CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Tuesday, April 27, 2021 | 11 WORLD TIES THAT BIND Cultural connections gain fresh life With touring exhibitions, museums play role in deepening mutual understanding Editor’s note: People-to-people “I’m looking forward to how it will exchanges are deepening the spotlight the many existing cultural connections between countries and artistic exchanges between our participating in the Belt and Road home region and China,” he says. Initiative. This column celebrates Xu He, the project leader of the the efforts of those working toward International Liaison Office of Art a shared future. Exhibitions China, says that in the years before the pandemic forced the By CHEN YINGQUN closure of borders, the organization [email protected] had brought an increasing number of art exhibits to audiences in coun- When Maryam Mohsin Hassan tries involved in the BRI. In 2014, the Abdalla visited Gansu Provincial exhibition Treasures of China was Museum in 2016, she was impressed held in Tanzania and, in the follow- by its exotic charm and mixture of ing year, the center curated exhibi- Eastern and Western cultures. tions on China’s general history in The 23-year-old Sudanese, from Latvia, Lithuania and Cyprus. Khartoum, recalls she was enchanted In 2016, the Treasures of China by a series of exhibitions at the muse- exhibition was taken to the Museum um in Lanzhou, in China’s Northwest. of Islamic Art in Qatar, bringing Chi- These included the Silk Road Exhibi- na’s Terracotta Warriors to people in tion and the Buddhist Art of Gansu. the Gulf state for the first time. Over Also catching her eye was the famous 70,000 visitors flocked to the exhibi- bronze sculpture Galloping Horse tion in three months, and children Treading on a Flying Swallow. created clay sculptures based on the “Gansu struck me as a special warriors in workshops after seeing place where Chinese culture inter- the exhibition. acted with the Western culture,” she Xu says that, in planning for exhi- says of the province’s location on the bitions in BRI countries, it is essen- ancient Silk Road. “Its cultural relics tial that curators bring over cultural also demonstrated a diversity of cul- relics with elements that local audi- tures, including Muslim culture and ences will be familiar with, or con- Arabic cultures. I was also impressed nect with in some other way. In this by the magnificence of the Mogao spirit, she chose some plates with Grottoes of Dunhuang, which helped Arabic characters for the exhibition me learn more about Buddhism.” in Qatar. For Southeast Asia, it was Abdalla is far from alone in valu- the ornamentation art from Bei- ing the learning experience to be jing’s Summer Palace that people gained from museums. could relate to, as they understand President Xi Jinping, in an address more about Chinese culture. to the 20th meeting of the Council of Art lovers admire a Venus statue in the Louvre Abu Dhabi in December 2017. The artwork exemplifies the UAE’s position at the crossroads “At present, the exhibitions we Heads of State of the Shanghai Coop- of East and West. KAMRAN JEBREILI / ASSOCIATED PRESS have held in the BRI countries are eration Organization, called for the mostly focusing on China’s iconic world to nourish people-to-people cultural exhibits and about general amity and build a community of cul- history to help the local audience tural exchanges for us all. gain a basic understanding of Chi- “Each civilization is distinct and nese culture,” Xu says. “We would none is superior to others. We need like to make more exhibitions that to promote mutual learning between can deepen their understanding.” our civilizations and enhance good- Xu says that Chinese audiences, in neighborliness and friendship turn, have been increasingly interest- between our countries,” he said via ed in cultural relics and art from other video in November last year. BRI countries. For instance, the Museums of countries involved in Splendor of Asia — An Exhibition of the China-proposed Belt and Road Asian Civilizations in 2019 in Bei- Initiative, or BRI, have increased the jing, showcasing 451 items of cultural frequency of exhibitions on the cul- relics from all 47 countries in Asia, tural relics of other participating including China, as well as the ancient nations since the initiative was civilizations of Greece and Egypt, unveiled in 2013, museum insiders proved a hit with Chinese audiences. say. In doing, so they have strength- In a similar vein, cultural relics ened people-to-people exchanges from Afghanistan that were put on and mutual understanding. tour in China for two years from 2017 The BRI focuses on promoting poli- made an impact. When they were cy coordination, connectivity of infra- exhibited in the Forbidden City, more structure and facilities, unimpeded than 8,000 visitors came each day. trade, financial integration, and clos- Tourists in Lanzhou, Gansu province, take in a copy of a mural from the Visitors enjoy the cultural relics at the Gansu Provincial Museum in “We have a splendid plan of curat- er people-to-people ties through Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes in May 2020. GAO ZHAN / CHINA NEWS SERVICE May last year. GAO ZHAN / CHINA NEWS SERVICE ing a series of exhibitions of cultural extensive consultation, joint contri- relics and artworks that Chinese audi- butions, and shared gains, with the ence are not quite familiar with from goal of bringing benefits to all. BRI countries, including Pakistan, Manuel Rabate, director of Louvre Iran, and Iraq,” says Xu, adding that Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emir- the first exhibition from Syria will ates, says the museum has a number kick off a two-year tour from June, of important Chinese works in its col- starting from Shenzhen in the south. lection, including the Winged Drag- Xu says that while the COVID-19 on, a sculpture from the Chinese pandemic has halted cross-border Warring States Period (475-221 BC). exhibitions over the past year, other “Our dragon is actually a hybrid factors have in the past brought made up of various animals, with their own difficulties, such as trans- the hindquarters of a feline, the portation, financing, and exhibits’ forequarters of an alligator, the ant- vulnerabilities. “I think that in the lers of a stag and the wings of a bird,” post-pandemic era, there will be he says. “It is also one of the largest more cultural relics exhibitions from free-standing sculptures of a dragon BRI countries in China, as Chinese known to date in Chinese art. It is audiences’ demand for such exhibi- extremely popular with our audien- tions is getting stronger,” she says. ces and we often see visitors taking In 2016, more than 30 museums selfies with it.” from countries participating in the Rabate says that cultural The sculpture Galloping Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow on display Du Yongwei, an expert in traditional art, paints a clay sculpture in BRI formed an alliance under which exchange is a critical factor in the at the Gansu Provincial Museum in June. YANG YANMIN / CHINA NEWS SERVICE his studio in April last year. DU ZHEYU / XINHUA they signed agreements on the pro- success of humanity and it is Louvre tection and exchange of cultural rel- Abu Dhabi’s main mission to tell sto- ics, along with efforts to promote ries of cultural connections. mutual learning among civiliza- He says the museum benefits from How relics escape the past and help shape shared future tions and cultural coexistence. the UAE’s unique position at the Han Bing, the chief researcher of crossroads of East and West and that culture and entertainment practice the country maintains strong histor- When selecting cultural relics from Xu organized the Treasures of Chi- (1368-1644) and drew many Arabian Shaanxi province for the exhibition. of global consultancy Roland Ber- ical and contemporary links with Chinese museums for an exhibition in na, an exhibition that showcased Chi- merchants. The Saudis, bearing out The plate showed the province had ger, says cultural exchanges help China. This contributes to a strong Saudi Arabia, Xu He recalls paying nese civilization at the National Xu’s belief that it’s connections that exchanges with the Arabian region in people in BRI countries to under- relationship with China, he says. particular attention to items that Museum in the Saudi capital Riyadh matter, were fascinated by that slice ancient times. stand each other. “We share a known history of would engender a connection with in 2018. On show were 264 items of a shared cultural link. Han Bing, the chief researcher of “Museums are important carriers mutual trade and commerce dating people. provided by 13 museums and cultur- “Saudi Arabians don’t know much culture and entertainment practice of of culture and history, and every back over a thousand years and Xu, the project leader of the Inter- al institutions, such as the Palace about other Chinese cities, but global consultancy Roland Berger, exhibit tells a story,” she says. “Cultur- indeed several of the displays in our national Liaison Office of Art Exhibi- Museum. Some 173 of the items Quanzhou is relatively better known says that when administrators plan al relics selected for exhibition should permanent galleries look at cultural tions China, says this kind of tailored were Chinese cultural relics, includ- to them,” she says. “So we chose exhibitions in other countries, they represent a country’s unique culture and artistic exchanges along the Silk approach is essential when it comes ing the world-renowned Terracotta tombstones from Quanzhou.” must think about what kind of story and history and the values of open- Road, for example,” Rabate says.