China culture weeks launched online

A comprehensive Chinese culture and tourism promotion programme, China Weeks: When Culture and Tourism Blend, has been launched online in Britain, offering Britons under the COVID-19 lockdown a closer look at the Chinese culture at home.

To support the British government's social distancing measures, the two-month programme showcases a selection of high-quality literature, music and photography specially designed for those who stay at home and work from home.

Initiated by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China in 2019, the programme is hosted by the China National Tourist Office in London, which uploaded the first batch of the selection last week to its social media accounts on WeChat, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter, amongst others.

“With our brand-new content this year, we hope to offer you a closer look at, and a deeper understanding of, Chinese culture, online and from home,” said the Tourist Office in a press release.

Highlights of the new content include Together, a poignant joint production by Chinese and Italian musicians, which is “a touching moment with first-class music and artists…fully displaying that music is the common language for musicians to join hands in fighting the pandemic”.

Meanwhile, A Sunny Day, a 21-minute delicate and inspiring mini-opera, produced during the pandemic by the China National Opera House, portrays the images of patients, doctors and the virus vividly in a Western opera musical style.

For those pursuing a deeper knowledge of Chinese philosophy and values, the Office provides them with an ingenious guide to the realm of Beijing Opera, A Primer of Beijing Opera, which combines a trinity of user-friendly guides for readers, listeners and viewers.

Must-sees also include the Our Silk Road exhibition. With over 60 pictures selected from over 8,000 works by 330 photographers at the fifth World Photography Conference in northeast China's Shandong province, the exhibition underscores the striking similarity amongst peoples, and highlights the importance of enhancing understanding and appreciation across cultures.

China Weeks is part of a global effort. A total of 20 China National Tourist Offices and 40 China Cultural Centres overseas have joined hands this year to host various events online globally during the coming two months.

 

Xinhua

China tourism at World Travel Market

 by Xuxin

 

Some 40 exhibitors with about 120 representatives from China showcased a variety of China's tourist sites at the 2019 World Travel Market London (WTM), which kicked off at the ExCel centre in London’s Docklands on Monday.

The Chinese pavilion, called "China Beyond Your Imagination" features two high-speed train compartments. Chinese representatives were all aboard the "train" to promote tourism products in the three-day trade fair.

Federico Grimaccia, the founder and director of a new start-up online travel agency RuntoFly, said the well-designed China pavilion caught his eyes as soon as he arrived at the exhibition centre and he decided to visit the China stand as his first stop.

"I'm particularly interested in China because it is definitely a very attractive destination," Grimaccia said, adding that western travellers are increasingly interested in China.

"I thought to put some flights to China in our platform ... we think it could be a good add-on to our offering," he said.

At the opening ceremony of the China pavilion, Chinese Ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming said that in the past 70 years the cultural and travel industry in China has achieved much progress, turning the country into a major player in global tourism.

With 168 flights between China and Britain per week and more than 4,000 mutual visits every day, travelling helps build a bridge for exchanges and mutual learning between the Chinese and Western civilisations, he noted.

The annual WTM London is a leading global event for the travel industry, attracting around 5,000 exhibitors from 182 countries and regions and more than 51,000 participants, according to its official website.

Jonathan Hull, from WTM London, attended the opening ceremony of the China pavilion, saying that "China's inbound tourism market will be a major part of the growth in global tourism."

"We look forward to working with you as you continue to develop and grow over the next 40 years. We will enjoy working together on this next chapter in both histories," Hull said.

Xinhua