Hunan's culture to go on show in France

Hunan, a province in Central China, wants to share its unique culture with the world.

Part of that effort is the "Experience China - the Culture of Hunan" event that will open in Paris at the end of this month.

For this cultural exchange event, a Hunan delegation will visit France, introducing the province's unique cultural resources and products to the French people.

The event will include a range of exhibitions about the province's food, porcelain, silk products as well as its modern cultural creative industries including TV, movie and animation production and publishing.

In recent years, Hunan has held frequent exchanges with France, especially in the movie, TV and other media sectors.

The Hunan cultural event will be a showcase for Hunan's many intangible cultural assets and its traditional cultural products.

These products, including Hunan embroidery, Liuyang fireworks, porcelain products from Changsha and Liling, dark tea from Anhua and brocade products from western Hunan, will be displayed in Paris.

"We hope to encourage the top fashion brands in Paris to use traditional Hunan embroidery in their designs," said Fang Jing, deputy curator of the Hunan Embroidery Museum.

Underglazed five-color porcelain items from Liling will also be exhibited in Paris, representing Hunan porcelain.

Zhang Bin, head of the information office at the Liling city government, said he hopes the Hunan event will give an opportunity for Europeans to learn more about Liling's porcelain.

Dark tea from Anhua has already won recognition in the European market, according to Liu Bo, chairman of Xianglushan Tea Industry Co, which will exhibit its products in Paris.

Liu said his company's products have certification from the European Union authorities, which means they have direct access to the EU market.

In addition to its traditional legacies, Hunan also wants to show the French people its modern culture, such as booming creative industries.

Hunan Satellite TV is a representative of the province's new culture industry and will bring its outstanding programs to France during the event.

Since 1998, Hunan Satellite TV has produced many programs with national and international influence, including reality shows Happy Camp and Where Are We Going, Dad? and music shows Super Girls and I'm A Singer.

Hunan cuisine, with a history of more than 3,000 years, will also be an important part of the cultural event.

Hunan-based Huatian Group will host a food show at its restaurant in Paris. Chefs from both Hunan and France will discuss their experiences and display their skills live at the site.

fengzhiwei@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 08/26/2016 page16)