Bridging Cultures: Guangxi’s Role in Preserving Heritage and Fostering China-ASEAN Exchange

Liu Xuanxin, President of Guangxi Education Publishing House Co., Ltd., outlines his organization’s role in preserving cultural heritage and fostering China-ASEAN exchange. He highlights the publication of works on intangible heritage and ancient texts, the use of digital technology to revitalize traditional scripts, and the promotion of cross-border literary translation to strengthen regional cultural ties.

---

Publishing plays a pivotal role in preserving cultural heritage and transmitting it to future generations. I would like to take this opportunity to outline the efforts undertaken by Guangxi Publishing and Media Group in recent years regarding the preservation, development, and conservation of world cultural heritage.

Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, we have placed significant emphasis on China’s fine traditional culture. Through strategic title development and a commitment to cultural inheritance and innovation, we have established a distinctive approach. Guangxi’s geographical position offers a unique advantage; as a key interface between mainland China and ASEAN, it serves as a natural platform for fostering exchanges between Chinese civilization and other cultures.

In practice, we have rooted our publishing initiatives in Chinese cultural traditions, designing publications that make culture accessible to a broader readership. Recent titles include An Illustrated Compendium of Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage Projects in Guangxi, A Collection of Xizang Patterns, and Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape, which highlights a UNESCO World Heritage site. These works have reached a wide audience. Additionally, we have edited and published series dedicated to Guangxi’s outstanding traditional culture, such as Cultural Guangxi, Intangible Cultural Heritage of Guangxi, and The Double Third Festival. The latter focuses on one of the most important traditional celebrations of the Zhuang ethnic group, held on the third day of the third lunar month.

A Collection of Guangxi Local Gazetteers through the Ages

We have also devoted considerable attention to Guangxi’s ancient books and historical records, working to uncover and present their value as historical sources. This effort has resulted in publications such as A Collection of Guangxi Local Gazetteers through the Ages, the Guangxi Library series, and Studies on Ancient Books of Guangxi. In total, we have published more than 600 titles in this field, contributing significantly to the collection, organization, and dissemination of historical texts.

Regarding exchanges with ASEAN countries, we have developed several cultural publishing projects with strong potential for cooperation. Our strategy operates in both directions: bringing Chinese publications to international readers while introducing outstanding overseas works to China. For instance, we have published two classic Vietnamese texts, Hanoians’ Eating And Drinking Stories and Across the Country. Another key initiative is the China-ASEAN Literature Translation and Publication Project, which facilitates the translation and publication of selected literary works from ASEAN countries and China for each other’s markets.

Guangxi Publishing and Media Group is also experimenting with new technologies. We established Yunhan Feidu, a company specializing in short-form video content. Simultaneously, we are collecting and cataloging ancient Zhuang texts to explore new ways to revitalize this heritage. For example, we developed a digital input method for the traditional Zhuang script. Although its characters are square in form, the script differs substantially from written Chinese. This new input method has significantly improved the efficiency of editing and publishing ancient Zhuang texts.

Another vital cultural asset for Guangxi is Liu Sanjie, the legendary folk singer renowned for antiphonal singing. We are currently leveraging short-form video to develop Liu Sanjie as a significant cultural intellectual property (IP), thereby encouraging exchange and interaction with ASEAN countries.

Looking ahead, I hope that through platforms such as the China-ASEAN Expo, the China-ASEAN Book Fair, and the Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair, we can further deepen cultural exchanges and cooperation between Guangxi and ASEAN, as well as between China and ASEAN more broadly. These efforts will help strengthen our friendly and good-neighborly relations.

(If you have specific expertise, or would like to share your thoughts, please send us your writings at CAobservation@outlook.com)