‘World Heritage Splendor, Cultural Renaissance’, Ming Dynasty Culture Forum 2026 Opens at Ming Tombs Scenic Area

Article content

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.

Article content

Article content

Article content

Article content

Article content

Article content

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.

Article content

Opening Ceremony Gathers Leading Experts, Bridging Past and Present to Celebrate Ming Culture

Article content

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.

Article content

Article content

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.

Article content

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.