CAEXPO Cultural Exhibition: Our Culture, Our Future

2014 is China - ASEAN Cultural Exchange Year. Zhang Aiping, director of the Bureau for External Cultural Relations of China’s Ministry of Culture, has ever stated that China and ASEAN will work together with ASEAN to hold a series of colorful cultural activities throughout this year to display the profound history and brilliant cultures of China and the ASEAN countries, consolidate the public opinion foundation of both sides, and make due contributions to building a closer China-ASEAN community of common destiny.

On May 29th, the first CAEXPO Cultural Exhibition was opened at Nanning International Conference and Convention Center, Guangxi. Guests from China and 10 ASEAN countries joined the opening ceremony which was officially launched when the “100-meter Scroll Painting of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road” was jointly sealed. The CAEXPO Cultural Exhibition was born at the right time, and set up a broader platform for China-ASEAN cultural exchange.

Co-sponsored by China-ASEAN Expo Secretariat and the Department of Culture of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the exhibition is held from May 29th to June 1st, and themed at “China and ASEAN to Co-build the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road”. Before the exhibition, our reporters learned from the China-ASEAN Expo Secretariat that all the 1,500 booths has been registered and about 800 enterprises had decided to join the exhibition by May 19th.

On the very day of the opening ceremony, calligraphers from China, ASEAN, as well as countries outside the region, together with 100 teenager calligraphy practitioners, jointly finished the “100-meter Scroll Painting of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road”. On the beam of the stage hangs a banner which reads “Our Culture, Our Future”. An audience told the reporter, this cultural exhibition has added fresh feelings to China-ASEAN cultural exchange, and aroused people’s curiosity towards the cultures of China and ASEAN.

At the “Colorful Qingxiu” -- China-ASEAN Contemporary Ink Painting Art Exhibition, ink paintings of several artists was exhibited, including the “Wuzhi Mountain” by Mr. Li Woyuan from Taiwan and “Withered Lotus in the Rain” by Zheng Junli, vice- chairman of Guangxi Artists Association. Also, live performances of famous artists have attracted crowds of audience. The 360 Painting & Calligraphy Exhibition, which is just opposite the “Colorful Qingxiu” Exhibition, provides hard-won opportunities for art buffs to appreciate over 200 art works from China, Brunei, Cambodia, Japan, the US etc.

Walking into the Pavilion of Cultural Brands, we can see in the CAEXPO exhibition area the brief introduction of each CAEXPO, the model of each opening ceremony venue, a screen displaying the important moments at each CAEXPO, souvenirs with signatures of Chinese and ASEAN leaders, as well as a full-size stimulated silk painting created by artists from China and 10 ASEAN countries -- “Flowers in Full Blossom”. Besides, stamp collections on the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, souvenirs gifted to the CAEXPO by 10 ASEAN countries, and silver coins commemorating the 10th anniversary of CAEXPO are all on display.

In the pavilion, the audience could watch the single-string instrument performance of the Jing people, brocade craft of Zhuang people, bamboo hat weaving of Maonan people, and bronze drum performance of Yao people from Bama. On the opening day, there were even small live performances presented by actors of Impression of Liusanjie. Also, the Thangka craft from Tibet, Aquilaria sinensis from Guangdong, as well as jade from Myanmar have fully exhibited the cultural glamour of different nations and regions.

Moreover, the 2014 ChinaJoy Cosplay and Y. X. Comic 7 were held successively in the Pavilion of Animation & PC Games, where crowds of young animation fans gathered to enjoy eye-popping cosplays performed by those stunning actors, which have added color to the cultural exhibition.

Combining exhibitions, conferences, forums and activities, the cultural exhibition has organized a series of cultural activities including the Cross-cultural Exchanges and Cooperation of Chinese Calligraphy & the 9th International Conference on Hanzi Calligraphy Education, International Calligraphy Invitation Exhibition, 2014 “Colorful Qingxiu” -- China-ASEAN Contemporary Ink Painting Art Exhibition & Summit Forum on the Prospect of Contemporary Ink Painting Art, and public auctions. These activities demonstrate the cultural exchanges and integration between China and ASEAN as well as the whole world, and pass on the newest information on the development and cooperation between the two sides in cultural industries, presenting an exceptional cultural feast for visitors to the exhibition.

On the opening day of the exhibition, the signing ceremony of the first movie co- produced by China and Laos -- Love of Luang Prabang was held, and some related information on the movie -- Encounter, which is co-produced by China and Singapore, was also released.

As one of the specialized exhibitions of the CAEXPO, the cultural exhibition presents a lot of highlights that arouse people’s expectations for the 11th CAEXPO. It is also one of the series of activities celebrating the 2014 China-ASEAN Cultural Exchange Year. It has conveyed the positive power of culture among different nations and propelled the exchanges and integration of cultures between China and ASEAN. As the theme music of the CAEXPO says, “We gathered here and we are friends forever”, China and ASEAN will continue to promote cultural sharing and create a better future for both sides.