On the afternoon of October 22nd, the Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Liu Xiaoming answered questions raised by journalists at the Chinese Embassy in Cairo concerning the activities of the Week of Chinese Culture to be launched.

Liu Xiaoming informed the Egyptian press circles and Chinese journalists in Egypt about the Week of Chinese Culture to be co-conducted by China and Egypt in Cairo and Alexandria respectively from October 28th to November 2nd. It is the first large-scale cultural activities in 46 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. It is also the 4th cultural activities of its kind, following those held in the United States, France and Germany.

Liu said that the Chinese Government attaches great importance to the activities of the cultural week. He pointed out in particular that the Chinese Minister of Culture Sun Jiazheng will lead a 150-person government and cultural delegation to visit Egypt. Sun will hold talks on Sino-Egyptian cultural exchanges with chief executives of Egyptian Ministry of Culture and other relevant departments, he said. He will also deliver a keynote address entitled 'On China's Cultural Development'. At the same time, celebrated cultural scholars coming from China will hold bilateral cultural symposia with their Egyptian counterparts.

The Central National Traditional Musical Instruments Orchestra, the Acrobatics Troupe of China and the Peking Opera Theater of China -- three state-level performing organizations, will give five performances at the Cairo Opera House, the Republic Theater and Alexandria Library's International Convention Center in the course of the cultural week. 120 top artists from the three state-level organizations will present to the Egyptian audience their unique skills. Among them many have developed a school of their own in performance and have own international awards for many times. It is a grand occasion for so many masters in performing art to appear together on the stage at the opening ceremony of the cultural week.

In addition to the program of entertainment, there will be a Show of Chinese Plastic Arts which, while rich in content with many fields involved, displays not only traditional Chinese culture, but also the vigorous contemporary Chinese culture. By means of diversified activities, the Week of Chinese Culture means to offer to the Egyptian public in an all-inclusive way China's long history and splendid traditional culture now still full of splendor.

What is especially worth mentioning is that the Cultural Center of China in Egypt is to hold its opening ceremony during the Week of Chinese Cultural, which is to open to public free of charge. It is the first Cultural Center of China opened in the Arabic world and the African continent. The first activity accompanying the opening of the Cultural Center of China is the special-topic exhibition called 'From Ancient Script on Bones or Tortoise shells to Computers'.

Liu Xiaoming told the journalists at last that both countries attach great importance to the activities. The Chinese side has made elaborate preparation while the Egyptian side has offered forcible support and assistance, he concluded. It indicates that the activities launched this time have given expression to the strategic cooperative relations between China and Egypt. It will certainly help to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the two countries. The Cultural attaché of Chinese Embassy in Cairo Nie Guo'an and other officials attended the press conference.

(From www.people.com.cn)

October 23rd, 2002