First China-Canada Cultural Dialogue

An official visit to China in December 2009 by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the holding of the First China-Canada Cultural Dialogue in Beijing a month earlier gave the two countries unique opportunities to further promote friendly cooperation. The two sides agreed to make concerted efforts to safeguard and consolidate the non-governmental basis for bilateral relations， strengthen exchanges in the cultural and social fields and enhance mutual understanding and friendship. This promises to elevate the China-Canada relationship to a new developmental stage.

Over the past 39 years since the two countries established diplomatic ties， leaders of several generations and efforts of personages of various circles have worked hard to the sound development of bilateral relations. Now non-governmental exchanges have become ever more frequent with an increasing number of people becoming involved. China has become one of Canada’s main sources of immigrants and overseas students. The Chinese language is now Canada’s third major language. A total of 43 pairs of friendship-cities/provinces have been twinned. More than 30 Canadian Studies Centers across China have become the window for the Chinese people to learn more about Canada.The six Confucius Institutes set up by China have facilitated Canadian people to learn the Chinese language and know about Chinese culture. Bilateral trade has experienced rapid growth and China is now Canada’s second largest trade partner. The practical cooperation in many fields has added vigor to the cultural exchanges.

In a bid to further push forward the cultural exchanges and enhance mutual understanding， the CPAFFC and the Canadian Fund for International Understanding through Culture (CFIUC) jointly held the First China-Canada Cultural Dialogue in Beijing from November 12 to 13.

Participants included Peng Peiyun， former Vice Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress， President of the China-Oceania Friendship Association (COFA) and former President of the Red Cross Society of China; Li Xiaolin， CPAFFC Vice President; Zha Peixin， Vice Chairman of the NPC Foreign Affairs Committee and former Chinese Ambassador to Canada; Wu Guanzhong， a celebrated painter; An Laishun， Secretary General of the Museums Association of China; Zhao Weiping， Deputy Director General of the North American and Oceanian Affairs Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Dr. Nelly Ng， President of the CFIUC; Canadian Senator Lowell Murray;Sheila Copps， former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada， and Mark H. Rowswell， Commissioner General for Canada at Expo 2010. In total， about 160 representatives from the Chinese Ministry of Culture， the Ministry of Foreign Affairs， the State Administration of Cultural Heritage， the China Federation of Literature and Art Circles， the All-China Students’ Federation， as well as from major Chinese and Canadian museums， art galleries， famous universities and various cultural institutions attended.

The China-Canada Cultural Dialogue， consisting of an opening ceremony， keynote speeches， discussions on specific topics， talks with celebrities， free question and answer sessions， welcoming and farewell dinners， provided an excellent platform for Chinese and Canadian participants to share experiences and views. Participants had in-depth discussions on the subjects of “Transformation”， “Diversity”， “Partnership”， “Communication”， “Creating Cultural Understanding through the Arts”， “Creative Cities” and “The Next Generation”， and exchanged views on traditional and contemporary culture.

In her meeting with the Canadian guests， Peng Peiyun said it was of special significance to hold the Dialogue on the occasion of commemorating the 70th anniversary of passing away of Canadian friend Dr. Norman Bethune. She believed the Dialogue would vigorously enhance understanding and friendship between the people of the two countries.In her speech， Li Xiaolin stressed cultural exchanges were always one of the key contents of CPAFFC work. She hoped that through this cultural dialogue， the two countries could overcome differences and seek common ground and coexist harmoniously. In his meeting with the Canadian delegation， Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun said culture was a window for the two peoples to understand each other. The Dialogue would be conducive to promoting the development of China-Canada relations. He hoped that the dialogue mechanism would continue functioning and play greater role in the future.

Michaelle Jean， the Canadian Governor General， sent a message of congratulations， expressing her warm congratulations on and support for the activity. She said: “I can personally vouch for the tremendous impact inter-cultural dialogue has on society. This dialogue is an opportunity for citizens from both countries to explore the differences that make us unique and the similarities we share， regardless of the miles that separate us. It is a celebration of what we have accomplished as global partners， and a glimpse at the possibilities that lie before us.”

From a senior diplomat’s angle and his experience in many years of working and living in Canada， Zha Peixin talked about his understanding of the differences between the traditional culture of China and Canada and gave a summary of the current situation of China-Canada relations and prospects of bilateral cooperation. He pointed out that inter-cultural understanding and identity is the foundation stone of the development of the bilateral relations.

The painter Wu Guanzhong， now aged 90， talked about the essential quintessence of Chinese paintings， saying that， despite different techniques and means used by different nationalities to express their cultures， humans had shared feelings.

Mark H. Rowswell， in his capacity of Commissioner General for Canada at Expo 2010， briefed about the forthcoming event in Shanghai and explained in simple terms the concept of overall design of the Canadian Pavilion. He made his speech very interesting by sticking to the popular topics and talking about his understanding of differences between Chinese and Canadian cultures as a Canadian living in China for many years.

During the discussion on the subject of “Diversity”， Lian Xiangmin， Director of the Research Projects Office of China Tibetology Research Center， spoke about Tibet’s experience in protecting， exploiting and developing cultural diversity. A representative of the Culture and Creative Industry Development Strategy Research Center of Renmin (People’s) University of China exchanged views with other participants on the development of China’s cultural creative industry.

Sheila Copps gave a speech on the topic of “Creating Cultural Understanding through the Arts”. She explained in a vivid way the huge differences between cultures of different nationalities and stressed that only through dialogue could the two sides understand each other and conduct cooperation. Lowell Murray said in his speech， Chinese culture with a history of several thousand years is ancient and mysterious. Cultural dialogue can help each other enhance understanding and share experience. Nelly Ng. pointed out in her speech， the aim of the Cultural Dialogue was to let the two peoples learn from and understand each other’s cultural and art traditions and the current situation of their development so as to create a new opportunity for the two sides to carry out exchanges and cooperation in the cultural field.

To highlight the important role of youth in the cultural exchange， the dialogue chose “The Next Generation” as the last subject for discussion. Huang Sanshan， President of the Student Union of the China Foreign Affairs University， and Zabrina Law， a young Canadian woman， were specially invited to speak at the dialogue respectively on behalf of Chinese and Canadian youth. The two young women spoke about their understanding and expectation of the cultural dialogue. Huang， from her personal experience as a volunteer at the Beijing Olympic Games， talked about the importance of knowing about and understanding other countries’ culture to enhance friendship between China and other countries. Zabrina Law， through showing many vivid photos， told the participants about young Canadians’ current understanding of ancient and colourful Chinese ethnic cultures.

In her concluding remarks， Julia Kwong expressed her admiration of the young generation for their enthusiasm for and unique perspectives of culture. She said young people’s understanding of different cultures made her see the future and hope of cultural dialogue between Canada and China.

The year 2010 marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Canada. We are looking forward to holding the 2nd China-Canada Cultural Dialogue in Canada as a present greeting the 40th anniversary of China-Canada diplomatic relations， and are willing to work together with the Canadian friends for creating a better future of China-Canada relations.