The Yellow River Culture Forum opened in Dongying in east China’s Shandong on Tuesday. Based on the theme of "Promoting Yellow River Culture and Telling Yellow River Stories," guests and representatives from China and overseas conducted a series of exchanges and discussions on these two topics.

During this forum, nine provinces and regions along the river’s route signed a series of cooperation agreements to promote and tell stories about Yellow River culture, engage in more exchanges in the fields of cultural and tourism development, and work together on the protection of cultural relics.

Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Gao Peiyong said in his keynote speech that the Yellow River is the root and soul of the Chinese nation. Protecting, inheriting, and promoting its culture is a key task in implementing the national strategy of ecological protection and the high-quality development of the Yellow River basin.

"The history of how the Yellow River was managed is the best expression of Yellow River culture," said Li Qun, Director of the Shandong Yellow River Administration Bureau.

Li said the historical records of the Yellow River management, including flood-management efforts and the maintenance and regulation of riverbanks, represent the indomitable spirit, hardworking nature and wisdom of the Chinese people. It also shows the continuous inheritance of China’s cultural heritage, he added.

Yu Yunquan, Dean of the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies, shared his insights on the international spreading of Yellow River culture and exchanges and mutual learning between the “great river civilizations.”

Yu called to further promote high-quality content related to Yellow River culture internationally, including foreign-language translations of Chinese texts, and capitalize on the Yellow River National Cultural Park so that people from all over the world can experience the beauty of the Yellow River through all five senses.

A major academic project dubbed "Overview of Yellow River Culture" was also presented at this forum. Organized and edited by Shandong Normal University, this book series comprehensively showcases the evolution and rich connotations of Yellow River culture.

As well as panel discussions, the forum has organized for guest representatives to conduct field survey into the ecology and culture of the Yellow River Delta.

The forum runs until April 19.