Silk Road reopens to cultural exchanges

Updated:22/02/12 10:24:04 AM CST

Exchanges between China and Turkey began more than 2,000 years ago asa result of the ancient Silk Road

Exchanges between China and Turkey began more than 2,000 years ago asa result of the ancient Silk Road.

To commemorate 40 years of diplomatic relations between the People's Republic ofChina and the Republic of Turkey and to develop cultural ties between the twocountries, events for the Year of China in Turkey are set to create the ambience of anew silk road.

With the theme of Charming China, Home of the Silk Road, activities will showcasecolorful contemporary Chinese culture and modern China after the reform andopening-up.

With a gala show, A New Message from the Silk Road, the 2012 Year of China inTurkey opened in Istanbul on Dec 12. Events held throughout the year will involveliterature, arts, cultural legacy, films, education, acrobatics and puppetry, and will beheld in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa, Antalya, Mersin and Trabzon as well as in otherprovinces.

Colors From the Silk Road, an exhibition featuring 60 contemporary Chinese artists,was held at CerModern, Ankara's modern art museum. Ertugrul Gunay, Turkey'sculture and tourism minister, was quoted as saying at the opening of the exhibition that"This year Turkey will become the home of Chinese arts."

The historic Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, former home of the Ottoman sultans and now amuseum that houses the largest collection of Chinese porcelain outside of China, willplay host to hundreds of Chinese antiques. The highlight will be the TerracottaWarriors. This will mark the first time that these priceless national treasures havetraveled to the country.

In May and July, the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center and the dance troupe of ShanghaiNormal University will fly to Turkey to participate in cultural festivals.

Exchanges between China and Turkey began more than 2,000 years ago asa result of the ancient Silk Road

The Chinese Acrobatic Group also performed on stage in the northwestern province ofBursa as part of a world tour. The group, established in 1950, has toured more than 80countries and has won 18 gold medals. This is the group's second appearance inTurkey.

According to Bengu Yigitguden, counselor of the Turkish embassy in Beijing, activitiesand cooperation in the field of culture are the most important means to better know andunderstand each other, and this reflects positively in foreign policy, trade, tourism andeconomics.

Six Chinese government representative teams have visited Turkey since 1983 andseven cultural ministers of Turkey have visited China in return.

Xinjiang Cultural Week and Henan Cultural Week were held in Turkey in 2006 and2007, introducing local Chinese culture to Turkish people.

Such a high level of cultural exchange is further evidence of the strategic partnershipbetween the two countries, which was announced in October 2010 during a visit toTurkey by Premier Wen Jiabao. This relationship has raised echoes of the historicallinks that existed between China and Anatolia from ancient times, links that included thelegendary Silk Road

Li Changchun, a senior official of the Communist Party of China, made a goodwill visitto Turkey in April 2010, expressing the wish to build Chinese cultural centers in Turkey.China is also considering launching more Confucius Institutes in Turkey to teachChinese language and culture. Currently, Turkey runs two Confucius Institutes, one inAnkara and one in Istanbul.

In 2013, China will host a series of events for Turkey Culture Year. Turkish artists willvisit China, which will offer Chinese artists the chance to follow developments in Turkisharts.

Source:China Daily