international community with culture and art as the language. He said that he has been engaged in foreign exchanges for many years, with a lot of personal experience. At present, we should think about the topic of “How should we approach communications?” He believes that such exchanges are meaningful only if they have enough understanding of the countries they visit. He believes that not all foreign exchange programs can “understand the local national conditions,” so the exchange effect is mixed. For example, in countries that attach importance to oil painting, foreign exchange projects do not attach importance to oil painting, which makes communication unable to be carried out in important venues and exhibitions, and reduces the effect of communication.
       Fang Kuo-chiang, a world-famous fashion and jewelry designer, was born in Cambodia, grew up in France and started his business in Taiwan, and has a strong sense of belonging to Chinese culture. He shared his understanding of the cultural exchange between China and the West based on his unique experience. He said that this kind of life experience not only enriched his artistic design and creation but also made him feel the unique charm of different civilizations. The world is like a big garden. Different varieties of flowers have different postures and unique beauty. The same is true of world civilization. Although there are differences in values and ideology among different nations and countries, it is the common aspiration of all mankind to pursue social and moral civilization and a better life in both Eastern and Western civilizations.
       In his speech, Wang Baosheng, a representative of the organizer of the Cultural Roundtable during the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2023, President of the Chinese Cultural Figures Magazine, and adjunct professor of the International Sinological Research Center of Shandong University, shared his story of participating in holding cultural roundtables and organizing cultural activities, from cultural roundtable forums to the “Group Exhibition of 20 Chinese Cultural Figures Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Boao Forum for Asia,” from holding “The Coloured Silk Road–China Famous Contemporary Artists Large Cultural Exchange Along the Silk Road” to photographing the fine picture album of the People’s Artists showcasing Chinese contemporary artists, from painting and calligraphy going global to international communications. “The Coloured Silk Road” was launched in November 2010 and lasted for 5 years. It has organized nearly 100 famous artists from all over the country to form a tour group, and completed one domestic and four foreign tour groups, with a total journey of about 121,400 kilometers. It successfully completed the tour of sites along the Silk Road in more than 40 historical and cultural cities in 10 countries, including China, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Kazakhstan, Iran, India, Nepal, Spain, and France, and successfully held eight international exhibitions, with the publication of a large picture album named “The Coloured Silk Road,” which was well recognized and highly praised by the artists and people in the countries visited. In recent years, “Chinese Cultural Figures” magazine has introduced more than 100 famous contemporary artists to the world in different languages (Chinese, Japanese, English, etc.) through the platform of “Chinese Cultural Figures” to focus on national initiatives, such as the Belt and Road Initiative, “Chinese culture going global,” “building a community with a shared future for mankind,” and “developing a strong culture.” At the same time, many large-scale cultural and artistic exchange activities were held in Japan, Malaysia, the United States, Ukraine, Russia, and other countries, making positive contributions to promoting mutual learning among civilizations and enhancing interactions between our peoples.