Romania’s Pavilion at EXPO Shanghai 2010 is hosting, as of today, 16 October, the Romania-China Cultural Week. The event is part of the cultural diplomacy programme taking place in the Greenopolis pavilion.
The event was inaugurated in the presence of the Commissioner General of Romania’s Exhibition in Shanghai, Ferdinand Nagy, and of the president of the local Parliament of Shaanxi Province, Ma Zhongping.
Also attending: Zhou Yibo, vice-president of the Parliament of Shaanxi Province. Geng Jian, president of F&J Education Fund, Olivier Rasat, director of the EU Pavilion, Florin Tacu, Romania’s Consul General in Shanghai, members of the Friendship Association of Shaanxi province, representatives of the pavilions of European states, artists and journalists.
For a week, visitors to the Romanian pavilion will be able to enjoy Romanin shows and to admire traditional Chinese paintings and masterpieces of calligraphic art that are on display until 22 October.
“World exhibitions are par excellence events of public and cultural diplomacy, where each country reveals what represents it best: art, culture, traditions, or innovations. The Romania-China cultural week is such an event. Just as calligraphic art embodies thousands of years of Chinese history and civilization, Romanian folklore expresses the quintessence of the Romanian spirit we have pursued to share with the visitors of the Romanian Pavilion in the 169 days since the opening of Expo Shanghai,” said Ferdinand Nagy, Commissioner General of Romania’s Exhibition in Shanghai.
“There is no need to understand Chinese writing to see how beautiful their calligraphic art is. This is true also of the Romanian folk dances presented for nearly 6 months on the stage of Romania’s Pavilion at Expo Shanghai. The visitors have applauded and danced alongside the Romanian artists, feeling the rhythm, music conveying a emotion beyond cultural differences,” Ferdinand Nagy added.
The inauguration of the exhibition was preceded by a recital of traditional Chinese music, performed masterfully by artists from Shaanxi province.
With its history of more than 1000 years, Shaanxi province was for many dynasties the economic, political and cultural hub of China, being considered one of the cradles of the Chinese civilization. Its main city is the capital Xi’an, considered one of China’s 6 major ancient cities and a nodal point on the Silk Route that connected China to Europe, Asia and the Arab world.
Shaanxi province is known for the famous archeological find of the Terracotta Army dating back to the time of the first Chinese emperor (AD 210). The province is twinned to Buzău County in Romania, and the capital Xi’an is twinned to the city of Iaşi.
Thousands of years old, Chinese calligraphic art, also called “brush calligraphy,” is unique in Asian cultures and is used throughout China. Even though the word is used as a means of communication, sheer beauty prevails and is often thought to be the best way to reveal the artist’s personality. During the dynasties, calligraphy was used as a criterion in selecting the personnel at the Court. Unlike other visual arts, calligraphy requires focused attention and precision, no mistake being permitted. Artists earn recognition if they master one of the four arts: Shu (calligraphy), Hua (painting), Qin (traditional musical instrument) and Qi (strategy game, whether Chinese chess or Go)
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