The opening ceremony of "The Evening of Chinese Literature" at
the National Theater in Tokyo just floored Miyauchi Atsushi last
night.
The handsome young reporter with Japan's NHK said he had never
seen a better show on or by China.
"The program presented us with the vast cultural diversity of
China and was the best China-show I've ever seen," Atsushi
said.
Atsushi watched with rapt attention the performances by
prominent musicians and dancers from China's ethnic minorities,
with Premier Wen Jiabao and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe, too, being among the audience.
Atsushi said there will be many more such occasions during rest
of the year for ordinary Japanese people to enjoy China's cultural
presentations. Last night's program was presented by China as part
of the China-Japan Cultural and Sports Exchange Year.
The opening ceremony for Japan's programs was held in Beijing
last month.
Last night, the various Chinese troupes brought the evening to
life with their excellent performances, with the exchange year's
"C-J" logo, representing China and Japan, providing a perfect
background setting. The logo has been designed to resemble a heart
and match the theme slogan "expectation of the heart, a new
future."
Wen said the exchange year is an important event in a series of
activities marking the 35th anniversary of the normalization of
diplomatic ties between China and Japan.
The premier hoped the Japanese audience could feel the Chinese
people's sentiments towards them while watching the show.
He expects the two countries to introduce the lives of their
peoples to one another through such activities in order to deepen
mutual understanding.
Wen, who attaches great importance to people-to-people
exchanges, talked to ordinary Japanese people while jogging in a
Tokyo park on Wednesday and Thursday morning.
"If economic cooperation generates tangible interests among the
people of two countries, cultural exchanges are the bridge of the
souls," Wen said, before the opening ceremony.
Prime Minister Abe, who was with Premier Wen for the fourth time
during the day, could not agree with him more. It's important to
first understand the culture of a country if one wants to
understand it in its totality, Abe said.
Japanese ping-pong sensation Ai Fukuhara and actress Noriko
Sakai have been appointed goodwill ambassadors of the Cultural and
Sports Exchange Year.
China and Japan have taken many measures to further improve
their ties since Abe's visit to China last October, with the
Cultural and Sports Exchange Year being decided on by Chinese and
Japanese leaders then.
(China Daily April 13, 2007)
