At 5,000-year-old Liangzhu, mutual learning reinforces appreciation among civilizations

* Since China's Liangzhu ruins gained the world heritage status in 2019, more than 350 sites of the ancient culture have been discovered, bearing witness to the existence of Chinese civilization over 5,000 years ago.

* The Second Liangzhu Forum held from Monday to Wednesday gathered some 300 participants from more than 60 countries and regions for interdisciplinary academic dialogues.

* The Liangzhu International Archaeological Center was launched at the forum to promote international cooperation on archaeological research.

HANGZHOU -- As a swarm of visitors was closely following their guide at a museum featuring rice-cultivating agriculture in late Neolithic China, professor Robin Coningham stopped in front of a rice harvester, adjusting his camera zoom for a clearer picture of the ancient tool.

Coningham, from Durham University of Britain, was among some 300 participants in the Second Liangzhu Forum held in Hangzhou, the capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, from Monday to Wednesday.

Guests attend the opening ceremony of the Second Liangzhu Forum in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Nov. 25, 2024. [Xinhua/Xu Yu]

The professor, who holds the UNESCO Chair on Archaeological Ethics and Practice in Cultural Heritage, said he would show the photo to his students.

"I had only ever seen photos of such relics published in books. So, seeing them in person is interesting. One of the courses I teach is world civilization, comparing Egypt with Mesopotamia, South Asia, including India, and then China as well," said the scholar, who was on his first visit to China.

First discovered in 1936 in the lower reaches of China's longest river, the Yangtze, the Liangzhu ruins gained the world heritage status in 2019. So far, more than 350 sites of the Liangzhu Culture have been discovered, bearing witness to the existence of Chinese civilization over 5,000 years ago.

Coningham spoke highly of China's excavation and preservation of the Liangzhu ruins.

"Most of the early agricultural tools disappeared. But you still have the timber materials here. You have made extremely good preservation, and it shows the high quality of excavations," said the archaeologist with a long-time experience in field study of early civilizations in southern Asia.

A tourist views an exhibit at Liangzhu Museum in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, Oct. 5, 2024. [Photo by Xu Junyong/Xinhua]

INTERPRETING LIANGZHU

The forum has gathered Chinese and foreign cultural officials, diplomats, scholars, writers, archaeologists, and musicians from more than 60 countries and regions to further tap into the rich cultural resources of Liangzhu.

Many of the foreign visitors owed their fruitful trip to a special museum guide -- an American who prefers to be called by her Chinese name, Mai'anqi. Explaining the Liangzhu culture in her own way, she said by highlighting the interesting parts, it is more effective for cross-cultural interpretation.

At the exhibition area of Liangzhu's ancient water conservancy system with 33 dams so far discovered, she told the audience that the amazing water system alone makes Liangzhu deserve a world heritage status, as it is hitherto the world's oldest and largest of its kind.

Majoring in cross-cultural interpretation at Zhejiang University, Mai'anqi told Xinhua that because of the time limit, she did not fully elaborate on a spinning wheel, which she wanted to present to the visitors in particular.

"In my opinion, the spinning wheel is a link of cultural exchange in the world," Mai'anqi said, explaining that women in every country used to produce textile materials by hand. In early civilizations, women took such things closest to them to the grave. In many countries, there are spinning wheels made of clay, even with gems or in the form of ceramic pottery found in graves. "I think this cultural bond may strike a chord with foreign visitors."

As a volunteering bilingual museum guide, Mai'anqi has helped train 20 out of the museum's 200-plus volunteers to become fluent in English.

"We have seen the number of foreign visitors to the museum rising sharply, making English-speaking guides badly in need," she said, adding that English guide service is only available on Wednesday and Sunday.

An aerial drone photo taken on July 4, 2024 shows the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City park in Hangzhou, capital city of east China's Zhejiang Province.  [Xinhua/Jiang Han]

CROSS-CULTURAL TALKS

Pawel Gusnar, a saxophonist and professor at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, Poland, enjoyed an immersive tour of the Liangzhu Museum and the ancient city ruins park during the forum, where digital technologies have been used to provide an appealing experience for the audience to visualize the Liangzhu culture.

Gusnar said he was deeply impressed by the landscape of the ancient water town, although he is not in the sense of a history lover.

"On this trip, we see how people lived thousands of years ago. It's very inspiring for musicians. The landscape is very close to my heart, to my feelings, to my emotions," Gusnar said.

In cooperation with a Chinese folk orchestra, Gusnar presented a well-known Chinese folk song, "Jasmine Flower," in Poland to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year this year. He said he played saxophone together in harmony with traditional Chinese instruments.

"As a saxophone soloist, I need to improvise on melodies. From now on, when I play I will think of the landscape of Liangzhu," Gusnar said.

Zhang Mingzhou, a Chinese children's book writer, hosted a session of the sub-forum of International Writers Dialogue at the Liangzhu Forum. He introduced Belgian writer Wally de Doncker, whose illustrated children's book, "Nian and the Boy," was published in China in 2019.

In Doncker's book, the "nian," a Chinese mythical beast, had lived peacefully in a pristine valley before humans came to disturb its life, leading to clashes until a boy's love and understanding helped resolve the human-beast conflicts.

"China's stories can be told well not only by Chinese writers, but also by world writers," Zhang said.

Talking about the theme of the sub-forum, "Dialogue: Changes and Developments in Children's Literature and Mutual Learning between Chinese and Foreign Cultures," Doncker said it is important to meet face-to-face to achieve mutual understanding and mutual learning, as this is the only way to get things done. "We can talk, and then talk about what we are learning."

During the Liangzhu Forum, an array of topics was discussed centering on archaeology, literature, music and art, and experts and scholars from around the world engaged in interdisciplinary academic dialogues.

Professor Coningham avidly pointed out that what makes him feel excited is that there is still intensive research going on in Liangzhu after it won the world heritage status.

On Tuesday, the Liangzhu International Archaeological Center was launched at the forum to promote archaeological research on Liangzhu and expand the international influence of Liangzhu culture.

The center will carry out international cooperation on the investigation, excavation, research and protection of Liangzhu site, enhance exchanges with academic institutions at home and abroad, and jointly explore a new model of archaeological cooperation.  

Video reporters: Wang Yiwen, Li Tao, Liu Mingxiang; Video editors: Zhang Yucheng, Roger Lott, Zhao Xiaoqing, Zhu Cong