Nearly 800 participants from international organizations, Chinese and foreign governments, academics and experts, as well as from the media and the business community are gathering at the Suzhou Taihu International Convention Center to discuss, over the course of the two days of the forum, the integral role of culture in the urban regeneration of a city and its overall development. As epicenters of cultural diversity, the integration of different cultures and the preservation of cultural heritage in cities are essential to their development as well as to the social cohesion and peace in them.

At the opening ceremony, the Chinese Minister of Culture, Cai Wu, stressed the importance of cultural preservation for a city's economic and sustainable development as well as for the spirit of a city.

Hans D'Orville, the Acting Deputy Director-General of UNESCO, also emphasized the important role that culture plays in both the development and identity of a city, citing Suzhou and Shanghai as two good examples of dynamic city development in this perspective.

The Under-Secretary-General of the UN, Sha Zukang, noted that Suzhou is one of the most developed cities in one of the most developed regions in China and that its sustainable future depended on how to preserve culture. With the year 2010 designated by the UN as the International Year of Rapprochement of Cultures, the theme of the forum is also a timely one.

The Governor of Jiangsu Province, Luo Zhijun, and the Mayor of Shanghai, Han Zheng also spoke at the opening ceremony.

A renowned historic city with a history dating back over 2,500 years ago, Suzhou has been called "Paradise on Earth" and considered a key political, cultural, and economic center in the south of China since its establishment in 514 B.C. Suzhou's Classical Gardens, said to reflect a perfect unity of function, structure, and art in their architecture, are on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Suzhou forum, the second of six Theme Forums held throughout Expo Shanghai 2010, is co-organized by the Chinese Ministry of Culture, China's State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the Executive Committee of Expo 2010 Shanghai China, UNESCO, and by the Suzhou municipal government.

Each of the six Theme Forums is designed to explore in-depth one aspect of the Expo theme of "Better City, Better Life." The conclusions of each Theme Forum will be incorporated into the Shanghai Declaration, to be presented at the end of the Expo during the Summit Forum.

Each Theme Forum is held in a different city of the Yangtze River Delta and represents an opportunity to leverage the messages of the Expo beyond the host city to its neighboring cities as well as to show the support of these cities for the Expo.