A Brief Review of Zhejiang’s Cultural Projects in 2018

Xu Jihong

Over years， artists from Zhejiang have performed in the world and presented the provinces cultural charms and tradition to the audiences across the continents. In 2018 alone， the province conducted 193 cultural exchange programs including those concerning Taiwan， Hong Kong and Macao and 2，986 artists took part in these projects. The numbers highlighted the provinces confidence in its culture and reflected the cultural essence and color of the province.

Silk， Porcelain， Tea， and West Lake

A major producer and exporter of silk， tea， and porcelain to overseas markets since very ancient times， Zhejiang highlights the three cultural signatures in its overseas programs.

The Fourth Meeting of the UNESCO Silk Roads Online Platform International Network was held in Muscat， Sultanate of Oman， from 28 - 31 October 2018. Present at the meeting were about 80 representatives and dignitaries from the 17 states connected with Silk Roads including government officials， experts and scholars of cultural heritage. In conjunction with the meeting， the “Exhibition of Chinese Silk， Porcelain and Tea” was officially inaugurated at the Oman National Museum on 29 October， with the Peoples Republic of China serving as the Guest of Honor. The data showed that 15，000 people visited the exhibition.

West Lake is an everlasting theme in the provinces international cultural exchange programs. In August 2018， in partnership with the Moravian-Silesian Region， Czech， Zhejiang Culture and Tourism Authorities held in the region an exhibition of watercolor prints featuring the West Lake. Du Qun， vice director of Zhejiang Art Museum， explained the difference between the traditional Chinese watercolor prints and the western prints in a speech at the opening ceremony of the exhibition. His speech opened a window for the audience on the natural and poetic beauty of the West Lake and on the traditional Chinese watercolor prints.

Projects Aim to Promote Zhejiang

In 2018， Zhejiang hosted a number of international projects at home to promote international understanding between the province and the rest of the world. In September， the 2nd China-CEEC Expert-Level Forum on Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was held in Hangzhou. Fifty-three attendees included administrators of cultural institutions， scholars， heritage masters， and craftsmen. Zhang Zhongzhi， an official of the international exchanges and cooperation administration of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism， points out that， with the biggest number of intangible cultural heritage and biggest number of inheritors in the country， Zhejiang is able to provide practical experience on the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage.

Also in 2018， the China-CEE countries national center for artistic creativity and research， headquartered at Zhejiang Conservatory of Music in Hangzhou， received 29 composers and 12 music directors from CEE countries to do field studies in Zhejiang.

In the year， Zhejiang continued to hold “Year of Zhejiang Culture” overseas. From September 27 to October 26， Zhejiang promoted Dragon Valley Tea Town at the China Cultural Center in Paris， France. The town in Hangzhou is one of many special towns aiming for future development through respective local resources.

In 2018， troupes from different parts of Zhejiang spared no efforts to take part in the provinces overseas projects. China Culture Center in Sophia， Bulgaria， held 20 some events in 2018. The center was operated by Ningbo， a harbor city in eastern Zhejiang.

Guests appreciate Chinese tea on a cultural exchange occasion

After attending a seminar featuring the theme of Sinology and Contemporary China in Beijing， 25 sinologists， China experts and think tank scholars from 22 countries visited Zhejiang from June 25 to 28， 2018. They came to learn about the cultural charms of Zhejiang and take a look at the rural development of the province， which leads China in countryside reconstruction and revitalization in many aspects.

Dancers

Dancers of Zhejiang were a major force in the provinces overseas cultural push in 2018. In July， Zhejiang Song and Dance Ensemble staged ， a dance drama at Dubai Opera House opposite to the 829-meter-tall Khalifa Tower in downtown Dubai. The dance drama presented silk， porcelain and tea in three acts. In celebration of the first anniversary of the founding of diplomatic relations between China and Panama， Hangzhou Opera and Dance Troupe staged  in Panama in November 2018. The troupe has performed the dance drama 139 times over the past four years， turning a performance into an event about cultural heritage.

Artists from Taizhou in southern Zhejiang pose for a group photo after a show in Germany. In recent years， Zhejiang has been sending out more artists to perform overseas.