On January 28, 2015, the press conference for the 2015 “Happy Chinese New Year：Fantastic Art China” New York Series Events hosted by the Ministry of Culture and undertaken by the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) was held at CAFA in Beijing. During this conference, the themed projects and exhibition pieces for the 2015 “Happy Chinese New Year：Fantastic Art China” New York Series Events, a major project of the “Happy Chinese New Year” event organized worldwide by the Ministry of Culture, were officially announced. An Art China reporter had an exclusive interview with Shang Jiyuan, the person responsible for the “Happy Chinese New Year” Office of the Bureau for External Cultural Relations, Ministry of Culture.
Art China: Since its establishment in 2010, the brand “Happy Chinese New Year” is entering its sixth year. First, could you please give us a brief introduction of the initial reasons for, the idea and development process of the “Happy Chinese New Year” event?
Shang Jiyuan: For years, we’ve been trying to carry out external cultural communication activities from multiple levels, angles and fields to promote understanding and recognition of Chinese culture in people all over the world. In 2001, Mr. Ding Wei, then the cultural counselor in Britain and now vice minister of the Ministry of Culture, proposed the promotion of Chinese culture to the world through the bridge of a “Spring Festival”, a vehicle that has epitomized general Chinese culture, including Chinese philosophical thinking, values and lifestyle. That year, the Ministry of Culture officially launched creation of the “Chinese New Year Branch” worldwide, and has since sent cultural and art groups to large overseas cities such as London, Paris, New York, Bangkok and Sydney, which have large Chinese populations, to organize and participate in local Chinese New Year celebration activities.
In 2008 and 2009, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council and the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese launched a series of cultural events like the “Chinese New Year on Five Continents”, “Celebrate Chinese New Year in the Whole World” and “Chinese Affection”, to jointly create the Chinese New Year brand. The warm welcome from the foreign audience has made Chinese New Year activities abroad even more popular. By 2010, the Ministry of Culture planned Chinese New Year celebration events all over the world for each Chinese New Year, creating the “Happy Chinese New Year” event, a branded global cultural communication event.
Art China: “Happy Chinese New Year” series events are part of the external cultural work of China. Could you tell us their significance to China and the world?
Shang Jiyuan: In the 21st century, with the changes in international and domestic situations, we have welcomed a golden time for external cultural communication and cooperation, and the “Happy Chinese New Year” event emerged at the right moment.First, China has over 60 million overseas Chinese, distributed in 198 countries and regions. On festive occasions, more than at other times, one thinks of one's dear ones far away. Chinese people have the tradition of “celebrating Chinese New Year”. On the one hand, overseas Chinese want recognition from the mother country, and on the other hand, they hope their culture is inherited and carried forward. And therefore, they will carry forward cultural ceremony and traditions overseas.
Second, as the comprehensive national power of China increases, China’s influence is increasing in the world. While watching China, the world also expects to know more about Chinese culture, “who you are”, “what you believe in”, “what is your lifestyle and attitude”, etc., which has provided opportunities for us to carry out external cultural work.
Third, I think the most important point for cultural consciousness, confidence and self-improvement of the Chinese nation, is the development of Chinese culture, which needs to participate in communication and integration on the international stage and thus requiring constant development and progress. Just as President Xi said during the interview at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization: “Civilization is enriched because of communication and mutual learning. Cultural communication and learning are important driving forces pushing forward the progress of human civilization and peaceful world development.” It is a process of inheritance and development and also the key to the continuity of civilization.
Art China: The 2015 “Happy Chinese New Year” series events are imminent. Please tell us about some achievements and more event highlights.
Shang Jiyuan: First, awareness of the “Happy Chinese New Year” brand is enhanced and brand quality is improved. For years, we’ve been constantly seeking values and ideas in Chinese New Year culture and incorporating them with values accepted and understood by the world. On the basis of years of work, the value content of the “Chinese New Year” brand has gradually become clear: “A Festival of Nature”, “A Festival of Family” and “A World Festival” (Hope, Home and Harmony). The “Happy Chinese New Year” event hopes to deal with the conflicts between humans and nature, among people, and between a person and their self in a harmonious way. In this manner, the event explains and demonstrates to the world the idea of “unity of heaven and person” in traditional Chinese culture. In the meantime, the visual identification system of the brand “Happy Chinese New Year” has acquired an initial shape, and will be revealed at the global “Happy Chinese New Year” celebration events.
Moreover, the 2015 “Happy Chinese New Year” has created eleven major sub-brand events, including “Fantastic Art China”, based on the target audience of different regions, classes and cultural habits. Other sub-brand events include: “Chinese Prelude”, “Fantastic Art China”, “Chinese Spring Festival Temple Fair”, “Plaza Ceremony”, “Transnational Spring Festival Gala”, “Chinese Style”, “Happy China”, “Chinese New Year on Five Continents”, “Celebrate Chinese New Year in the Whole World”, “Chinese Affection” and “Chinese Charm”, which will be soon carried out in major cities on all five continents.
Second, in the brand-building process, we have further expanded our international cooperation space and more powerful overseas partners have joined us. In 2015, we will cooperate with the central governments of Thailand, Egypt, South Africa and Mauritius; the municipal governments of Sydney, Auckland, Los Angeles, London, Helsinki and Buenos Aires, and important foreign cultural agencies and enterprises, including the Empire State Building, the British Museum, Columbia Artists Music LLC, the Masteiko Art Festival and the Belarus State TV Station, totaling over 300 partners who will jointly promote the “Happy Chinese New Year” event. Take “Fantastic Art China” in New York for example. “Happy Chinese New Year” has cooperated with professional cultural agencies and enterprises such as the Lincoln Center, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and the Empire State Building, and will present the audience with a Chinese New Year gala with rich contents. Thus, in 2015, we will hold 850 events in 334 cities in 119 countries.
Third, through series events, we will also put effort into promoting Chinese New Year cultural products on the international market. So performance, TV & film, publishing, cultural innovation and tourist products will develop and flourish. The world will see more diversified ways to know China and to learn about Chinese culture, as well as the lifestyle and attitude of the Chinese people through our products.
Art China: Why did you choose to cooperate with CAFA for “Happy Chinese New Year•Fantastic Art China”?
Shang Jiyuan: To me, cooperation with CAFA is a natural process. The implementation of national cultural policies needs the joint efforts of cultural organizations, academic institutions and the whole of society. From the perspective of the organizer, we have excellent government resources and clear strategic planning, while CAFA, as a top art school in China, has a strong academic foundation, novel and cutting-edge art design and professional teams. The cooperation of the two is a strong cooperation.
Art China: The “Happy Chinese New Year•Fantastic Art China” event has integrated art, design, a creative bazaar, music and lighting to present the contemporary presence of the Chinese New Year from multiple angles. What do you think of this form of activity?
Culture is mainly reflected in lifestyle. “Fantastic Art China” is to present art activities with public life, incorporating Chinese cultural characteristics and creativity. To incorporate traditional culture in contemporary life through multiple perspectives is good practice. In future, we will continue to explore and enrich the contents of Happy Chinese New Year, and we hope that the “Happy Chinese New Year•Fantastic Art China” event is a great success.
Art China: Tell us about your expectations and visions for “Happy Chinese New Year” series brands.
Shang Jiyuan: We need to tell Chinese stories, and show the values and ideas of Chinese people to the world. We hope to turn the cultural brand “Happy Chinese New Year” into a large thriving tree that “takes excellent traditional Chinese culture as the root, scientific development as trunks, international cooperation as branches, innovative products as leaves and national spirit as soul”, and make it one of the important pillars of our external cultural world. That’s our expectation of “Happy Chinese New Year”. And we can’t achieve it without the support of the government, academic circles, art circles, society, enterprises and everyone else. (Interviewer, author/Fu Lang)