As China and France celebrate the 60th anniversary of establishing their diplomatic relations, a forum named "Dialogue of Ancient Capital Civilizations (Beijing-Paris)" was held at Communication University of China (CUC) in the Chinese capital on May 7.

Chang Yu, secretary of CPC Beijing International Studies University (BISU) was invited to deliver a speech at the event.

Chang delivers a speech at the forum.

He briefly introduced BISU's history and achievements, congratulated the hosting of the forum and expressed gratitude to those who had been devoted to promoting cultural exchanges between China and France.

He recalled his first visit to Paris over 20 years ago, saying he was touched by the beauty of both the similar and different cultural elements between China and France.

He described BISU's contributions to Sino-French cultural exchanges and mutual learning in detail. Back in 1970s, it had sent teachers and students to study in France, and there were 78 teachers teaching French in the university in the beginning of 1980s.

BISU's teachers have participated many times in high-level dialogues between the two countries, serving, for example, as translators for French presidents during their visits to China. They also translated French classics to Chinese and vice versa, and published collections studying the contrast between Beijing and Paris.

The forum was themed "History, Contemporary, and Future: Continuity and Sustainable Development of Ancient Capitals". It attracted experts and scholars from Beijing and Paris to discuss such issues as the conservation of heritage, urban planning, the Olympics and fashion.

Leaders from UNESCO, the China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Conservation, the Beijing Municipal Cultural Heritage Bureau, and other organizations attended the opening ceremony.