Forums focus on issues relevant to culture, society

The Mercator Salon, a series of cultural forums about "Heimat" — a German word that denotes the relationship of a human being toward a certain spatial social unit — is being held in Beijing.

Famous writers, cultural critics and architects from Europe and China held two discussions last weekend, with two more events planned for Nov 1 and 2.

On Oct 18, Alai, a famous Tibetan writer, shared views with German literary critic Gregor Dotzauer on the topic "What does 'Heimat' mean? Do people need 'Heimat'?" at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art.

On Oct 19, the forum addressed the role of architecture and urban planning in people's identification with their place of origin. Michael Kokora, partner at Office for Metropolitan Architecture, and Shi Jian, an architectural critic, discussed the topic "How to construct 'Heimat'".

A forum titled "Moving away from 'Heimat', finding a new 'Heimat'" will be held on Nov 1, focusing on migration movements and social integration processes. The final forum on Nov 2 will analyze the artistic and literary production of one's homeland.

Since 2012, the Mercator Salon has been run by one of Germany′s largest private foundations, Stiftung Mercator, which provides platforms for Chinese and Europeans to exchange ideas and opinions on issues relevant to culture and society.