8:40 p.m. Cairo local time, October 28th, a cheerful and animated atmosphere filled Cairo National Opera House. The Week of Chinese Culture activities, co-sponsored by Chinese and Egyptian Ministries of Culture, officially started amid sounds of the music Good News from Beijing to Mountain Fastness played by China's Central National Musical Instruments Orchestra. Yusuf Wali,Egyptian Vice-Premier and Chairperson of Egypt-China Friendship Association, Fruck Husni, Egyptian Minister of Culture, and Sun Jiazheng, Chinese Minister of Culture, attended the opening ceremony and watched the performances. Before this, they cut the ribbon for the Show of Chinese Plastic Arts at the main hall of the opera house.

Husni and Sun Jiazheng each delivered an address at the opening ceremony. Husni said that Egypt deserves pride for her ancient civilizations just like other country, China in particular. China is the cradle of world civilization. China and Egypt, though far apart in distance, are yearning for mutual understanding and mutual benefit. There is in Egypt a famous saying, 'To seek truth we will go even if it is as far as to China,' he said with deep feeling. This saying has left a positive mark on my mind as well as on many others. During my visit to China a few years ago, I was particularly pleased when I saw with my own eyes her old civilization. The Week of Chinese Culture today is a good opportunity for us to get benefit from her rich and colorful culture and art. It illuminates Cairo just like Cairo adds luster to the world.

Sun Jiazheng said in his speech that with an incomparably cheerful frame of mind, he inaugurated the cultural week together with warm-hearted and friendly Egyptian friends. It is the first time in 46 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries that a large-scale cultural activity is launched in Egypt or rather the whole African region. He believes that the cultural week will certainly play a positive role in promoting mutual understanding between the two countries, in enhancing friendship, and in pushing forward exchanges and cooperation in cultural and all other fields.

At the ceremony, artists from the Central National Traditional Musical Instruments Orchestra, the Acrobatics Troupe of China and the Peking Opera Theater of China staged brilliant performances. The Egyptian songs Baisbusha and A Pleasant Journey sung by Zhu Mingying were warmly welcomed by the audience.

October 29, Sun Jiazheng delivered an address at the banquet hall on the 3rd floor of Hilton in Cairo, entitled 'To Cooperate Hand in Hand to Attain Brilliant Achievements' and then answered questions raised by the journalists, evoking passionate repercussions among the audience.

The Week of Chinese Culture' this time is the 4th large-scale comprehensive cultural activities following Chinese Culture in the United States, Season of Chinese Culture in Paris and Asia-Pacific Week in Berlin'. It contains five performances given at Cairo and Alexandria by 120 artists from the Central National Musical Instruments Orchestra, the Acrobatics Troupe of China, the Peking Opera Theater of China, symposia among Chinese and Egyptian scholars and the Show of China Plastic Arts.

The unveiling ceremony of the Week of Chinese Culture is to be held in the course of Week of Chinese Culture. A special-topic exhibition called Chinese Characters -- from Ancient Script on Bones or Tortoise Shells to Computer will be displayed at the ceremony.

The Week of Chinese Culture is to come to a close on November 2nd in Alexandria.

By Zhang Xiaolan

(China Cultural News)

October 31st, 2002