Cultural exchanges between China and the United States for the past
30 years have been regarded as successful efforts that create
heart-to-heart dialogue between the two countries.
With US President George W. Bush scheduled for a working visit to
China Feb. 21-22, experts predict the Sino-US cultural ties will
deepen in the new century.
When Chinese acrobats entered the US territory in 1972 as the first
group of cultural envoys since 1949, the then US President Richard
Nixon had just ended his ice-breaking visit to China.
The first impressions ordinary Americans had of the people of New
China were drawn from dazzling gymnastic ability and breathtaking
bicycling skills. An impressed President Nixon and the First Lady,
Pat Nixon, later met with the Chinese artists.
"Sino-American cultural exchanges are important for consolidating
bilateral ties, strengthening the two peoples' mutual understanding
and developing each other's unique cultures," Chinese Minister of
Culture Sun Jiazheng said.
Over the years, bilateral cultural ties have embodied the theme of
East-to-West blending.
- In 1973, an audience of 8,800 Chinese were overwhelmed by a
performance of Beethoven's masterpieces by the Philadelphia
Orchestra.
- And in 1979 when Sino-US diplomatic ties were established, a
contract on cultural exchanges was among the first three official
documents signed, forming the framework of the governmental and
non-governmental cultural relationships between the two
countries.
- A total of six executive plans also guaranteed the sound and
forward-thinking development of Sino-American cultural exchanges
based on mutual benefit, reciprocity and equal cooperation.
- The same year, Chinese and American artists joined hands for
the first time on the Chinese stage, when well-known lutist Liu
Dehai and the Boston Symphony Orchestra performed the "Lute
Concerto" for a Chinese audience, including late Chinese leaders
Deng Xiaoping and Soong Ching Ling.
- Recalling the close cooperation with the 183 American artists
and the thunderous applause they received, Liu said, "Music is a
universal language that communicates more clearly than any
textbook."
- Liu, with another famed Chinese pianist Liu Shikun, was later
invited to perform in the US, completing the first exchange of
cultural visits between the two countries.
- Ever since, Sino-US cultural exchanges have been on the rise,
reflecting a more open China.
- An official with the Ministry of Culture said the two countries
have developed a wide-ranging and in-depth cultural bond, with
non-governmental involvement playing a major role.
- Since its founding in 1957, the China Performing Arts Agency
has hosted 1,623 American artists performing for Chinese audiences
totaling up to 500,000, and sent 3,346 Chinese artists to 850
American cities and regions with audiences of 20.5 million.
- In 1997, President Jiang Zemin's state visit to the US pushed
the number of bilateral cultural exchanges to 366. In 1998, the
Cleveland Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic staged concerts
in China just prior to President Bill Clinton's China tour.
- In 2000, a 25-day Chinese culture promotion festival was held
in the United States. Ancient Chinese melodies performed by China's
Central Nationalities Orchestra (CCNO) added a cheerful note to the
UN Millennium Summit. Once again, Americans marveled at China's
charm.
- In the words of President Clinton, "The United States and
China, each with a rich cultural heritage, have much to gain from
such exchanges."
- President Jiang also expressed his wishes that Sino-American
cultural exchanges be enhanced.
- A woman living in St. Louis mortgaged all her property to
arrange a CCNO performance in her hometown. An audience of more
than 2,000 Americans were crowded in the 1000-seat Kennedy Center,
half of them standing almost two hours to listen to the "Romance of
Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai," the most famous Chinese classical
works.
UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a letter of greeting tithe
organizers of the Chinese concert that if music is the source of
peace, it must be played.
(Xinhua News
Agency February 15, 2002)
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