SHENZHEN, May 21 (Xinhua) -- The Forum on Building up China's Cultural Strength 2026 opened on Thursday in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, with attendees calling for carrying on the legacy of Chinese culture to consolidate the cultural foundation for building a stronger nation and advancing national rejuvenation.

Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, attended the forum and delivered a keynote speech.

Guests attending the forum agree that culture is important to both the foundation and the future of the nation, and a thriving culture is a hallmark of Chinese modernization.

They called for further leveraging digital and intelligent technologies to invigorate cultural reform and development and foster a vibrant and flourishing cultural ecosystem.

The attendees also highlighted principles of protection first and minimum intervention in strengthening the systematic preservation of cultural heritage, while urging further international cultural and people-to-people exchanges and cooperation.

Hosted by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, the forum comprises a main forum and 11 sub-forums and is scheduled to run until Friday.■