The Royal Danish Embassy held its annual festive Open Denmark Day on the 9th of May to further showcase all facets of Denmark among Chinese people at a time when the two countries are celebrating the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations establishment.

The light rain did not dampen people’s enthusiasm, as nearly 8,000 visitors enjoyed genuine Danish design, gastronomy, art performances and brand names at the Royal Danish Embassy compound in Beijing on Saturday, the 9th of May.

This is the fifth time that the Embassy has held such a public diplomacy event to greet Chinese people and satisfy their curiosity with what Denmark can offer.

On the occasion of the 65th anniversary of establishing the diplomatic relations, this year’s event added more flavour to the “all-time high” bilateral ties and further promotes the cultural awareness of Denmark among Chinese citizens.

“I am more than happy to welcome the thousands of guests we have had today. This event expresses our eagerness to showcase the best of Denmark to the Chinese citizens,” said Mr. Friis Arne Petersen, Ambassador of Denmark to China.

“During my five years in China, I have witnessed many important and also cheerful moments that have helped shape the bilateral relationship to the peak where we are today. Not least the many and frequent people-to-people contacts that have helped grow our ties. Never before in history have so many citizens from our two countries visited that of each other, never before have we had so many student exchanges and never before have our countries employed so many Chinese and Danish citizens in their businesses.”

In different highlighted events, ballet dancers from the Beijing Dance Academy and the Royal Danish Ballet School showcased their silhouette; musical performances were treated, while a patrol dog all the way from Denmark showcased his mastery of police dog tricks and detection skills. Lucky draws were held in both sessions to award visitors with gifts sponsored by Danish companies.

The Danish chef John Kofod Pedersen also demonstrated his New Nordic Cuisine recipes and invited visitors to have a taste of the Nordic kitchen.

In the meanwhile, two VIP salon sessions featuring Danish high quality food, healthy lifestyle and green development were held at the Ambassador’s residence, where senior officials, scholars and company representatives engaging in discussions on topics related to Denmark.

Over 20,000 netizens who are interested in Denmark signed themselves and their family members up for admission through our online registration channels on Huodongxing and Sina.

A long list of Danish companies and organizations, including Addasound, Arla Foods, Bang & Olufsen, Carlsberg, Glamazon, Georg Jensen, House of Amber, Jabra, Kjeldsens Cookies, Kopenhagen Fur, LEGO, Libratone, Lindberg, Nature.dk, Novo Nordisk, Scandinavian Airlines, Scandinavian Farms and Scandinavian Tourism Board, presented their products and services at their respective booths set up across the compound during the event.

Some 90 volunteers organized by Sina and Huodongxing also came and offered their hand at the Embassy to visitors during morning and afternoon sessions.