The 5th Cross-Straits Art Forum opened, on Oct 14, in Chengde, Hebei province, with the theme of "Cohesion and improvement - Chinese culture's influence on contemporary arts". The three-day forum brought in more than 100 celebrities, experts, and art scholars from Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan for in-depth discussions on tradition, the human spirit, contemporary art, and original culture and heritage conservation.