Beijing Culture Forum Opens as Li Shulei Gives Keynote

The 2026 Beijing Culture Forum opened in the Chinese capital on September 22 and ran through September 23, with Li Shulei, a member of the Communist Party of China Political Bureau and head of the Central Propaganda Department, delivering the keynote speech, according to the official Xinhua report published by People’s Daily. Yin Li, also a Political Bureau member and Beijing’s Party Secretary, attended and gave remarks.

Held with State Council approval and co-hosted by the Central Propaganda Department, the Beijing Municipal Party Committee and the Beijing Municipal Government, the forum drew roughly 600 Chinese and foreign guests from 44 countries and regions, per the Beijing Municipal Government.

A Platform for Mutual Learning of Civilizations

The forum carries the permanent theme “Inheritance, Innovation, Mutual Learning” and this year’s annual theme, “Cultural Heritage and Mutual Learning of Civilizations.” Organizers position it as a national-level, international and academically oriented gathering meant to serve as a window onto Chinese culture, a platform for the Global Civilization Initiative, and a channel for international cultural cooperation.

According to China News Service, the program included a main forum, five parallel forums, six professional salons and ongoing “Beijing Culture Forum Living Room” activities. The parallel sessions on the morning of September 23 addressed the systematic protection of cultural heritage, international cooperation in heritage protection, the preservation of ancient capitals amid urbanization, heritage and artistic creation, and youth participation.

The six professional salons ranged across the knowledge system of cultural heritage studies, civilization origins and Xiliao River culture, the protection of traditional villages and buildings, the contemporary value of heritage, integrated urban heritage protection, and cultural exchange around the Sanxingdui-Jinsha sites.

Key Statements on Heritage

In remarks attributed collectively to Chinese and foreign guests, participants said President Xi Jinping’s Global Civilization Initiative - which promotes international cooperation on cultural heritage - is significant for the heritage causes of both China and the world. They described cultural heritage as “the common wealth of all mankind” and argued that protecting, inheriting and utilizing it well is a shared responsibility.

Guests called for adherence to the principles of “protection first, rational utilization, and minimal intervention,” and urged expanded international cooperation spanning ancient civilization research, joint archaeology, monument restoration and museum exchanges. They also emphasized improving global governance of heritage protection and supporting heritage work in the Global South, offering what the report described as “more Chinese solutions.”

An International Voice

Beyond the official statements, the forum produced at least one on-the-record international perspective. Alessa Mercado, academic deputy director of the Tlaltelolco Cultural Center at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, told China News Service that gatherings like the Beijing forum help break down stereotypes.

“Activities like the Beijing Culture Forum, involving people from many countries, are very helpful, letting us have a true understanding of each other,” she said. She added that she cherishes traditional Chinese culture’s emphasis on harmony with nature, citing scroll paintings and their calligraphy, and said an experience with Chinese opera during the forum “really moved” her.

Outcomes and Investment Focus

The forum also staged an “Important Results Release” event, where organizers issued the report “Deepening Mutual Learning of Civilizations, Highlighting Civilizational Identity: 2025 Report on China-Foreign Cultural Exchange” and the “Top Ten Events of 2025 in Building the National Cultural Center,” alongside project signings. A Cultural Industry Investors Conference, themed “Financial Living Water Nourishes Culture, Digital-Intelligent New Wings Launch the Future,” gathered about 600 investment and financing institutions, experts and cultural enterprise representatives to connect policy, industry, technology and financial resources. The CCTV-sourced account carried by Jiemian News confirmed the core details of the opening. The same Xinhua dispatch ran in the People’s Daily print edition on September 23.

What to Watch

The forum unfolded during a period of heightened Chinese diplomacy. On September 21, the Foreign Ministry announced that Xi Jinping would make a state visit to the United States on September 23-25 at the invitation of President Trump, placing the culture gathering within a broader push to project China’s civilizational and cultural outreach on the world stage. How the forum’s stated goals - deepened heritage cooperation and “Chinese solutions” for global governance - translate into concrete projects across the 44 participating countries will be the measure of its longer-term impact.