Highlights and Achievements of the 2025 Beijing Culture Forum

Charting a New Vision for the Integrated Development of Culture and Technology

The 2025 Beijing Culture Forum was held from September 23rd to 24th.

Adhering to the permanent theme of „Heritage, Innovation, and Mutual Learning“ and focusing on the annual theme of „Integrated Development of Culture and Technology,“ participants jointly envisioned the future of cultural and technological integration, contributing wisdom and strength to promote cultural prosperity and mutual learning among civilizations.

The main forum, six parallel forums, over 20 professional salons, and supporting events were rich with highlights, resulting in fruitful outcomes.

Digital Technology Aids the Continuation of Cultural Heritage

Currently, the vigorous development of digital technology brings new ideas and opportunities for the protection and inheritance of cultural heritage, becoming a hot topic among participants.

„Digital technology provides new methods for protecting and utilizing the Great Wall, not only revitalizing this ancient cultural heritage with a contemporary glow but also empowering regional economic development.“ In the area, advanced technologies such as 3D imaging and virtual reality assist in the digital protection and presentation of the Great Wall; drones are used for regular monitoring… At this forum, „Beijing Creates a New Model for Great Wall Protection Practices“ was selected as one of the „Ten Major Events in the Construction of the National Cultural Center in 2024.“

„Digital technology should become a ’standard tool‘ for heritage protection, management, and education.“ It was stated that China’s leading position in digital innovation and its firm commitment to world heritage protection make it an important partner.

The digital protection of Beijing’s Central Axis has attracted much participation. The „Digital Watchman“ feature of the „Cloud Central Axis“ mini-program has made „patrols and guardianship accessible to everyone“ a reality. To date, a significant number of the public have participated, submitting numerous patrol records and images.

„Empowering cultural heritage protection and inheritance with digitalization is a historical choice and a need of the times.“ At the „Protection and Inheritance: Digital Empowerment of Cultural Heritage“ parallel forum, it was stated that efforts have significantly enhanced scientific and technological innovation capabilities and application levels, achieving notable results in digitally empowering cultural heritage.

Data shows that the National Cultural Relics Resource Database integrates data from various surveys; the Intangible Cultural Heritage Documentation Project has recorded the unique skills and cultural memories of numerous representative inheritors; over one million cultural relic data points have been collected from the Palace Museum… Significant achievements have been made in the digitalization of cultural heritage in the country, making the „inventory“ of cultural heritage clearer and its protection more systematic.

Mutual Empowerment of Culture and Technology

Culture provides content support for technology application scenarios; technology provides technical support for the creative transformation and innovative development of cultural content. The mutual empowerment between culture and technology is an important trend in the high-quality development of the cultural industry.

Creating new digital audio-visual scenarios like the „8K Theater,“ digital film studios, and other key cultural and technological projects; constructing landmarks for cultural tourism integration and cultural consumption, such as the Liangma River waterfront… Leveraging its strengths in culture and technology, the city is promoting the application of new technologies like 5G, big data, and virtual reality in the cultural field, continuously creating new cultural products, applications, and experiences.

The rapid development and widespread application of information technology have driven innovation in cultural production and dissemination methods. At the „Mutual Empowerment: Innovation and Development of Online Culture“ parallel forum, it was stated, „Immersive interaction and cloud sharing transform cultural memories once limited by geography, time, and material into vivid experiences that the public can perceive, participate in, and share, continuously promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of excellent traditional culture.“

How to fully utilize the power of technology to stimulate cultural originality is a contemporary issue facing cultural workers. At the „Breaking Boundaries and Coexisting: Technology Stimulates Cultural Originality“ parallel forum, it was expressed that science and technology are not merely tools but powerful engines driving cultural innovation and fertile ground nurturing artistic creation, profoundly influencing and reshaping the landscape and realm of artistic creation.

At this forum, many participants interacted with a robot staff member named Xiao Nuo, who listened attentively, sometimes frowned in thought, displaying rich facial expressions that attracted considerable attention.

„Human society is stepping into an intelligent era, characterized significantly by the emergence of numerous intelligent agents.“ At the main forum, it was stated that artificial intelligence research and humanities research mutually promote each other. Humanities research provides cognitive frameworks and value systems for AI, essentially „giving a heart to the machine“; AI helps people understand

Great Wall

The Great Wall of China is an ancient series of fortifications built across the historical northern borders of China. Its construction spanned centuries, beginning as early as the 7th century BC, with the most famous sections built by the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) to protect against invasions. Today, it stands as a UNESCO World Heritage site and a powerful symbol of Chinese civilization and engineering.

Beijing Central Axis

The Beijing Central Axis is a 7.8-kilometer north-south line that has organized the city’s plan since the 13th-century Yuan Dynasty. It runs through the heart of the city, connecting key historical sites like the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, and the Temple of Heaven. This axis represents the core of ancient Chinese capital planning and imperial power, emphasizing symmetry and hierarchy.

Palace Museum

The Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, is a historic imperial palace complex in Beijing, China. It served as the home of Chinese emperors and the ceremonial and political center of the Chinese government for nearly 500 years, from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty. Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and houses the Palace Museum, which preserves and displays a vast collection of artifacts and artworks from the imperial eras.

Liangma River waterfront

The Liangma River waterfront is a modern recreational area in Beijing that was historically an ancient canal for grain transport. In recent decades, it has been transformed into a vibrant public space with walking paths, green areas, and cultural venues. It is now a popular destination for both locals and tourists seeking leisure and scenic views in the city.

National Cultural Relics Resource Database

The National Cultural Relics Resource Database is a comprehensive digital platform in China that catalogs and provides public access to information about the country’s vast cultural heritage. It was established to systematically document and preserve records of immovable cultural relics, including archaeological sites, historic buildings, and monuments. The database serves as a central repository that reflects China’s long historical continuity and the government’s efforts to manage and protect its cultural property through modern technology.

8K Theater

The 8K Theater is a modern, high-tech venue designed to showcase content in an exceptionally high resolution of 8K, which is four times the detail of 4K. It represents a recent advancement in immersive cinematic and visual experiences, often found in science museums, world’s fairs, or specialized exhibition spaces. While it doesn’t have a long historical legacy, its development is part of the ongoing evolution of display technology that began with the transition from standard and high definition to ultra-high definition formats.

digital film studios

Digital film studios are modern production facilities that emerged with the late 20th-century shift from physical film to computer-based digital technology. They utilize virtual sets, CGI, and motion capture to create realistic environments and characters entirely within a computer. This evolution has democratized filmmaking, allowing for more complex visual effects and greater creative flexibility than was possible with traditional methods.

Cloud Central Axis

The Cloud Central Axis is a modern urban planning concept in Beijing, China, representing a north-south development corridor that extends the city’s ancient central axis. It was designed in the 21st century to integrate new administrative, commercial, and cultural zones, such as the Olympic Park, with the historic city center. This axis symbolizes Beijing’s evolution, blending its imperial past with its contemporary status as a global capital.