Scholars highlight Macao's unique role in cultural exchange

Over 50 leading scholars, experts and government representatives from nearly 10 countries convened in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) on Tuesday for the opening of the International Forum on Mutual Learning Among Civilizations 2025.

The opening ceremony featured insightful speeches from three distinguished experts, who highlighted Macao's historical role and the global implications of civilizational exchange.

Wu Zhiliang, president of the Committee of Administration of the Macao Foundation, described Macao's unique role as a long-standing, deeply integrated point of convergence between Eastern and Western civilizations since its opening as a port in the mid-16th century. He emphasized that Macao's history is a testament to a cultural environment defined by harmonious diversity and peaceful coexistence.

"Rather than witnessing the conquest or replacement of one culture by another, Macao's daily life evolved into an ongoing, shared experiment in mutual understanding and adaptation," Wu explained. "This interaction, primarily driven by commerce and everyday needs, treated civilizational contact not as a competition to be won, but as a continuous journey of mutual learning."

Shifting the focus to national development, Zheng Yongnian, dean of the School of Public Policy at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in Shenzhen, and president of the Institute for International Affairs, Qianhai, said that modernization efforts are most likely to succeed when they are intrinsically aligned with a country's own culture and national conditions, rather than simply copying foreign models.

Zheng pointed out two characteristics of China's path to modernization. One is its ability to embrace the world while firmly adhering to its own development course. The other is the commitment to global cooperation. China is willing to share its development experience to assist other countries in achieving their own growth, thereby realizing the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Connecting Macao's modern diversity to China's ancient past, Xu Tianjin, director of the Liangzhu Museum, drew parallels between the Macao SAR and the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu (circa 3300 – 2300 BCE). The Liangzhu site in Zhejiang Province is considered key evidence of China's 5,000-year-old civilization.

"Both Macao, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and Liangzhu are ultimately products of civilizational exchange and integration, though they differ in age and heritage value," Xu said. "The entire history of human civilization can be interpreted as a history of mutual learning among different cultures."

Xu highlighted Liangzhu's international outreach, including the traveling exhibition “Journey Through Civilizations: An Encounter with Liangzhu,” which has been held in 12 countries. Such initiatives serve as new platforms for world heritage dialogue and bridges for international cultural exchange, helping to share the story of China's ancient civilization.