Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni, who was visiting China, held a press conference at the Greek Embassy in Beijing to brief the media on her participation in the 4th Liangzhu Forum.
The 4th Liangzhu Forum, themed “Civilizations in Continuity: Protecting Cultural Heritage, Lighting the Way Forward”, was held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, from October 18 to 20. Mendoni said the forum offered an opportunity to deepen dialogue between Chinese and Greek civilizations, and that its focus on the Acropolis and the Parthenon created conditions for experts to study and compare the two civilizations further. “China has the oldest civilization in the East and Greece the longest in the West; both have profoundly influenced the cultures of their regions,” she said, stressing that in a turbulent era it is especially important for civilizations to stay in contact and deepen understanding. Dialogue, she said, brings people closer and promotes exchanges so that the world's problems can be tackled together.
Mendoni has visited China several times. On cultural cooperation, she said holding exhibitions in both countries is an important part of bilateral cultural ties, and that the two sides have made progress in joint archaeology, technical cooperation and academic exchanges.
The Chinese School of Classical Studies at Athens was formally established in 2024, the first classical studies institution in Greece founded by an Asian country. “The school is already carrying out joint archaeological excavations with Greek counterparts in the Angelokastro area of western Greece. In fact, they are excavating an ancient city together and have already achieved very important results,” Mendoni said.
Next year China and Greece will mark the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Mendoni said the two sides will continue to advance people-to-people exchanges, expand cooperation into more areas and promote cultural projects on contemporary themes, especially in film and audiovisual production. They will also deepen academic exchanges between universities so as to help younger generations better understand each other's cultures.