"World Heritage Splendor, Cultural Renaissance", Ming Dynasty Culture Forum 2026 Opens at Ming Tombs Scenic Area
BEIJING, July 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On July 4, the Ming Dynasty Culture Forum 2026, themed "World Heritage Splendor, Cultural Renaissance," officially opened at the visitor center of the Ming Tombs scenic area in Changping District. The forum brought together leading historians, cultural heritage experts, cultural tourism professionals, industry entrepreneurs, and Ming culture enthusiasts from across the country. Through academic seminars, special exhibitions, parallel forums, and digital presentations, the forum explored the contemporary value of Ming Dynasty culture. Leveraging Changping's unique position at the intersection of three major cultural belts, it offered a new answer to the question of how to preserve and innovate upon China's outstanding traditional culture.
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The two-day forum featured four main sections: an opening ceremony, four parallel forums, an academic symposium commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Dingling Mausoleum excavation, and a thematic exhibition of Ming Dynasty cultural relics. The event balanced academic depth, public engagement, and communication impact, establishing itself as a national-level platform for Ming culture exchange that is professional, technologically innovative, and globally oriented.
Opening Ceremony Gathers Leading Experts, Bridging Past and Present to Celebrate Ming Culture
At 9 a.m., the opening ceremony commenced with the immersive AI short film "Chang Xiaoming Takes You on a Tour of Ming Culture," featuring the holographic virtual digital human "Chang Xiaoming" navigating through iconic Ming cultural landmarks such as the Forbidden City, Gonghua City, Juyong Pass, and the Ming Tombs. The interplay of the virtual and the real vividly sketched the grand cultural landscape of the Ming Dynasty.
At the opening ceremony, three keynote speeches formed the academic core. Professor Mao Peiqi of Renmin University of China and Honorary Advisor of the Chinese Society on Ming Dynasty History delivered a talk titled "The Ming Dynasty: A Crucial Stage in the Development of a Unified Multi-Ethnic China," clarifying the dynasty's pivotal role in forging a unified multi-ethnic nation. Shan Jixiang, the sixth curator of the Palace Museum, spoke on "The Chinese Cultural Heritage and Cultural Confidence," interpreting the contemporary significance of Ming culture preservation from the perspective of heritage protection. Research Fellow Chen Xiaoshan of the Institute for the History of Natural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, focused on Sino-foreign exchanges during the Ming Dynasty, analyzing the far-reaching impact of the introduction of American crops and goods on Chinese society, economy, and culture.
A musical performance of the Ming Dynasty poem "Song of Tomorrow" was interwoven throughout the ceremony, its graceful melody conveying the philosophical reflections of Ming literati. The interactive holographic projection "Chang Xiaoming: A Record of Ming Dynasty Knowledge" became a highlight of the event, as the digital human interacted with displayed artifacts and engaged in a virtual dialogue with Ming Dynasty sages, creating a cross-temporal intellectual exchange spanning six centuries.
During a panel discussion, three distinguished experts - Lyu Zhou of Tsinghua University, Tang Gengsheng of the Zhu Yuanzhang Research Association, and Hu Hansheng, a cultural heritage expert on the Ming Tombs - engaged in an in-depth dialogue on the feasibility and necessity of developing a Ming culture theme park.
Four Years of Dedication: Changping Continues to Elevate Its Ming Culture City Brand
Since the inaugural Ming Culture Forum in 2022, Changping has continuously cultivated its Ming culture brand for five consecutive years. To date, the forum has hosted 5 main sessions, 23 parallel forums, and 3 academic symposiums, along with 12 thematic relic exhibitions and 36 "Ming Dynasty Lecture Series" events. More than 270 experts from home and abroad have delivered speeches, with cumulative attendance exceeding 2,600 participants. The forum has produced 10 volumes of scholarly research, establishing itself as a premier global platform for Ming culture research and exchange.
Leveraging its unique position as the only district in Beijing where three cultural belts intersect, Changping has continuously improved its comprehensive Ming culture protection system. Efforts include ongoing conservation and restoration of the Ming Tombs World Heritage site, establishing collaborative exhibition mechanisms with other Ming imperial mausoleums nationwide, and building a digital Ming culture platform. The "Chang Xiaoming" IP and online exhibition mini-programs have attracted a large following of Ming culture enthusiasts through youth-oriented communication. Changping has also upgraded its cultural tourism offerings by integrating Juyong Pass, Baifu Spring, and the Ming Tombs into Ming culture touring route. Regular exchange platforms for traditional Chinese medicine, digital heritage, and Great Wall protection have been established to foster synergy between cultural resources and industrial development. Through coordinated coverage by major national media, Changping continues to promote the international dissemination of Ming culture.
Looking ahead, Changping will take this forum as a new starting point to deepen its development in five key directions: strengthening the academic exchange platform by establishing long-term research mechanisms with the Chinese Society on Ming Dynasty History; advancing the planning and implementation of the Ming culture theme park to systematically integrate cultural resources across the Ming Tombs area; deepening the application of technology in heritage protection through upgraded digital displays and artifact monitoring technologies; promoting deep integration of culture and tourism across the three cultural belts to cultivate distinctive Ming culture tourism IPs; and expanding international communication channels to continue telling the story of Ming Dynasty civilization. Through these efforts, Changping aims to empower high-quality urban development with world heritage culture and contribute sustained strength to Beijing's construction as a national cultural center.
Source: Ming Dynasty Culture Forum 2026
Contact person: Ms. Zhu, Tel: 86-10-63074558
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