The Golden Panda International Cultural Forum focused on the theme of exchanges and mutual learning of different civilizations, which will serve as important drivers for advancing human civilization and promoting global peace.

The forum opened on Wednesday in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province, under the theme "Civilizations in Harmony: Diversity, Equality and Inclusiveness."

Hosted by CGTN anchor Tian Wei, a dialog session was also held during the forum, and a total of six renowned filmmakers exchanged ideas on the important role of film and television as powerful mediums for cultural communication.
In the keynote speech, former state leaders and UN officials also underscored the influential role of art as a bridge connecting people from diverse cultural backgrounds.

"There are too many, I would say, misunderstandings and challenges in this world. Whatever we look at: the climate change, conflict, natural disasters, pandemics even, we are coming from a very difficult period, we need to talk to each other. We need to have a dialog. We need to listen to each other, to respect each other and try to find a common solution. I think art is a universal language and culture is what unifies us," said Irina Bokova, former Director-General of UNESCO.

A total of four parallel forums were also held on Wednesday to discuss tradition and the future, digital and culture, youth and the market.
"I'm a concert pianist. That's why I travel a lot. No matter I play here or in the outside, every single concert I will play the Chinese music. Because I feel our culture is so amazing and no matter what, I really hope I can use my own way, use my hands to tell our culture to everyone. I really thanks for this special event because I think it is really meaningful and we know each other and in the future we can do a lot of cooperation together," said Tian Jiaxin, a female Chinese pianist.

In the concluding part of the forum, guests from the Chinese and overseas TV and film industry were invited to participate in the launching ceremony of the Golden Panda Initiative.

The initiative calls for young artists from around the world to embrace the mission of promoting a harmonious and mutually beneficial civilization in this era, to create artistic monuments together that reflect shared values, act as friendly ambassadors of cultural exchange and mutual learning, and continuously unleash the youthful energy of cultural heritage and innovation.
The international cultural forum is one of the three major activities of the Golden Panda Awards, along with a welcome reception for guests and an award ceremony.

Held from Tuesday to Wednesday, the Golden Panda Awards aims to provide a new platform to foster cultural understanding and the exchange of ideas that transcend cultural differences.