An Uzbek delegate tries on a pair of AI glasses to learn about Liangzhu's cultural relics. [Photo/Tide News]

Hundreds of Chinese and Uzbek guests gathered at the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City in Hangzhou on Hangzhou Liangzhu Day on July 6 for the fifth edition of the "Liangzhu and the World" dialogue, which features the ancient cities of Liangzhu and Samarkand.

The event brought together history experts and officials to discuss the conservation, management, and sustainable use of World Heritage sites. Samarkand is the first Asian World Heritage site to join the dialogue series, which has previously connected Liangzhu with sites such as Stonehenge, Acropolis of Athens, Historic City of Toledo, and Historic Center of Rome.

Ahead of the dialogue, the Uzbek delegation toured the Liangzhu ruins, museum, and heritage monitoring center, where they learned about China's digital conservation practices, including AI-assisted monitoring, drones, and sensor networks.

Uzbek representatives expressed interest in strengthening cooperation on heritage digitization, smart preservation, and rural vitalization linked to cultural heritage.

This year's program also introduced a China-Uzbekistan youth exchange session, where young participants shared stories about their cultural traditions and discussed the role of young people in promoting cross-cultural understanding along the ancient Silk Road.

Officials from Samarkand said they hope to establish a long-term youth dialogue platform to further strengthen people-to-people ties between the two countries.

A sharing session between young Chinese and Uzbeks is held. [Photo/Tide News]