Curtain rises on culture links between China, Spain

By Wang Linyan (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-09-02 10:38

Spain hopes to sign a framework agreement next year with China to promote the movie industry and the arts in the two countries, said Spanish Culture Minister Angeles Gonzalez Sinde Tuesday.

"I hope we can have a framework agreement on a wide range of cooperation and exchanges in movies, comics and TV series between the two countries," Sinde told China Daily in Beijing during her four-day China visit.

Sinde met Wang Taihua, director of the State Administration of Radio Film and Television on Monday.

Sinde, who was president of the Spanish Academy of Arts and Cinematographic Sciences from 2006 until April 2009, was appointed minister of culture this year. She is also a scriptwriter and film director and has won Goya Awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best New Director.

"Movies are name cards of a country," she said. "The Spanish people can learn about China and its culture through Chinese movies and vice versa."

She said her government encourages "cultural diversity" and Spanish viewers will want to soak up Chinese culture.

About 10 Spanish movies are aired on TV in China each year, while about six Chinese movies are typically shown annually on Spanish screens, according to the Spanish Embassy in Beijing.

Sinde is set to meet her Chinese counterpart, Culture Minister Cai Wu, today.

She said she wants to intensify both sides' cooperation in the arts.

Tuesday, Sinde presented the Order for the Arts and Literature to Dong Yansheng in recognition of his contribution to promoting Spanish culture through teaching and research.

Known as the first to translate Spanish classic Don Quixote into Chinese, Dong, a 72-year-old professor of Spanish at Beijing Foreign Studies University, is the first Chinese to win the medal.