China's National Space Administration held a forum in Zhuhai on Sept 26 to promote cross-border cooperation and an in-depth integration of space science and technology with culture and art.

The 2021 China Space Culture & Art Forum, "Create the Future with Integrative Development," promoted the prosperity and development of space culture and art. The CNSA website broadcast the forum online. It was held at Hyatt Regency Hengqin.

Wu Yanhua, CNSA deputy director, said the space industry shows China's concept, spirit, and image to the world. Its independent innovation and exploration of the unknown, he said, provide a hotbed for literary and artistic creations.

China Space Culture & Art Forum [Photo provided to Guanhai App]

More cultural artists could create boutique works that echo history and the future; integrate science, technology, and arts; touch people's hearts, and arouse public enthusiasm for scientific exploration, according to Wu.

Aerospace engineers, artists, and cultural workers exchanged views on just how to integrate science, technology, and arts, and how to promote space culture based on their expertise.

The forum included a space art competition and giant panda naming ceremony resulting in "Hangbao." It was the first of its kind hosted by CNSA in collaboration with the China Space Foundation and formed part of the 2021 Zhuhai Forum.

Pei Zhaoyu, deputy director of CNSA's Lunar Exploration & Space Program Center; Yang Yujun, chairman of Communication University of China's Academy of Media & Public Affairs; Julia Knights, deputy director of London Science Museum; Jia Yang, chief designer of China's Mars rover Zhurong; and Shan Jixiang, former curator of the Palace Museum also offered suggestions on the mutual promotion of space science, technology, culture, and art.

A hundred government officials, aerospace specialists, and representatives from culture and art circles as well as British, US, and Brazilian embassies in Beijing attended the event.