Scholars Call for Cultural Diversity within Borders and Beyond

As an integral part of human rights, the right to culture has aroused much attention among participants of a two-day international human rights forum in Beijing, which concludes today.

Many scholars agree that cultural diversity should be championed both within borders and outside of China, especially by giving support to disadvantageous groups, like migrant workers in China.

Chen Zhe takes a closer look.

China has more than 200 million displaced migrant workers, according to official figures.

Scholars have labeled this group as one of the most vulnerable in economic, social and cultural terms.

Bu Wei is a researcher from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Speaking at a panel discussion with international scholars, she says the cultural rights of China's migrant workers are in danger.

"When they migrate from the countryside to cities, migrant workers feel a sort of culture shock in strange new surroundings. They feel that they cannot find their cultural identity and face the possibility of being further marginalized culturally."

Bu Wei adds that migrant workers have a rich cultural background that includes customs, folk songs and festivals unique to their hometowns. However, they can no longer celebrate their cultural heritage in light of their shabby working and living conditions in cities.

The researcher also says it's very difficult for migrant workers to assimilate into mainstream urban society, members of which often look down upon the newcomers.

She points out that this situation may result in the loss of many local cultures.

Bu Wei says the government should create more favorable conditions for the group to practice their cultural rites, which will enrich existing mainstream urban society.

"The migrant workers, in particular, advocate the value of labor. They feel that the mainstream often looks down on manual work. They told me that they have a strong desire to develop their own cultures in cities and make their voices heard."

Donald Cuccioletta, a Canadian scholar from "the Universite du Quebec en Outaouais", says to achieve cultural diversity, requires individuals to make a constant effort.

"We're not one identity. We're many identities in a cultural sense. So that's the model that we would constantly have to work with, in my opinion, to go beyond, to go into the future. "

He notes that this is applicable on a world basis and also on a national basis.

For CRI, I'm Chen Zhe.