From October 25 to 26, the "2025 World Heritage and Cultural Cities International Forum", co-hosted by the Faculty of Innovation and Design at City University of Macau, the Global Association of Designers, and the Yuanye Award Committee, and co-organized by the Macau Institute of Architects, was successfully held at the Faculty of Innovation and Design, City University of Macau. Experts, scholars, design masters, and industry elites from home and abroad gathered to engage in in-depth dialogues on topics such as world heritage conservation, cultural city development, and urban regeneration.

On the morning of October 26, the forum featured a special "Experts' Session", presenting an intellectual feast that blended theory and practice. Three distinguished experts took the stage to share their insights.

Professor Zhang Jie, from Tsinghua University and a National Engineering Survey and Design Master, delivered a presentation titled "Integration of Culture and Ecology, Coexistence of Old and New: Heritage Conservation and Inheritance Leading Urban Regeneration", exploring the organic integration of heritage activation and urban renewal.

Professor Wang Zhong, from the Central Academy of Fine Arts and Director of the China Public Art Research Center, spoke on "Cities of Tomorrow: Art Envisions the Future", envisioning how public art can shape the spiritual identity of future cities.

Professor Ni Yang, National Engineering Survey and Design Master and Chief Architect at the Architectural Design and Research Institute of South China University of Technology, presented a virtual lecture titled "Relational Design", elucidating the application of systems thinking in urban design.

Following the presentations, participants actively posed questions, creating a vibrant atmosphere of scholarly exchange and intellectual sparks.

This Session focused on core themes including urban regeneration, heritage conservation, and public art. The contributions of the three experts combined theoretical rigor with practical depth, offering cutting-edge perspectives to attendees. As a key component of the forum, the session facilitated intellectual collision and experience-sharing among domestic and international peers, injecting fresh ideas and momentum into the high-quality development of future cities.

In addition to the Experts' Session, the forum concurrently hosted multiple parallel sub-forums, bringing together leading experts from home and abroad for in-depth discussions on world heritage conservation and cultural city development:

• The "Public Art and Cultural Cities" sub-forum, moderated by Professor Cao Xiaoxin, Deputy Chief Architect at China Architecture Design & Research Group, explored the role of art in shaping urban emotional value and cultural-tourism development. Industry experts such as Professor Cao Xiaoxin analyzed "The Emotional Value of Cities", while Liu Gang, Senior Partner at GOA Grand Elephant Design, discussed how historical inheritance creates vibrant urban environments.

• The "Heritage Conservation and Cultural Inheritance" sub-forum, moderated by Dr. Li Chenxi from the Faculty of Innovation and Design at City University of Macau, addressed industrial heritage, mountainous landscapes, and garden craftsmanship. Experts including Professor Li Min from South China Agricultural University highlighted the world cultural heritage value of Macau's Jardim da Barra, while Professor Fang Songlin from the School of Humanities at Xi'an Shiyou University presented a case study on the regeneration of abandoned mining areas, using the Gaohuangshan site in Suzhou as an example.

• The "Historic Districts and Ancient City Revitalization" sub-forum, moderated by Professor Liu Tingfeng from Tianjin University, focused on spatial wisdom in ancient cities and central axis preservation. Experts such as Professor Liu Tingfeng interpreted the I Ching-inspired layout of the Four Gardens of the Forbidden City, while Professor Che Fei, Dean of the School of Art and Design at Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, shared case studies on the renewal of Beijing's historic central axis and siheyuan courtyards.

These sub-forums brought together leading figures from top academic institutions such as Tsinghua University, the Central Academy of Fine Arts, South China University of Technology, and Tianjin University, as well as industry pioneers, collectively contributing diverse pathways and cutting-edge insights to the high-quality development of cultural cities.