Sino-Russian cultural exchange hitting new heights

Ding Wei, Chinese vice minister of culture, gives a speech at the opening ceremony. [Photo by He Keyao/Chinaculture.org]

The second Sino-Russian Cultural Forum kicked off in Beijing on Nov 27. Chinese Vice Minister of Culture Ding Wei, Russia's Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky and representatives of cultural circles from both countries attended the opening ceremony of the three day event.

Co-organized by the culture ministries of China and Russia, the forum focus on five main themes, including "cultural life and entrepreneurship of youth", "cultural industry and trade", "cultural exchange on national boundaries", "cultural finance" and "film culture".

China and Russia, both as cultural giants, have created their own distinctive and splendid cultures, Ding stressed at the opening ceremony, that with Sino-Russia relations reaching all-time high, the cultural cooperation between the two countries has been fruitful, especially in the fields of literature, stage art, music, fine arts and in the broadcasting and film industries.

Ding said the interaction and mutual understanding between the two peoples have been boosted since 2006 due to a series of cultural exchange activities organized by the two sides, such as "National Year", "the Year of Languages" and "the Year of Tourism".

"A neighbor is always our best partner and the best role model" Medinsky said in his opening speech, adding that China and Russia have the longest land border and have been peaceful and harmonious neighbors over thousands of years. "We have already built the best neighborhood and our task is not to set any obstacles and make our long-lasting friendship develop forward," Medinsky emphasized.

Wang Meng, a well-know writer and former Chinese minister of culture also attended the event.

"China and Russia share some similarities in the core cultural values and that is the deep concern to individual persons," Wang said in an exclusive interview with Chinaculture.org. He said the observation and care to people's emotions, morals, fate and the insight to humanity presented in Russian literary works are consistent with those in Chinese culture. Therefore, people from the two countries can easily find emotional resonance and mutual understanding in culture.

Different from the first session of the Sino-Russian Cultural Forum, this year's event pays more attention to the younger generation in the two countries, with the aim to encourage communication and cooperation between Chinese and Russian young people in a variety of fields.