The 6th Chinese Culture (Macao) Forum Grandly Opens

The 6th Chinese Culture (Macao) Forum, jointly organized by the Centre for Chinese History and Culture (CCHC) of the University of Macau (UM) and the Union Intelligent Think Tank, successfully opened on November 22nd, 2023. This forum was held concurrently with the launching ceremony of the main program of the 2nd Festival of Chinese Culture at the UM. The forum’s theme was “Chinese Culture and Contemporary Spirit,” aimed at exploring the vitality and development of traditional Chinese culture in contemporary society.

The opening ceremony was grandly held at the Cultural Building (E34) of the University of Macau. At the opening ceremony, speeches were delivered by Mr. Si Ka Lon, National People’s Congress Deputy and Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Macao SAR; Mr. Huang Dongsheng, Director of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Henan Province; Prof. Xu Jie, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities (FAH) at the UM; and Prof. Zhu Shoutong, Director of the CCHC. Assembly Member Mr. Si Ka Lon noted that the Chinese Culture (Macao) Forum has successfully held five sessions,accumulating fruitful results and receiving positive feedback from various sectors in Macao. He emphasized that this year’s theme of “Chinese Culture and Contemporary Spirit” holds significant meaning for enriching Macao’s role as “One Base” and shaping the city’s cultural foundation. Mr. Huang Dongsheng and Prof. Xu Jie both expressed that the Festival of Chinese Culture and the Chinese Culture (Macao) Forum are important platforms for inheriting and promoting Chinese traditional culture. They hope to strengthen cultural exchange and cooperation between Macao, the UM and mainland China through this platform, delivering valuable Chinese cultural heritage to faculty, students, and the broader community. In his speech, Prof. Zhu Shoutong recalled the promises made during the first Festival of Chinese Culture and expressed his feelings about the gradual overcome of the COVID-19 pandemic and society’s return to normalcy. He particularly emphasized the strong support of Chinese culture throughout this process and the contemporary spirit demonstrated in the fight against the pandemic.

[Speech by Assembly Member Mr. Si Ka Lon]

[Speech by Director Mr. Huang Dongsheng]

[Speech by Dean Prof. Xu Jie of the FAH, UM]

[Speech by Director Prof. Zhu Shoutong of the CCHC]

The forum was organized into 5 units, with each unit including keynote speeches, special discussions, and open discussion sessions. Over the two-day program, more than 50 experts and scholars delivered brilliant presentations on topics including: understanding contemporary spirit from a cultural perspective; understanding contemporary spirit from Chinese cultural perspective; contemporary spirit and Chinese cultural tradition; Chinese literature and contemporary spirit. The rich and diverse content brought together scholars and experts from various fields including history, philosophy, thought, culture, and literary arts, who engaged in in-depth discussions combining their presentations with the theme of “Chinese Culture and Contemporary Spirit.” The forum strengthened cultural confidence through discussion and achieved cultural inheritance through exchange, making this forum a feast of intellectual collision and academic exchange.