BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Taihe Forum on Protecting the World's Ancient Civilization started at the Palace Museum Monday.

This is the third time that the Palace Museum has hosted the forum. The two-day event this year brings together dozens of archeologists, historians, museologists and officials from international organizations and countries with ancient civilizations including Egypt, Greece, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, and China.

With this year's theme "the heritage of ancient civilizations as cultural landscapes: protecting and inheriting the culture of ancient capital cities," participants will jointly study and explore the issue of sustainable development of ancient capital cultural heritages.

Based on the theme, the following four sub-themes will be discussed at the panel sessions on Tuesday: "modern urban development and protecting the heritage of ancient capitals," "Restoring and passing on the heritage of ancient capitals: case studies," "using and promoting the cultural resources of ancient capitals: case studies," and "cultural interactions of ancient capitals and states from the perspective of archaeology."

Through thorough conversations, participants will further exchange their views on the current ancient capital cultural heritages and explore an effective path for protecting and carrying forward the ancient capital culture.

"We have a profound understanding that any civilization in the world, no matter from which region, country or ethnicity it originates, constitutes a cultural succession passed down by local people for generations," said Shan Jixiang, director of the Palace Museum.

They all deserve to be "respected and treasured," said Shan.

"China has a lot to teach concerning the protection of cultural heritage," said Peter Phillips, secretary general of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS).

Since 1978, Phillips has visited China a few times and was particularly impressed by the integration of modern urban development of the cultural relics in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province and home of the Terracotta Army.

"China has actively continued to look after its cultural heritage. This is commendable," he told Xinhua.

With support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Xinhua News Agency and the National Cultural Heritage Administration, the Palace Museum and the Forbidden City Cultural Heritage Conservation Foundation have hosted two forums on protecting ancient world civilizations since 2016, made fruitful achievements and expanded its circle of friends.