2025 IYF Changsha was Successfully Organized

The 2025 International Youth Forum on Creativity and Heritage along the Silk Roads (2025 IYF) was successfully concluded in Changsha

IYF Changsha Summary

From November 19 to 22, the Changsha part of the 2025 International Youth Forum on Creativity and Heritage along the Silk Roads (2025 IYF) was successfully concluded. Building on the theme of "Digital Innovation and Entrepreneur-ship: Youth Powering Heritage Protection and Transmission," this part held activities including Group Work of “Heritage Business Lab”, Field Trips, Youth Sharing Sessions, Groupwork Presentations, Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Exhibition, and Youth Gala. These activities engaged global youth in an in-depth exploration of cultural heritage transmission and promotion, bringing the week-long forum to a successful close. Please click on the video above to relive the highlights of the 2025 IYF Changsha session .

2025 IYF Group Photo in Changsha

During the Group Work “Heritage Business Lab” in Changsha, youth representatives participated in practical and interactive activities focusing on two core issues: the international promotion and commercialization of cultural heritage. This session began with sharing by three Changsha youth representatives: Mr. Huang Cheng, the Director of 17th Liuyang Fireworks Culture Festival, Mr. Liu Jiahao, the inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of Tongguan Kiln, and Ms. Peng Lulin, a young designer of Hunan Embroidery. They shared their personal experiences in heritage preservation, proposed its current challenges, and raised specific questions regarding its international promotion and commercialization. Based on the key questions raised by the local representatives, the youth participants were divided into three groups based on their experiences and interests, named “Sky Painter”, “Furong’s Glaze”and “Stitches: Threads of Life”. They explored solutions by integrating digital technology applications and cross-cultural communication theories .

← Changsha Youth Representatives’ Sharing and Group Work →

In field trips, the participants visited the Hunan Provincial Museum, Fire God Palace Restaurant and the Tongguan Kiln Museum. These visits provided them with close observation of Changsha’s innovative practices in technological preservation and commercialization of traditional cultural heritage. A study tour observing Changsha’s nightlife economy further offered vivid examples of how culture integrates with urban life, supplying practical insights for refining their proposals. Following Group Work and Field Trips, the three groups presented their solutions to challenges identified by three Changsha youth representatives .

Additionally, the Youth Sharing Sessions in Changsha provided a platform for global participants to exchange experiences and learn from each other in heritage protection. The ICH Works Exhibition featured representative items brought by youth from their hometowns, enhancing mutual understanding through tangible cultural communication.

← Activities in Changsha →

The Youth Gala converged diverse artistic expressions, which includes both traditional Chinese and global culture, fostering deeper connections among the youth participants.

In the Closing Ceremony, Prof. Shahbaz Khan, Director of UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, encouraged the youth participants in his speech, “Take the entrepreneurial mindset and the spirit of cross-cultural partnership you forged here, and apply it to the challenges you face at home. This forum is an investment in your capacity to lead, and we are confident that the returns on that investment will be measured not in financial gains, but in the enduring change you bring to the world.”  Mr. QIN Changwei, Secretary-General of the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO, Mr. ZHAO Chengxin, Deputy Director-General of Publicity Department of Hunan Provincial Party Committee and Director of Provincial Government Information Office, Mr. WU Xianyun, Standing Committee Member and Director of Publicity Department of Changsha Municipal Party Committee and Ms. Sunjoo Lee, President of Asia Pacific Federation of Clubs and Associations for UNESCO delivered speeches at the closing ceremony respectively and announced the conclusion of 2025 IYF.

← Closing Ceremony →

Through its practical approach and rich cultural experiences, the IYF Changsha part built a dynamic platform for youth participants to engage in the innovative preservation of cultural heritage. It not only gathered the wisdom of youth to advance heritage inheritance but also fostered deeper cross-cultural friendships and mutual learning among civilizations, enabling cultural heritage to radiate new vitality through the power of youth.

Source: United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization