Ｃｕｌｔｕｒａｌ Ｖｏｉｃｅ ｆｒｏｍ ａｎ Ｉｓｌａｎｄ Ｃｏｕｎｔｒｙ ｏｎ ｔｈｅ Ｉｎｄｉａｎ Ｏｃｅａｎ

Located on the southwestern Indian Ocean， the Republic of Seychelles with a beautiful scenery attracts a large number of tourists every year， 60 percent of its national revenues coming from tourism. Besides beautiful natural scenery， its perfect tourist facilities， multiple-ethnic cultures and rich and colourful sea sports are the main attractions for tourists.

At the invitation of the CPAFFC， in May 2004 Mme. Sylvette Pool， minister of local governments， culture and sports， and her party paid a visit to China with the aim of promoting exchanges in culture and sports between the Seychelles and China. She also participated in the activities in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the CPAFFC. This is her fifth visit to China.

The delegation visited Beijing， Shanghai， Hangzhou and Suzhou. Meng Xiaosi， vice minister of culture， Ma Wenpu， vice minister of the Department of the International Relations of the Central Committee of the CPC， Zhao Shaohua， vice chairwoman of the All-China Women’s Federation， Mao Fumin， director general of the State Archives Administration， Zhong Shan， deputy governor of Zhejiang Province， Yang Xiaodu， vice mayor of Shanghai， and Zhu Yongxin， vice mayor of Suzhou， respectively met with and entertained the delegation.

In meeting with Vice Minister Meng Xiaosi， Mme. Pool said， the Seychelles and China signed an agreement on cultural cooperation in 1983， but the two sides have not yet reached a written agreement on the implementation of the plan of cultural exchanges. She suggested that a three-year plan be worked out and the protection of cultural relics， repair of archives， dance training and sending music teachers be included in the plan. In order to further promote cultural and art exchanges between China and the Seychelles and expand China’s influence on the Island country on the Indian Ocean， Vice Minister Meng said that by the end of the year the plan of cultural exchanges for the year 2004 to 2007 would have been worked out and signed， and the plan could be extended three years later. Mme. Pool was very happy to hear that and invited the Chinese side to send delegations to take part in the Creole International Art Festival held in the Seychelles every year.

During its stay in Beijing the delegation visited the State Archives Administration. The Seychelles was originally a group of wild islands and had been occupied successively by Portugal， France and Britain. The Republic of Seychelles was founded in June 1976 after it won independence. The country has a history of more than 250 years. The protection of historical relics is now faced with a severe test. Because of humid and hot climate， many relics and archives that have not been technically treated are mildewing and rotting. The Seychelles now has neither special building for storing archives nor professional archivists. Mao Fumin， director general of the State Archives Administration， said that within the framework of the agreement on cultural cooperation between the two governments， the Administration would consider first sending Chinese experts to the Seychelles for inspection， and then put forward concrete plans according to the number and forms of the archives there， conditions of the storehouses and the local temperature and humidity. He also briefed about China’s mildew-resisting and anti-pets， mounting， film miniature， constant temperature control technologies， etc.

In Hangzhou the delegation visited the Zhejiang Art College and watched the erhu and bamboo flute performances given by the students. Mme. Pool likes Chinese folk music very much. She bought several bamboo flutes in China and planned to ask some Chinese musical teachers who were teaching in the Seychelles to teach her to play the flute.

Mme. Pool is also in charge of sports. Sailing and fishing on the sea are very popular in the Seychelles. Sometimes the big fish one gets after battling with the winds and waves on the sea is even longer than a man. Sailing under the sky on the blue sea is a wonderful sport that is liked by the local people and tourists. In order to learn about China’s sports today and look for the possibility of cooperation， the delegation paid an official call on the Shanghai Municipal Physical Culture Bureau to learn about the development of China’s mass sports activities， contesting sports and sports business. At present the Seychelles National Sports Council has more than 30 local sports associations under it. The popularity of the mass sports activities has reached 60 percent. In Africa the Seychelles is in the lead in weightlifting， swimming， sailing， women’s volleyball and cycling. The delegation also visited a stadium， a swimming pool and facilities for mass sports activities. Mme. Pool was very much interested in the facilities for mass sports activities， hoping to import some of them and then put at the tourist spots in the Seychelles.

This was the first time that Minister Pool was invited by the CPAFFC to visit China. She greatly admired the CPAFFC’s important role in promoting exchanges between China and other countries. She said that after returning home she was going to establish the Seychelles-China Friendship Association and the Centre of Chinese Culture to let more people know about China through culture and art.