2022 Global Forum on Hehe Culture held in Zhejiang

The 2022 Global Forum on Hehe Culture was held Tuesday in Taizhou, China; Tokyo, Japan; and Madrid, Spain. 

The 2022 Global Forum on Hehe Culture is held in Tiantai county, Taizhou city, eastern China's Zhejiang province, on Nov. 29, 2022. [Photo/CICG]

The forum brought together about 200 scholars, government officials, representatives from international organizations, diplomats and Sinologists from over 10 countries including China, Japan, South Korea, and Spain to discuss ways to look for positive inspiration from the time-honored Hehe culture to promote exchange and mutual learning.

Taizhou city is known as the birthplace of Hehe culture, which advocates harmony, peace, integration and cooperation. 

In his opening remarks, Du Zhanyuan, president of China International Communications Group (CICG), said Hehe culture is a treasure of human civilizations and holds major significance for the world to respond to challenges and gain more momentum for sustainable development. He called for countries to uphold the principle of harmony and cooperation to promote common development and work together to build a green and sustainable future.

Du Zhanyuan, president of China International Communications Group (CICG), address the 2022 Global Forum on Hehe Culture via video on Nov. 29, 2022. [Photo/CICG] 

Yukio Hatoyama, former Japanese prime minister and chair of the East Asian Community Institute, said Hehe culture calls for mutual respect, mutual understanding, and mutual support. He called for China and Japan to adopt the principles of Hehe culture to resolve differences and promote peace and development in Asia and the world at large.

Yukio Hatoyama, former Japanese prime minister and chair of the East Asian Community Institute, address the 2022 Global Forum on Hehe Culture via video on Nov. 29, 2022. [Photo/CICG]

Participants of the forum agreed that modern values of Hehe culture — harmony without uniformity, mutual benefit, win-win outcome, and the unity of man and nature — have strong significance in promoting exchange and mutual learning among civilizations, opening up the world economy, and achieving green and sustainable development.

The forum also witnessed the launch of the international communication center for Hehe culture, a signing ceremony for think tank cooperation, and the launch of a new book on Hehe culture.

The forum was co-organized by CICG, the Academy of Chinese Culture, the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Zhejiang Provincial Committee, the CPC Taizhou Municipal Committee, and the Taizhou People's Government.