Taihu culture forum kicks off Oct 17

Leading officials and scholars from around the world will gather in Beijing next week for the fifth meeting of China's flagship cultural forum to discuss how to build a community with a shared future for mankind through cultural exchanges.

The fifth conference of the Taihu World Cultural Forum, a Chinese NGO that promotes Chinese culture and serves as a platform for international nongovernment exchanges, will be held October 17 to 19 in the capital.

This year's meeting calls on all countries to promote a shared future, push for exchanges among different cultures and lead the international community in the direction of cultural communication and coexistence, according to Yan Zhaozhu, president of the forum.

"We call on people from cultural fields from China and around the world to shoulder historical responsibilities and promote connectivity of different cultures," he said.

The three-day meeting is expected to see nearly a thousand participants including government officials from China, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Poland, Italy, Egypt and other countries, as well as experts, entrepreneurs and media members.

It encompasses a series of activities such as an opening ceremony, plenary session, six thematic forums, high-end dialogues and a closing ceremony.

Participants will discuss topics such as international relations, economy, culture, ecology, the Belt and Road Initiative, the internet, philosophy, sociology and traditional medicine under this year's theme of "Cultural Dialogue: Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind".

The discussions aim to encourage people to exchange ideas and learn from each other to jointly contribute to the development of human civilization, and build a world with lasting peace and security, openness and tolerance as well as common prosperity.

The forum and China Daily will co-host the gathering, with the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs, the Palace Museum, the Central Literature and History Research Institute, and the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences as co-sponsors, and will also receive support from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and the Counselor's Office of the State Council.

Founded in 2008 by China, the forum is a well-known cultural promoter, and has successfully held four conferences in Suzhou, Jiangsu province in 2011; Hangzhou, Zhejiang province in 2013; Shanghai in 2014 and Macao in 2016, and invited people from all walks of life to participate in detailed discussions, dialogues and exchanges.