Yangtze River Civilization Forum 2026 opens in Chongqing
The Yangtze River Civilization Forum 2026 opened in Chongqing, China, on September 15. The event is held under the theme “Crossing Rivers and Seas, Mutual Learning of Civilizations,” ECNS reports.
Participants from nearly 20 countries
Prominent guests, consular officials and representatives of foreign media from nearly 20 countries arrived in Chongqing. The report names Egypt, Brazil, India, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Australia and Mexico among the countries that sent representatives. Participants discussed the preservation of cultural heritage and cultural exchanges.
Gao Xiang, president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, stated that the Yangtze originates on the “roof of the world,” flows thousands of kilometers to the sea, and has long facilitated the movement of people, the spread of technology and trade between China and the rest of the world.
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Forum’s accompanying program
Martin Jacques, an invited research fellow at the Asia Research Centre of the London School of Economics and Political Science, noted that an important component of civilization is studying and reinterpreting the past. According to him, rivers foster contacts and interaction among cultures that might otherwise be impossible.
Since 2023, the forum has been held for three consecutive years. The accompanying program includes the 2026 World Great Rivers Concert, the 2026 World Great Rivers Poetry Gathering, cultural and educational trips dedicated to the Yangtze, as well as field trips by writers from Sichuan and Chongqing along the river. The forum aims to present the Yangtze’s cultural heritage and promote its creative reinterpretation and innovative development.
