On July 20, a Forum on the construction of cities "Cultural capitals of East Asia"was held in Harbin.The theme of the forum is " The Festival of urban brands and the construction of cultural capitals of East Asia. 60 guests, including heads from the Department of International Exchange and Cooperation of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China and from the Department of Culture and Tourism of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China, gathered in Harbin to discuss issues on the long-term development and future construction of cultural capitals of East Asia. Heilongjiang, also representatives from the twin cities of the cultural capitals of East Asia, such as Quanzhou, Qingdao, Ningbo, Changsha, Xi'an, Yangzhou, Shaoxing, Dunhuang, Jinan and Wenzhou.
It is reported that since the launch of the program "Cultural Capitals of East Asia" in 2012, a total of 11 Chinese cities have been awarded this honorary title. On August 7, 2017, Harbin, Kanazawa and Busan together received the title of "Cultural Capital of East Asia-2018".
