Hangzhou, 7 Jul (Zhongxin Net) -- Spanning nearly 3,<> li and <>,<> years apart, the ancient city of Liangzhu in China and the Acropolis in Greece are about to "talk."

From July 7th to 5th, Liangzhu and the world - "Liangzhu Ancient City, Acropolis" Sino-Greek civilization dialogue activity will be held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. At that time, a series of activities will be carried out in Liangzhu, witnessing the two ancient civilizations of China and Greece moving towards "beauty and harmony" in "harmony but difference".

China and Greece, Liangzhu with Athens, ancient city and acropolis, which are combinations that span space and time. Why are they talking? What can be talked to?

Mutual Learning among Civilizations: East Dialogue with West

Hangzhou Asian Games Tinder Collection Ceremony Photo by Hangzhou Asian Games Official Photography

Xiaomojiao Mountain Site Photo courtesy of the Administrative Committee of Hangzhou Liangzhu Site Management Zone

This is a dialogue between Eastern and Western civilizations, one of harmony and difference, as well as harmony and symbiosis.

The Liangzhu site is a sacred place to empirically verify the history of 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, where the cultural genes, civilization memories and national spirit of Chinese civilization are brewed. The ancient Greek civilization, far along the coast of the Aegean Sea, is known as the cradle of Western civilization.

Like-minded people are not far from mountains and seas. More than 2000,<> years ago, China and ancient Greece were linked together through the ancient Silk Road.

Civilizations are enriched by exchanges and by mutual learning. The emphasis on logical thinking and the encouragement of curiosity in ancient Greek culture are still worth learning from in China, which is eager for innovative thinking; Chinese culture pays attention to the balance between order and freedom, responsibility and rights, and it is also paid attention to by contemporary Western people of insight when reflecting on their own civilization.

The outstanding inclusiveness of Chinese civilization determines the open-mindedness of Chinese culture to the inclusiveness of world civilization. The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China pointed out: "Deepen exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations and promote Chinese culture to better reach the world." ”

In February 2023, the Sino-Greek Civilization Mutual Learning Center was established in Athens, Greece. The upcoming "Liangzhu and the World – Sino-Greek Civilization Dialogue" event is a broad stage dedicated to promoting exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and Greek civilizations and promoting the development of civilizations of all countries, and it is also a practical space for exploring the openness and inclusiveness of different civilizations.

At that time, Lydia Koniordou, former Minister of Culture and Sports of Greece and famous Greek artist; Wang Wei, member of the Faculty of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Director of the Department of History, and Chairman of the Archaeological Society of China, and other Chinese and Greek guests shared the Chinese and Greek civilizations to deepen their understanding and appreciation of each other's cultures.

World Heritage Dialogue: Talk about protection, inheritance and utilization

Temple of Erekon on the Acropolis Photo by Wang Hongpu of the Sino-Greek Times

Acropolis Parthenon Photo by Wang Hongpu, Sino-Greek Times

The ruins of the ancient city of Liangzhu and the Acropolis are both world cultural heritages, which is a dialogue between the protection and inheritance of the world heritage.

During the event, the photo exhibition "Carving and Memory – The Contribution of Marble Techniques to the Restoration of the Monuments of the Acropolis" will be unveiled in Liangzhu across thousands of miles, and cultural relics conservation experts from Liangzhu and Greece will share their cultural relics protection and utilization practices.

Liangzhu has always been a model student for the protection and utilization of world heritage.

The local first-of-its-kind "full-time institution + laws, regulations + policy system", a large site protection and management framework, and the "Liangzhu Site 5000+ Digital Intelligence Application Platform" created by the local people, let people see the possibility of digitally empowering the protection of world heritage. It creates the "Liangzhu case" with the protection of cultural relics, establishes the "Liangzhu coordinates" with academic research, opens up the "Liangzhu window" with literary and artistic creation, and transmits the "past and present life" of Liangzhu to the world.

The Acropolis is one of the representatives of ancient Greek culture and art. In order to protect this sacred site, a protected area was set up around the Acropolis, which stipulated restrictions and requirements for architectural and environmental modifications, and carried out digital protection. In order to better protect the cultural relics, in 1874, the Acropolis Museum was completed; In 2009, the new Acropolis Museum opened to the public, attracting nearly 200 million visitors a year to see the past and present of the Acropolis.

The dialogue between the two world monuments of Liangzhu Ancient City and the Acropolis transcends the country, and is not a simple exchange between the two civilizations, but for one goal: to protect, inherit and make good use of the world heritage, so that human civilization can continue.

Passing on the torch: when the Asian Games meet the Olympics

Full view of Liangzhu Ancient City Ruins Park Photo courtesy of the Administrative Committee of Hangzhou Liangzhu Ruins Management Zone

Liangzhu Yubi Photo courtesy of the Administrative Committee of Hangzhou Liangzhu Site Management Zone

In 2004, the flame of the modern Olympic Games returned to Athens, Greece, the birthplace of more than 100 years of absence. On June 2023, 6, on the occasion of the 15-day countdown to the Hangzhou Asian Games, the Hangzhou Asian Games Tinder Collection Ceremony was successfully held at the site of Liangzhu Ancient City.

This is also a dialogue between the Asian Games and the Olympics. Theodora Mantzari, the emblem designer of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, senior advisor to the International Olympic Committee and advisor to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, will have a clash of ideas with her Chinese counterparts. This relay across time and space witnessed the passing of the torch and once again reminded the world of the unchanging meaning of the Olympic spirit: mankind's yearning for unity, friendship and peace.

At the Hangzhou Asian Games Tinder Collection Ceremony, the program "Light of Liangzhu" was staged by the official photography of the Hangzhou Asian Games

Acropolis at sunset Photo by Wang Hongpu of the Sino-Greek Times

This is not only the core value of the Olympic Movement, but also the humanistic spirit of Chinese civilization and ancient Greek civilization. As diverse and integrated civilizations, the two reflect social concepts through their respective etiquette cultures, shaping the idea of "noble monks" embodied in traditional Chinese sports and the purpose spirit of the Olympic motto "more unity".

The ancient "country of etiquette" between China and Greece, the modern Olympic spirit, and the promising multi-civilization mutual learning in the future are bringing infinite possibilities for expanding the breadth and depth of exchanges and dialogues among different civilizations and jointly building a hundred gardens of civilization in which the United States and the United States share the same dimensions. (End)