Speech Given by Director General of the Bureau for External Cultural Relations of the Ministry of Culture at the Press Conference
Dear guests and friends,
It’s an honor to take part in today’s press conference. I would like to express my sincere appreciation on behalf of the Bureau for External Cultural Relations of the Ministry of Culture to each of our media friends for your attention and support in publicizing and reporting on the event “Happy Chinese New Year” .
First of all, I will briefly introduce the background and development situation of “Happy Chinese New Year”. Since 2001, the Ministry of Culture has used the Chinese New Year as an important vehicle to promote Chinese Culture and to organize cultural exchange activities as a “Brand of Chinese New Year” abroad. With the support from relevant ministries and departments, we dispatch artistic teams to perform on the New Year celebration Stages in foreign countries every year, with gradual expansion to many other countries. By 2014, the scale, quality and influences of the event “Happy Chinese New Year”, which was developed based on the “Brand of Chinese New Year”, have increased step by step each year. The event has taken place in 112 countries and 321 cities, with a total performance number of 570 in the form of shows, fairs, cruises and exhibitions, reaching an audience of more than 70 million. “Happiness, Harmony, Dialogue and Sharing” has become a fresh theme for global Chinese New Year activities, of which the concepts of “Festival and Festival of the World” and others have resonated with affection among people from all over the world. “Happy Chinese New Year” has now become the brand for people to experience and understand China, and it enjoys great potential in international influence, public attention and market share.
The “Happy Chinese New Year･Art of China Collection” of 2015 is a new exploration and initiative for us included in the activities of “Happy Chinese New Year”. It is an event organized by CCAFA. On the one hand, we rely on their academic and creative forces, including the teams who participated in the artistic projects of the Beijing Olympic Games and Shanghai Exposition; on the other hand, we make use of their planning capability and overall organization ability. This activity has integrated talents from the fields of art, design, media, marketing, and others. And it will continue to be a promotion of “Happy New Year” and the contemporary creativity of China entering New York’s landmarks such as the Lincoln Art Centre, the Empire State Building, and more, in anticipation of the sight of the mainstream society of the U.S. forming a new highlight of the “Happy Chinese New Year” event.
At present, our country is pushing power diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in full swing and has endeavored to increase the soft power of Chinese Culture. Our leaders in the Party Central Committee and the state council command us to act strictly according to the spirit of a series of speeches on the Cultural strategy given by President Xi Jinping, and the significant deployment since the 18th CPC National Congress, to further enhance our cultural realization and confidence in carrying forward external cultural exchange programs in a positive manner. These events spread outstanding Chinese culture and the contemporary values of China, tell good stories about the characteristics of China, promote the spirit of the Chinese and thus make our national image well-recognized and established worldwide, drive the international cultural exchange and gradually enhance the deeper integration and co-development of Chinese culture and world culture. It is required that, when working on cultural exchange and trade, we change the concept of development, expand the scope of work, make good use of the influence of the market, integrate the two different resources and markets (from abroad and at home), guide two kinds of communications between the government and the society, and the two forces of the central government and the local government, as well as two teams (domestic and foreign), while trying to establish a pattern with the three coexisting powers of government, folk and trade.
Last, I would like to say that “Happy Chinese New Year” is not only a window for foreigners to know and to understand China, but also a platform for outstanding Chinese creations and art to go out to the world. It is hoped that the domestic fields of art, design and media will pay more attention and take part in the planning and operation of the event and provide supportive publicity. Let us work together to make the “Happy Chinese New Year” project a double platform, a connection between China and the outside world and a sustainable platform for cultural exchange and trade.
Thank you!