Scholars and officials from China and Egypt gathered on Wednesday for a cross-civilizational dialogue at the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, to explore their growing archaeological partnership, as the two countries mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

The dialogue also coincided with the United Nations' International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. "Civilizations become eternal through dialogue and come alive through exchange," said Xiong Chengyu, Chinese chair of the dialogue and professor at the Communication University of China.

Over the past few years, archaeological cooperation on multiple levels between China and Egypt has yielded concrete results. In January last year, a Chinese-Egyptian team cleaned out a previously undocumented sacred lake structure at the Montu Temple site in Luxor, helping to fill a gap in Egyptological history.

Apart from such discoveries in joint excavations, the two countries have also cooperated in nominating China's Baiheliang and Egypt's Nilometers, both ancient hydrological sites, for UNESCO recognition. "These achievements are vivid footnotes showing how two great ancient civilizations are moving from the past into the future," said Xiong.

Xu Qingshan, deputy secretary-general of the Hangzhou municipal government and head of the city's data resource management bureau, proposed a digital solution to the future preservation of ancient civilizations. "We can use 3D modeling and blockchain technology to create unalterable digital IDs for artifacts from Liangzhu and Memphis, for example, so civilizations can live forever in the cloud," he said.

Egyptian archaeologists emphasized the deeper meaning of the collaboration. Arafat Bakr Osman Mohamed, senior researcher at the Egyptian think tank Global Forum for Future Studies, noted, "Joint archaeology is not merely about uncovering stones and artifacts. It builds relationships, deepens friendship, and connects civilizations."

"Through cultural cooperation between Egypt and China, we can build deeper bridges of understanding and mutual respect, and together create a future based on knowledge, pride in identity, and respect for cultural diversity," echoed Alaa Abdel Aziz Mohamed Khairy, a researcher at the Grand Egyptian Museum.

The event also featured a field visit to the Liangzhu Archaeological Ruins Park. The site dates back 5,300 years and was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019.