The "Build up the Cultural Strength of the Greater Bay Area" session, one of the parallel sessions of the "Building up China's Cultural Strength" forum, is held in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong province, on June 8, 2023. (ZHOU MO / CHINA DAILY)

Top culture brains from Guangdong province and the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions on Thursday put their heads together at the “Build up the Cultural Strength of the Greater Bay Area” session, one of eight parallel sessions of the “Building up China’s Cultural Strength” forum which is being held on the sidelines of the 19th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair.

Here are the key takeaways from the speakers at the session.

Shaw Chong-Hai, honorary professor of Macao Polytechnic University and former dean of the College of Social Sciences of the Chinese Culture University in Taiwan, delivers a speech at the "Build up the Cultural Strength of the Greater Bay Area" session, one of eight parallel sessions of the "Building up China's Cultural Strength" forum, in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong province, on June 8, 2023. (WILLIAM XU / CHINA DAILY)

Shaw Chong-Hai, honorary professor of Macao Polytechnic University and former dean of the College of Social Sciences of the Chinese Culture University in Taiwan

I was born in Chengdu, Sichuan province and grew up in Hong Kong’s Tiu Keng Leng before moving to Taiwan. I returned to Shanghai after that. I have never felt that I was in a strange land no matter where I have been in China over the years since there is no language barrier. Even in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and Tibet autonomous region, home to different ethnic minorities, I still feel close to the local people. The 5,000-year-old Chinese culture brings all Chinese from every corner of the world together.

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Chen Chunsheng, secretary of the Party committee of Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU) in Guangzhou and head of the Institute for the Study of Lingnan Culture at SYSU, delivers a speech at the "Build up the Cultural Strength of the Greater Bay Area" session, one of eight parallel sessions of the "Building up China's Cultural Strength" forum, in Shenzhen,  south China's Guangdong province, on June 8, 2023. (WILLIAM XU / CHINA DAILY)

Chen Chunsheng, secretary of the Party committee of Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU) in Guangzhou and head of the Institute for the Study of Lingnan Culture at SYSU

The development of the traditional culture of Southern China, also known as Lingnan culture, is in itself an exchange process among people of different origins and different cultures. The development of the Greater Bay Area is no different. Though the cultures of the three regions (Hong Kong, Macao and Guangdong) may be slightly different due to historical reasons, people from those regions are all part of the Lingnan culture. With the same origins and roots, we should strive to promote cultural integration within the GBA and bonding among the people to put into action General Secretary of the Communist Party of China’s Central Committee Xi Jinping’s instructions to support Hong Kong and Macao in further integrating into the country, thereby further consolidating the sense of community within the Chinese nation.

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Cheng Pei-kai, chairman of Chinese Folk Literature and Art Association Hong Kong branch, delivers a speech at the "Build up the Cultural Strength of the Greater Bay Area" session, one of eight parallel sessions of the "Building up China's Cultural Strength" forum, in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong province, on June 8, 2023. (WILLIAM XU / CHINA DAILY)

Cheng Pei-kai, chairman of Chinese Folk Literature and Art Association Hong Kong branch

Multiculturalism encompasses a variety of beliefs, languages, customs, ethnic groups, genders, classes, and so on, and its future lies in embracing integration rather than confrontation.

The central government's proposition to build a strong cultural power is grounded in the recognition of the need for a renewed and comprehensive understanding of Chinese culture, which is important for the future growth of the nation, and also presents an opportunity for us to reassess and re-examine Chinese culture.

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We ought to leverage the diverse cultural resources in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to develop a cultural system with distinct Chinese characteristics, providing a solid foundation for advancing Chinese culture to a new phase where “the whole world is one family”.

We can also establish multicultural development bases in the Greater Bay Area, inviting scholars and artists from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and overseas to collaborate. We can learn from the Yangtze River Delta region's successes, such as in Hangzhou and Suzhou, and imitate their approaches.

Jiang Shuzhuo, professor of the College of Liberal Arts at Jinan University and chairman of the Guangdong Writers Association, delivers a speech at the "Build up the Cultural Strength of the Greater Bay Area" session, one of eight parallel sessions of the "Building up China's Cultural Strength" forum, in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong province, on June 8, 2023. (WILLIAM XU / CHINA DAILY)

Jiang Shuzhuo, professor of the College of Liberal Arts at Jinan University and chairman of the Guangdong Writers Association

Openness, compatibility, innovation, and creativity are not only characteristics embodied in the living practices and lifestyles of residents of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. They are also part of their values, which are fundamental to the cultural identity of the region. These values have been internalized in the cultural psyche of the region's residents and are reflected in various creative expressions.

Lingnan is geographically divided by mountains, and culture has historically been viewed from a land-based perspective. However, in future, the region will be viewed from a sea-based perspective, and marine culture is expected to play a significant role in developing arts and culture in the Greater Bay Area.

Wu Zhiliang, member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and president of Administration Council of Macao Foundation, delivers a speech at the "Build up the Cultural Strength of the Greater Bay Area" session, one of eight parallel sessions of the "Building up China's Cultural Strength" forum, in Shenzhen,  south China's Guangdong province, on June 8, 2023. (WILLIAM XU / CHINA DAILY)

Wu Zhiliang, member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and president of Administration Council of Macao Foundation

Macao is one of the Chinese cities that has had exchanges with the West for a long span of time. It not only actively embraces traditional Chinese culture and protects its inheritance, but has also made an outstanding contribution to early Sino-Western cultural exchanges.

Around 1999, when the city returned to the motherland, various sectors of the society and local government made full efforts to explore Macao's rich historical and cultural resources, and promoted traditional Chinese culture and improved international cultural exchanges, especially cultural exchanges and cooperation with Portuguese-speaking countries. These efforts have achieved significant results.

It is believed that Macao can play a key role in shaping the cultural and humanistic endeavors of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and promote mutual learning between civilizations.

Poon Yiu-ming, advisor of literary arts at Hong Kong Arts Development Council and chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Writers, delivers a speech at the "Build up the Cultural Strength of the Greater Bay Area" session, one of eight parallel sessions of the "Building up China's Cultural Strength" forum, in Shenzhen,  south China's Guangdong province, on June 8, 2023. (WILLIAM XU / CHINA DAILY)

Poon Yiu-ming, advisor of literary arts at Hong Kong Arts Development Council and chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Writers

Flourishing within the modern civilization of the Chinese nation is a new cultural mission, tasked by talents from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. I believe the sub-forum will serve as a valuable platform to promote Hong Kong’s cultural integration with the rest of the Greater Bay Area, strengthen the city’s role as a cultural exchange hub within the region, and also increase the glamour of the Pearl of the Orient, which has rich Eastern and Western cultural heritages.