A cultural bridge to the world

More than 600 years ago, Zheng He made seven voyages to the western oceans in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) to promote Chinese culture and trade with foreign countries.

Today, a privately owned company in Shanghai is trying to spread Chinese quintessence art to the rest of the world, which, in some way, is also regarded as another voyage to the western oceans.

The launch ceremony of the super luxurious Chinese quintessence art album, published by Shanghai Chinese Quintessence Art Co Ltd and Hong Kong Wenhui Press, attracted wide attention recently in Shanghai as well in Hong Kong.

The album is a collection of 26 paintings by Chinese artist Liu Linghua that were shown during the 2001 APEC meetings in Shanghai. They earned numerous honors because of their impact on the art circle and for the sense of vision they offered.

The company plans to donate thousands of copies to 1,700 cultural organizations around the world, including world-renowned museums, galleries, libraries and universities that will provide overseas art lovers with lots of opportunities to appreciate the Chinese quintessence art and culture.

It's the first time that a Chinese art company is sending such an album to so many countries around the world.

The donation is regarded as an important method to establish and improve cultural exchanges with other countries.

The album is a form of media for people with little or no knowledge about China to learn more about the country particularly through Chinese art and culture.

European countries and the United States have had strong influences on world culture. With strong economic development, China is having a new impact on the international community, which allows it to promote its own cultural achievements.

The Chinese government today pays much more attention to the cultural construction and cultural exchanges with the world than in the past.

The art company's action is considered a boost to the government's international cultural promotion projects. It may accelerate the pace of cultural exchanges between China and the world.

The company's initiative is also regarded as a good example to promote cultural transmission and popularization at the people-to-people level rather than government-to-government level.

International cultural promotion projects need backing from ordinary people. Cultural revitalization is an important part of the national revitalization, which involves participation of many individuals.

This article was written by Yu Yi, editor-in-chief of Noble Time magazine

(China Daily 12/19/2007 page19)