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    China Cultural Heritage Week Launched at the PNCA

    Written by: Staff Report
    Posted on: July 10, 2017 | | 中文

    Ambassador Sun Weidong opening the China Cultural Heritage Week

    Ambassador Sun Weidong inaugurated the China Cultural Heritage week, being held from the 7th-14th of July, at the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA).The Ministry of Culture is holding similar celebrations in thirty cultural centers all over the world. The exhibition is on Intangible Culture, a concept adopted by UNESCO for the preservation of knowledge and skills in 2003.

     

    With work on CPEC gaining momentum, cultural exchanges between the two countries have increased. Ambassador Sun Weidong in his speech recognized the rich and diverse cultural heritage of Pakistan, both tangible and intangible, and mentioned that Pakistan had over 60 indigenous languages, mosques, folk music, dances, ceramics and woodwork amongst others. He said that in this exhibition of Chinese heritage there were splendid paintings, bird-worm seal script, ceramic handicrafts, dough modeling and paper cutting. He said that many Chinese experts were on hand to demonstrate their art and skills, and people would be able to directly interact with them. This exhibition, he said, would raise awareness about our cultural heritage, and these cultural exchanges would act as a bridge between the two peoples. He described the relationship of the two countries as one between two iron brothers, and that this rich and diverse heritage of the two countries would be carried on from generation to generation.

     

    With China’s long history of civilization, UNESCO had put thirty items of China on its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. He also appreciated that under the auspices of the Pakistan Academy of Letters, Mr Munir Fayyaz, a renowned poet, had translated Chinese short stories from English to the Urdu language, making them accessible to the Pakistani public who could now get familiar with rural life in China. He said that CPEC was a flagship project of One Belt One Road (OBOR), and more cultural events would be organized to further improve understanding between the people of the two countries.

    Professor Qasim Bughio, the Chairman of the Pakistan Academy of Letters also spoke on the occasion and said that the exchanges of writers’ delegations between the two countries, had increased with the launch of CPEC.

    Since the Chinese Cultural Center was inaugurated at the beautiful PNCA building in the center of town in April of this year, the Cultural Center’s activities have become more accessible to the citizens of Islamabad, who flocked in large numbers to see this exhibition.


    As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.

    Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.

    Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.

    YOULIN magazine is dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and is a window for Pakistani friends to learn about China, especially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of China and Pakistan, YOULIN can listen more to the voices of readers in China and Pakistan, better play its role as a bridge to promote more effectively people-to-people bond.

    Last but not least, I would like to wish all the staff and readers of YOULIN a warm and prosper year in 2021.

    Nong Rong Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
    The People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
    January 2021