Event hails Hongshan culture's 'brilliance'

Cultural heritage serves as a window into the traditions, culture and even the civilization of a country, so it is essential to intensify research efforts to enhance understanding of China's cultural ethos and to promote mutual learning among Chinese and foreign civilizations, according to guests at a key cultural event.

They made the remarks at the International Communication Conference on Hongshan Culture and Vision China event on Saturday in Chaoyang, Liaoning province.

Wang Xinwei, governor of Liao-ning, said the province will take a series of measures to better protect, inherit and develop Hongshan culture, so that the precious cultural heritage can shine more brightly in the new era.

Hongshan culture, a key Neolithic culture dating from 6,500 to 5,000 years ago, spanned what is today's Liaoning and Hebei provinces and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

"We will enhance our commitment to the cultural mission in the new era, continuously deepen research on Hongshan culture, promote the application for World Heritage status of the Hongshan culture's Niuheliang site in Chaoyang, Liao-ning, and enhance the international understanding of Hongshan culture," he said.

Under the theme "Tracing the Origins of Chinese Civilization: Focus on Hongshan Culture", the activity brought together professionals in archaeological studies, cultural relics protection and civilization research, among others, to share their insights on Hongshan culture.

Qu Yingpu, publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily, said: "The West Liaohe River Basin, together with the Yellow River and Yangtze River basins, is one of the important cradles of Chinese civilization. Among the many shining stars of early Chinese cultures, Hongshan stands out for its brilliance."

Qu also said, "We must build a recognizable system of Chinese cultural symbols to help the world better understand China and the spiritual world of the Chinese people", adding that modern technologies should be used to bring ancient stories to life.

Bao Xianhua, head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Inner Mongolia Autonomous Regional Committee, highlighted the cooperation between Liaoning and Inner Mongolia to deepen the understanding of Hongshan culture.

Inner Mongolia will continue to deepen cooperation with both Liao-ning and Hebei, explore the multiple values of Hongshan culture, and promote the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture, he said.

Qiao Yunfei, deputy director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, called for continued efforts to explore the pivotal role of Hongshan culture in the origins and development of Chinese civilization, open museums and archaeological-site parks related to it, and build Hongshan culture into a symbol of Chinese civilization with global influence.

Logo released

The conference released the official logo for Hongshan culture. Incorporating elements from Hongshan's painted pottery, the logo features an interlocking double "C" pattern — with one "C" representing "China" and the other representing "culture" — to create a spiraling structure, symbolizing the enduring legacy of Hongshan culture as one of the origins of Chinese civilization.

Highlighting Hongshan's cultural connections beyond China, Guo Dashun, honorary director of the Liaoning Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, noted that Hongshan's painted pottery features three patterns: roses from China's Central Plains, dragon motifs native to Hongshan, and geometric patterns, such as diamond grids, from Central Asia.

"These designs represent sparks from the fusion of Eurasian cultures, suggesting that about 5,000 or 6,000 years ago, a pottery road existed, running south to north and west to east, with the West Liaohe River Basin serving as a melting pot for both West and East Asian cultures," said Guo, who has spent decades studying Hongshan culture.

Elizabeth Childs-Johnson, a US Sinologist specializing in Chinese art and archaeology, listed highlights of Hongshan culture and pointed out that Hongshan was one of the earliest cultures to use jade as a symbol of power and wealth.

Jiang Bo, a professor at Shandong University's Institute of Cultural Heritage and former vice-president of the International Council on Monuments and Sites, said that Hongshan culture, with its stone structures at archaeological sites, jade dragons as the cultural symbol of traditional China, and statues and sculptures that reflect early-period belief systems, has the potential to gain World Heritage status.

Dennis Schilling, a professor of philosophy at Renmin University of China in Beijing, said that Hongshan culture is an important part of the "world heritage of humanity".

"It has significance not only for later Chinese cultural history, but also for our knowledge of the cultural and social development of humanity itself," he said.