Modern, captivating and original: the exhibition “Creative Shanghai” arrives at the China Cultural Center in Brussels!
On this Monday, July 3rd 2017, the China Cultural Center in Brussels launched “Creative Shanghai”, a remarkable and innovative exhibition that presents the cultural and creative achievements of the city of Shanghai. On the occasion of this opening, a Chinese delegation from the Shanghai Municipal Government as well as many distinguished guests were present in Brussels to preview the charms of this gigantic and dynamic Chinese metropolis.
The exhibition “Creative Shanghai”, which will take place from 4 to 26 July at the China Cultural Center in Brussels, is composed of photographic and pictorial works illustrating the urban landscapes of the city in an original way: 30 posters created by renowned graphic designers as well as twenty-five pictures are displayed along witha series of promotional objects inspired by Shanghai regional culture. Two innovative and creativeworkshops also offer visitors a unique experience: taking a picture while hanging over the Bund of Shanghai and flying in the sky of the city thanks to Virtual Reality glasses!
Jointly organized by several high cultural institutions of the city of Shanghai, the exhibition is the result of a real collaborative work. Among the Chinese delegation that traveled to Brussels, some representatives of these different institutions were present:
- Mr. Sun Weixing, Deputy Director of the Information Office of the Municipality of Shanghai
- Mr. Jiang Xun, Deputy Director of the Information Office of the Municipality of Shanghai
- Mrs. Shao Zhuqing, Deputy General Manager of the Shanghai Tower
Other prestigious guests were also present during the evening:
- Mr. Li Jianmin, Minister-Counsellor from the Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the EU
- Mr. Xiang Shihai, Counsellor for Culture at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China
- Mrs. Monica Urian, Responsible of the Creative Europe Programme of the European Commission
- Mrs. Clémentine Barzin, Counsellor of the City of Brussels representing Mrs. Marion Lemesre, Deputy Burgomaster for Economic Affairs of the City of Brussels
- Mr. Oriol Freixa Matalonga, Project Officer of the UNESCO Liaison Office in Brussels
- Mr. Tan Shu, Director of the China Cultural Center in Brussels
Speaking on behalf of all the organizers, Mr. Sun Weixing, Deputy Director of the Information Office of the Municipality of Shanghai, emphasized the main ambition of the exhibition: “It’s a pleasure for us to convey Chinese culture, specifically the culture of Shanghai. We wish to present the splendors of our city and transmit its cultural and creative achievements. This way, we hope you will learn more about Shanghai, and feel the desire to come to discover its many charms”.
Present to support the launch of the exhibition, Mr. Xiang Shihai, Counsellor for Culture at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, underlined the important role played by the city of Shanghai in the transmission of European culture to China: “Just like Brussels, which is a crossroads between Francophone and Germanophone culture, Shanghai is a crossroads between Western and Eastern culture. It is a pioneer city; it was the first to convey European culture to Chinese people, notably by presenting Italian Opera or Western classical music”.
The exhibition “Creative Shanghai”, conveysall the vitality and dynamism of this fascinating city. After a fast-paced development in the finance and commerce sectors over the last century, Shanghai is now experiencing a dazzling rise in its cultural sector, the city is placing the development of the creative and cultural industries at the forefront to stabilize its growth, adjust its structure and promote its transformation. A willingness also shared by Europe through the Directorate-General for Education and Culture (DG EAC),: « This is yet another level on which China and the EU have so many things in common. The EU is a highly knowledge and creativity intensive economy where the cultural and creative sectors have a special role to play. They have a strategic role in helping to solve some of the most urgent problems in Europe, in particular fighting youth unemployment, and working towards better social inclusion” explained Mrs. Monica Urian, Responsible of the Creative Europe Programme of the European Commission.
In his speech, Mr. Jiang Xun, Deputy Director of the Information Office of the Municipality of Shanghai, also gave more details on the development and achievements of Shanghai’s creative industry over the past year few year and its prospects for the coming ones: “In next five years, the cultural and creative industries will become part of the most important pillar industries of Shanghai. The goal is to create leading cultural enterprises, and to maintain the country’s leading position in the industry, as well as to promote technological innovation and favor the emergence of well-known cultural brand”.
At the end of the speeches, Mrs. Shao Zhuqing, Deputy General Manager of the Shanghai Tower, offered a beautiful model of the famous tower to the Director of the China Cultural Center in Brussels, Mr. Tan. Finally, to conclude the opening ceremony, Mr Li Jianmin, Mrs. Monica Urian, Mr. Oriol Freixa Matalonga and Mr. Jiang Xun unveiled two exhibited artworks to officially inaugurate the exhibition “Creative Shanghai”: a photograph of the Bund district of Shanghai and a poster entitled Top of Shanghai highlighting the Tower of Shanghai.
Fascinating and dynamic, the exhibition “Creative Shanghai” is open to the public until July 26th, from Monday to Friday according to the opening hours of the Center. Don’t miss this opportunity to immerse yourself in the heart of this unique city, for an exotic and captivating trip!
Video report of the opening
Credits : Ren Yan, People’s Daily, 2017 ©
