Embracing the 2015 China-U.K. Year of Cultural Exchange

By+staff+reporter+ZHOU+LIN

IT was during Chinese Premier Li Keqiangs visit to the U.K. in June 2014 that the two countries mutually agreed to make 2015 the year of cultural exchange.

The news soon came that Prince William， Duke of Cambridge， would travel to Shanghai in March 2015， to open the GREAT Festival of Creativity， which supports British businesses looking for opportunities and growth in China. More than 500 world leading British companies in innovation， technology， design， film， education， healthcare， and luxury goods will attend the festival.

In an interview with China Today， Minister （Culture and Education）， China Director of the British Council， Carma Elliot CMG OBE expressed her expectations of the big event. She regards it as an opportunity to promote U.K.-China relations and people-to-people links.

China Today： 2015 is the Year of China-U.K. Cultural Exchange， when each country will hold a season of culture in the other. What do you think of this joint creative venture？ What is the focus of the U.K. Culture Season？

Carma Elliot： Its very exciting that the Chinese government proposed to the U.K. the holding of a joint year of cultural exchange. This is the first time ever that China and the U.K. have shared a year. Previously， our countries held the China Now festival in the U.K. in 2008， year of the Olympic Games in China； and in 2012 we held the UK Now festival in China at the time of the London Olympics. So we have a fine and rich tradition of each country respectively celebrating its cultural identities in the other. But we have never shared a year before.

The 2015 U.K.-China Year of Cultural Exchange is a fantastic opportunity because its all about exchanging elements of the two cultures and about creativity industry in a new economy. Creativity and innovation is the key to successful economic growth for any people. And it will strengthen the U.K. Creativity industry accounts for about 12 percent of our GDP， so is of great significance to our companies and creativity entities. This is also an area that Chinese regard as a key to rebalancing Chinas economy. So our dialogue will focus on exactly what creativity economy is， how to build economic strength， how to introduce innovation into all industries and sectors， and how to make it propel economic growth and economic change. So these will be the main elements of the cultural exchange this year.

As regards the program， we have divided the year into two. The first half is the U.K. Season in China， and the second half is the China Season in the U.K. The next generation is the theme of the U.K. Season. The involvement of the next generation in culture and creativity and digital arts constitutes the central part of our planning. We will also focus on diversity and include performances from people of the four countries of the U.K.： England， Scotland， Wales， and Northern Ireland. We will have different groups of representative gender identities – men， women， and children are all included. People with disabilities will also have the chance to express themselves. Moreover， we will consider some of the strong relations between the U.K. and China， particularly twin and sister city relationships. Our focus is on strengthening existing relationships and their potential to grow.endprint

China Today： The U.K. embassy in China announced that Prince William will visit China in March 2015 and attend the opening ceremony of the GREAT Festival of Creativity in Shanghai. What is the significance of this big event？

Carma Elliot： I think it is extremely significant. Prince William will represent the royal family in the leadership position. His visit to a country at invitation is a great honor. We are very grateful for that invitation， which is of great significance both to the U.K. and to China. The GREAT Festival in Shanghai is a comprehensive showcase of the very best of U.K. creativity and innovation. There will be U.K. speakers and all kinds of U.K. companies showing their designs， and how their creativity and innovations are formulated and become a commercial success. There will also be many Chinese counterparts who will explain how they achieve commercial success through innovation. We hope to build more relationships and partnerships through this activity.

To give you just one example， our two governments signed a film production contract in April 2014 during the people-to-people dialogue in the U.K. and China. It did much to stimulate cooperative film production. We can confirm that it received a warm welcome from Chinese online television， as China has witnessed the success of such U.K. television programs as Downton Abbey and Sherlock. So British comic television programs are the areas in which we hope to see more cooperation.

China Today： Nowadays European countries hold multiple Culture Seasons in China， so what is the distinctive feature of the U.K. Season？

Carma Elliot： There are some aspects of U.K. culture that are very well known， some are to do with our traditions and cultural history. But more and more people would like to understand the essence of what our culture stands for， what kind of new trends and new passions it imbues， who the new leaders of culture and creativity are that will build our real strength， and how we see our two peoples， especially our youth， engaging in the future.

We have therefore specifically chosen a theme focusing on the digital arts； they are a platform for our season because this is how more and more people are choosing to use and enjoy information. More and more art forms， not just television and movies but actual representatives of theater， are all delivered online. So it will become the conduit through which our two peoples will communicate. The year of 2015 will hence be a fantastic year for both the U.K. and China.endprint

China Today： Both the U.K. and China have a long history of contact with different cultures， and we have already achieved better communication. Nowadays young people seem to focus more on the developing trend. Why does contemporary China interest young people in the U.K.？

Carma Elliot： Differences are a vital aspect of cultural exchange. They are stimulating， and so we are constantly learning something new about China. China is developing so fast， and in so many areas， especially in that of creativity and innovation， where China is at the very forefront. For example， the Xiaomi company not only makes new digital content but also new technology more affordable and available to the masses. It shows a China that is to be explored and discovered. And China is actually at the cutting edge of this development. The newly cultivated creativity industry makes technology more readily accessible to ordinary people， not only in China but throughout the world.

China Today： The British Council has been in existence for 80 years， what have been the most memorable cultural events or activities that it has held in China？ What has impressed you most about U.K.-China cultural exchange in recent years？

Carma Elliot： Eighty years is really a long time. We are an organization that was established during WWII， at a time when we were very fragile， first in Europe and then around the world. Many countries then were also trying to build up relations with others， between people as well as between governments. Since the very beginning， those people-to-people relationships have been at the very heart of the British Council. All of our jobs are about connecting people， offering opportunities to get to know each other better and to work together， and at the same time realize their individual dreams.

We have been here in China for 35 years. This is our anniversary since first being established as a cultural and educational section of the embassy. Over the past 35 years， all our programs have been about connecting people. Through all these years of collaboration， we have shared the trust and great ambition to mutually promote our cultural traditions. A mature relationship is thus to be strengthened.

My favorite program is called Asian Field. One of our leading sculptors Antony Gormley， made a small village full of tiny clay models of people. They were designed by this famous British sculptor， and made by Chinese people. The art show toured China， and when farmers came to the event they were amazed that some of the sculptures had been made by them from the soil of their own land.endprint

Another highlight that left a deep impression on me was in 2010， at the U.K. Pavilion of the Shanghai Expo—the Seed Cathedral. This masterpiece created by one of our leading designers， Thomas Heatherwick， was regarded as the most incredible building anywhere in the world. Over six months an amazing seven million people came inside to have a look. It became a commercial success as an example of a government program leading to a great cooperation between the U.K. and China on shared ideas about good designs.

China Today： The London Autumn Cultural Season in 2014 has been a huge success. Will it become a regular feature on the cultural calendar？

Carma Elliot： I hope so. And its very clear that last year was a great success as we had fantastic feedback from Chinese tourists and visitors to London. So autumn is always a very busy season in the U.K. Last year we saw a lot of exhibitions， some of them major exhibitions at the British Museum， which perhaps made China the focus of a cultural season in London. We feel honored that Chinese Ambassador Liu Xiaoming should say that London is probably the most famous creative capital in the world， and that he was very lucky as a diplomat to be able to join in the activity. He also welcomed the cultural season in 2015， and I think many visitors will come to London for it. You doubtless know that we have a rich culture to offer in London， and many different institutions and art forms. But it makes sense to work together to make sure that all those activities， big exhibitions and new plays and dances， all generate the attention they deserve.

Other highlights in the U.K. include the Edinburgh Arts Festival in Scotland， a world arts festival in a very small city. Friends from around the world bring their activities to Edinburgh， which is increasingly becoming a destination for artists.

China Today：What is the long-term development scheme for cooperation in this field？

Carma Elliot： I think it is very important not to have just one event. We both look forward to a sequence of activities. In 2008， we had China Now in the U.K. and in 2010 we had the Shanghai Expo. In 2012 we had UK Now and in 2015 we will hold this joint year of cultural exchange. It is a strategic plan to develop our existing relationships. The world does not stand still， and opportunities are always growing and changing to build stronger links and partnerships. We want to be a strategic partnership. The U.K. would like to be a leading partner of China in creativity and innovation and to make the relationship sustainable in the future. We really have a lot to share， and can benefit from one another. We think it makes sense.endprint