Speakers piece together stories of civilizations

Zhu Yong, research librarian at the Palace Museum, director of the Palace Museum Cultural Communication Researcher Institute

Chinese civilization is essentially a diversified and integrated civilization. Dating back 6,000 years, from the present-day Liaoning province in the north to Liangzhu in today's Zhejiang province in the south, the sparkles of civilization shone across the vast land of China. Su Bingqi described it as a "sky full of stars". Among these "stars", the Hongshan culture in Liaoning shines particularly brightly.

Liaoning is located at the forefront of where the fishing and hunting culture that once boomed met the agrarian culture that had China's Central Plains as a hub, as well as grassland culture. Hongshan culture, by absorbing advanced elements from the Central Plains agrarian cultures, was the first to usher in the dawn of civilization.

Various systems of civilizations, in their process of development and spread, merged and converged. This continuous transformation has led to the optimization and growth of itself, making the Chinese nation a melting pot of many cultures and different ethnic groups. The characteristics of consistency, originality, uniformity, inclusiveness and peacefulness are exemplified in a very typical way in Liaoning.

Liaoning's geography is not closed but open, whether traveling from north to south through Liaoning into the Central Plains, west into the Inner Mongolia autonomous region today, or east to the Korean Peninsula. This freedom of movement provided by the open landscape allowed for the formation of an economic and cultural community shared by various ethnic groups.

Liaoning's culture reflects the continuity of Chinese civilization, the innovative acceptance of new things, the unity that brings people together, the inclusiveness that embraces diversity, and the promotion of coexistence, harmony and peace. It shines as an outstanding example of the prominent features of Chinese civilization.