On May 24, 2025, the 4th Global Cultural Management Academic Seminar, hosted by Shanghai Jiao Tong University and organized by its School of Media and Communication and Global Cultural Management Research Center, with support from the China Cultural Industry Management Professional Committee and Scholarbay Academic Bay, was held at the Minhang Campus of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

The opening ceremony was attended by Liu Yuzhu, Chairman of the China Cultural Relics Protection Foundation and former Party Secretary and Director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration; Hu Hao, Standing Committee Member of the Party Committee and Director of the Propaganda Department at Shanghai Jiao Tong University; and Xu Jian, Executive Vice Dean (acting) of the School of Media and Communication at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Scholars and industry experts from institutions such as Peking University, Tsinghua University, Beijing Normal University, Central University of Finance and Economics, University of International Business and Economics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Kun Shan University of Technology (Taiwan), Macquarie University, Shanghai Media Group Entertainment, Shanghai Yuyuan Inc., Fosun Tourism Group, and Dentsu Group participated in the event.

Under the theme "Reflection and Prospect: Cultural Industries and Publicness," the seminar featured a variety of sessions, including keynote forums, parallel discussions, roundtable dialogues, master lectures, and face-to-face meetings with editors of top academic journals (C-journals). The opening and closing ceremonies were presided over by Shan Shilian, Director of the Global Cultural Management Research Center at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

At the opening ceremony, Hu Hao, on behalf of the university, extended a warm welcome to the attending experts. He noted that as one of China's earliest institutions to establish a cultural industry management program, Shanghai Jiao Tong University has always prioritized education and nurturing talent. By integrating cultural and academic teaching with the guidance of humanistic values and the practice of Chinese culture, the university has pioneered a path for developing cultural management disciplines with Chinese characteristics. He emphasized that culture is not merely an industry but a vital bond connecting individuals, society, and the nation. Guided by the thought of President Xi on culture, exploring the relationship between culture and public welfare, public rationality, and digital justice represents a crucial mission for the teaching and research of China's cultural industry management program. He expressed hope that this symposium would contribute significantly to advancing the long-term development of the cultural industry management field and promoting the modernization of cultural governance.

Xu Jian, on behalf of the School of Media and Communication at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, welcomed the distinguished guests and scholars for their visit and exchange. He provided a brief overview of the school's professional development and progress. He emphasized that the development of the cultural industry management program must be grounded in local practices while also integrating global perspectives, thereby contributing Chinese wisdom to worldwide cultural governance.

The first keynote session was chaired by Professor Ling Jinzhu from the School of Media and Communication at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Liu Yuzhu delivered a keynote speech titled "Cultural Heritage as a Driver for Mutual Learning and Exchange Among Civilizations."

From the unique perspective of cultural heritage (cultural relics), he emphasized that as a non-renewable and irreplaceable resource of China’s outstanding traditional culture, cultural heritage serves not only as a profound foundation for building a strong socialist culture but also as a golden gateway for the world to understand China. The role of cultural relics in promoting mutual learning and exchange among civilizations has been richly demonstrated throughout history and in contemporary practice. Moving forward, he stressed the need to continue leveraging cultural relics as a bridge to deepen international cooperation, injecting greater stability and vitality into the world.

To this end, he proposed strengthening efforts in three key areas:

1. Deepening international collaboration on cultural heritage—by enhancing cooperative mechanisms, curating high-quality international exhibitions, and advancing foreign aid projects for relic conservation—to foster greater civilizational exchange and mutual learning.

2. Advancing digital transformation in the cultural relics sector to "bring relics to life" and enhance their accessibility.

3. Telling compelling stories of cultural relics—awakening national pride, encouraging broader public participation, and strengthening people-to-people bonds.

Subsequently, a series of keynote speeches were delivered by Xiang Yong, Dean of the Institute for Cultural Industries at Peking University; Wei Pengju, Dean of the Institute for Cultural Economics at the Central University of Finance and Economics; Li Tianduo, Board Member of Kun Shan University of Technology in Taiwan and Professor at the College of Communication of Taiwan University of Arts; Ma Chencheng, President of Shanghai Media Group Entertainment; and Shan Shilian. Their speeches covered topics such as cultural empowerment, new quality productive forces, cultural goods, cultural marketization, and the intrinsic attributes of culture.

The second keynote session was chaired by Gao Youpeng, Professor at the School of Media and Communication, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Speakers included Gao Bingzhong, Professor at the Research and Development Center for Intangible Cultural Heritage at Beijing Normal University; David Throsby, Distinguished Professor at Macquarie University; Zhou Jianxin, Dean of the Institute for Cultural Industries at Shenzhen University; Li Xuefei, Director of the Department of Cultural Industry Management at the School of Public Administration, University of International Business and Economics; Yu Xuying, Head of the Department of Humanities, Languages, and Translation at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hong Kong Metropolitan University; and Chen Jia, National First-Class Director and Chief Cultural Officer of Shanghai Yuyuan Inc.

The roundtable discussion was moderated by Wu Fan, Deputy Director of the Department of Cultural Industry Management at the School of Media and Communication, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Participants included Fang Weijin, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer of Fosun Tourism Group; Tang Rui, former General Manager of Dentsu Group’s Shanghai and Guangzhou branches; Li Chuan, Associate Professor at the University of Valencia; and Lin Jian, Assistant Professor at The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

During the closing ceremony, summaries of the five parallel forums and the Young Scholars Forum were presented by Shen Dongjing from the Shanghai Information Center for Life Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Zeng Cheng from the School of Journalism and Communication at Guangzhou University; He Jia from the Shanghai Documentary Academy at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law; Liu Yutan from the School of Marxism at Tsinghua University; Zhou Aihua from Shanghai Intent Industrial Design Co., Ltd.; and Wang Xiaoling from the School of Media and Communication at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Professor Jiang Zhaojun from the School of Media and Communication at Shanghai Jiao Tong University delivered the conference summary and announced the ten outstanding papers. Shan Shilian, Li Tianduo, and Chen Meiyun, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Academic Forum, presented awards to the winning scholars.

The conference received support from numerous academic journals, including Social Sciences in Chinese Higher Education Institutions, Exploration and Free Views, Tongji University Journal (Social Science Section), Academic Forum, Dongyue Tribune, Seeker, Media Observer, Journal of Shandong Normal University (Social Science Edition), Cultural Industry Research, and Chinese Cultural Management Studies.

With the mission of "global vision, Chinese wisdom, and Shanghai expression," the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Global Cultural Management Academic Seminar has successfully held four editions since 2019, gradually becoming a flagship event that brings together cultural elites from various industries and bridges Chinese and Western academic leaders. The conference adheres to a philosophy of prioritizing scholarship while integrating industry, academia, and policy. It aims to foster dialogue among leading scholars, policymakers, cultural entrepreneurs, and young students, contributing collective wisdom to the research and practice of cultural industries amid new technologies, new paradigms, and new opportunities, and injecting intellectual momentum into the construction of a socialist cultural powerhouse.