The second edition of the Cross-strait Guoxue Forum is held in Pingtan, Fujian province on May 24. [Photo/ptnet.cn]

The second edition of the Cross-strait Guoxue Forum was held on Pingtan, an island situated off the coast of East China's Fujian province on May 24.

Guoxue is loosely defined as the study of ancient Chinese civilization - specifically, such realms as history, philosophy, literature and art.

The event, aiming to promote traditional Chinese culture with cross-strait collective efforts, attracted more than 30 experts in the field and more than 300 enthusiasts from both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Sun Yafu, vice president of the association for relations across the Taiwan Strait, said at the opening ceremony that guoxue, as the essence of Chinese culture, is the common spiritual wealth of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and also the bond connecting their hearts.

Pingtan inaugurated a guoxue center in 2018 and has organized a raft of cultural exchanges across the strait, including the Cross-strait Guoxue Forum.

The forum is a platform conducive to enhancing the cultural and ethnic identity of compatriots on both sides of the strait, Sun noted.

On the sidelines of the forum, the center also issued letters of appointment for 25 guoxue experts, and reached partnerships with certain institutions, including the Buddhism research center of Peking University and Minnan Buddhist College. Meanwhile, a blog contest themed on traditional Chinese culture was also launched, aiming at strengthening communication and interaction between the youth on both sides of the strait through short video communication platforms. The event runs until June 24.