Forum in Shandong highlights Yellow River culture

Scholars, experts and officials gathered in Dongying, Shandong province where the Yellow River meets the sea on Tuesday to discuss the international communications of the Yellow River culture at a sub-forum, a major part of the Yellow River Culture Forum.

Snaking through nine provinces and autonomous regions across North China, the 5,464-kilometer river is an age-old witness to the nation's history.

Over the course of 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, different regions along the river have served as important political and cultural centers. Cultural heritage sites along the river comprise about 40 percent of the national total, Liu Lianghai, director of the History Study Institute of Shandong Academy of Social Sciences, said at the forum.

"To make full use of these historical and cultural relics is to promote the development of the culture and tourism sector and, in a profound way, to carry over the culture and nurture the root and soul of our nation," Liu said.

There are bright prospects in spreading the Yellow River culture overseas and promoting ecological tourism. This will not only attract a large number of foreign tourists but also help establish a more comprehensive image of China, said Burkhard Risse, a German language expert for Foreign Languages Express.

"The Yellow River culture not only includes ecology but many other aspects, including folk arts," Risse said.

Shandong has been putting great effort toward promoting the Yellow River culture overseas. The province has been developing the Nishan Forum on World Civilizations to build a high-end platform to promote exchanges and mutual learning among world civilizations.

It has also published works including documentaries and short videos of the Yellow River culture in multiple languages to make the culture better known.

During the forum, the Yellow River spring bazaar showcased the rich cultures cultivated along the Yellow River basin. It attracted intangible cultural inheritors and folk artists from nine provinces and autonomous regions along the river.

The bazaar will last throughout the year with different themes.