Beginning September 5, the China Education Publications Import & Export Corporation will host the ASEM Culture and Arts Festival Book and Audio-Visual Exhibition at the Cultural Palace of Ethnicities. The exhibition will be divided into four parts in the Host Hall (China), Asia and Europe Hall, Comic and Cartoon Hall, and Chinese Books Hall, including books and audio-visual publications on literature, arts, philosophy, aesthetics, history, geography, education and language that celebrate the colorful and diverse cultures of over 40 Asian and European countries.
Besides public exhibitions, there will be a special Asia-European Film Week on CCTV-6 during September 1-9. Based on the principle of geographical representation, a total of 16 films are to be screened to the general public, including 2 from China, 7 from other Asian countries and 7 from Europe, mostly art house films. The two Chinese movies Huayao Bride in Shangri-la and Martial Arts Class will be the opening and closing films of the week.
Cooperation: New ways of Asian and European Cultural Development
To deepen cross-cultural experiences and practices between Asia and Europe, the Festival will also host the Forum of Cultural Cooperation and Development between East and West at the Beijing Asia Hotel on September 3. The forum will focus on the sharing of experiences of cross-cultural communication among Asian and European countries to facilitate mutual understanding and respect in the era of globalization and modern transportation and information technologies, and the discussion of creative models and plans to develop regional and especially urban cultural industries.
The forum will be attended by government officials from Asian and European countries, experts, scholars and representatives from cross-cultural organizations and NGOs.
Background: Birth of the First ASEM Culture and Arts Festival
At the Seventh Asia-Europe Meeting Summit during October 24-25, 2008, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao stated that Asian and European members of the Meeting should “promote dialogue between civilizations and encourage social openness and inclusiveness,” they build on the tradition of cultural exchanges between Asia and Europe, take advantage of modern transport and information technologies to enrich the contents and diversify the forms of exchanges and increase the participation of the young people and the media. He then proposed to launch the ASEM Culture and Arts Festival on a host-rotating basis.
The Meeting adopted the proposal and agreed to host the first Festival in China. Aiming at broadening cultural exchange between Asia and Europe, the Festival will pay homage to the diversity of cultures and civilizations across the two continents, and promote cultural dialogue, common prosperity and progress between Asian and European nations.
Editor: Shi Liwei
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