A vivid illustration of art lubricating politics is the Palace
Museum's current exhibit of more than 100 antiquities from the
collection of the British Museum. The exhibit includes objects
showing how 18th-century Britons perceived China, part of a cameo
of the exchanges between China and Britain.
The show is rich in the historical tidbits that left important
marks on the two countries.
Fast-forwarding a few centuries, this year's cultural exchanges
include a September show at the British Museum of more than 20
terracotta sculptures from the mausoleum of China's first
emperor.
Cultural cooperation and exchange are as vital as any other kind
of relationship between countries. Meeting places for cultural
ideas are as important as assemblies where political and economic
discussions find a forum.
To learn about others, culture is one of the brightest channels.
It reflects a nation's spiritual being.
For this reason, China and Britain's ongoing exchange programs
are most welcome.
The earth is a global village where encounters among members
date back to prehistoric exchanges.
Archaeological findings from China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region show that
Chinese and Japanese began exchanges about 7,000 years ago. The
encounters occurred on a route from Northeast China along the
Russian coast to Japan's Hokkaido and Honshu.
China's cultural exchanges with the world have multiplied in
recent years, with a view to enabling other countries to know more
about the real China - its progress and problems.
Last year's packed cultural schedules included the Year of Russia in China, the Arabian arts
festival during the second ministerial meeting of the Sino-Arab
Cooperation Forum, the second arts festival of the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization's members, the Year of Italy, and the Year
of China in Rome and in Hamburg, Germany.
These cultural events helped enhance understanding between China
and other parts of the world.
The more we understand each other, the less we will clash. This
is truly the message of culture.
(China Daily March 20, 2007)
