Roundup: Asia-Pacific Weeks Enhance Chinese-German FriendshipThe Third Asia-Pacific Weeks, which wound up Sunday in Berlin, helped enhance friendship and exchange between the Chinese and German peoples.Initiated by the Berlin municipal government, the Asia-Pacific Weeks are aimed at promoting friendly relationship and cooperation between the German capital and the Asian-Pacific countries and regions. After more than one-year-long preparation, China chose over 30 cultural and economic activities for the weeks, including exhibition on Buddha relics, modern Chinese arts, movie show, chorus, modern dancing, fashion show and economic forum. China and Germany hoped the event, which has been the largest of its kind since the eatablishment of diplomatic relations between the two sides, would improve their further cooperation. The State Council Information Office, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, State Administration of Cultural Heritage, State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, State Environmental Protection Administration and Beijing Municipal Government jointly coordinated the large- scale activities. Zhao Qizheng, director of the State Council Information Office, said that China hopes the German people have a full and direct image of the country. Actually, the Asia-Pacific Weeks introduced China to Germany and also the Europe. Pictures of facial make-up in Peking opera, Chinese pagoda, nine-dragon wall, dragon boat were decorated alongside Berlin's most important thoroughfare of Unter den Linden. As major part of the Asia-Pacific Weeks, exhibition on Buddha statues which were excavated in 1996 in Qingzhou, east China's Shandong Province, attracted lots of local visitors. They started to realize that China also has great sculptures parallel to those in Greece at ancient times. Germany has made unique contribution to the world civilization while China has been regarded as one of world's four ancient civilizations. The two countries both have good cultural traditions. "Cultural links between the two countries could make other exchange possible," said Zhao. While bringing traditional cultural forms to Germany, the Chinese organizers showed German people abstract paintings, avant- guard photography, modern dancing, rock and roll and new drama. "Any healthy cultural forms could find |
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