Writing New Chapters for Cultural Prosperity and Playing New Symphony for International Exchanges -In Commemoration of the 30 Years of Cultural Dialogue

By Liu Feng



Writing New Chapters for Cultural Prosperity and Playing New Symphony for International Exchanges -In Commemoration of the 30 Years of Cultural Dialogue

By Liu Feng

浙江文化大步走向世界。图为“美丽浙江文化节”香飘泰国。Zhejiang rigorously promotes its culture overseas. In the picture is a moment of Zhejiang Cultural Festival in Thailand in 2014.

On the arrival of 2016, Cultural Dialogue celebrates its 30th birthday. Reform and opening up to the outside world gave birth to this Chinese-English publication of reports and pictures in 1986 on the West Lake of Hangzhou. Over the past 30 years, we have worked hard and grown up. It has reached all corners of the nation and gone international. Nowadays, it is distributed to over 150 countries and regions.

Thirty Years

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the founding of Cultural Dialogue and on behalf of Cultural Dialogue, I would like to express our heart-felt gratitude and respect to you, our founders, our colleagues, all the leaders and people from all walks of life who have cared and supported us, all the readers, writers and friends. Thank you! And Cultural Dialogue owes its success to you!

Over the past 30 years, we have journeyed together, keeping abreast of the era,writing and reporting for the people and the time.

Over the past 30 years, Cultural Dialogue has covered cultural events and people in mountain villages, islands, rural towns and cities. Our journalists have traveled around Zhejiang. Our writers and special reporters in Hangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, USA, France, Australia, just to name a few, send us reports and photos.

Over the past 30 years, Cultural Dialogues has been honored to work with writers and editors dedicated to having better articles and better photos, watching trends, following events, getting down to grassroots levels, getting a general take on the cultural aspects of our society, and reaching out to our readers.

2005年《文化交流》杂志社社长刘枫（右一）与名誉社长沈祖伦（中）、王家扬三位领导在一起。Cultural Dialogue director Liu Feng （r）, honorary directors Shen Zulun （c） and Wang Jiayang attend a forum at the office of Cultural Dialogue in 2005.

Xi Jinping's Letter of Congratulation

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the founding of Cultural Dialogue, Xi Jinping, then Secretary of the CPC Zhejiang Committee, wrote us a heartwarming congratulatory letter. He said in the letter：“Promoting international cultural exchanges and cooperation is a necessity in upholding the policy of opening up unswervingly to the outside world. We should give full play to Zhejiang's cultural strengths and human resources to strengthen cultural ties between the province and Hong Kong and Macao, between the province and the rest of the world so as to let the world know more about Zhejiang and let Zhejiang embrace the world.”

It was on this occasion that the Secretary Xi voiced his hope for the Cultural Dialogue： “Hopefully Cultural Dialogue will be a window for more international cultural exchanges, and will take continuous efforts to function better and better so as to contribute to the enterprise Zhejiang is undertaking to build itself into a strong cultural province and open wider to the outside world.”

We have kept in mind the hope and we have been taking efforts to promote the fine tradition of Chinese culture and boost international cultural exchanges.

Efforts to Promote Zhejiang

In 2005, Zhejiang started a project to build itself into a strong cultural province. Since then, Cultural Dialogue has been making contributions to this ambitious enterprise by publishing stories and features on the cultural masterpieces project, the grassroots culture projects, the public cultural services, the preservation and utilization of cultural heritage, the development of cultural industries, the deepening of cultural system restructuring, and the culture icons of Zhejiang.

From cultural perspectives, we covered the 2008 earthquake in Wenchuan, the preparatory works and successful inscription of West Lake as world heritage. We looked at the Wuyue Culture systematically and we examined the ancient Silk Road and Maritime Silk Road in connection with China's current Belt ＆ Road project. Also from cultural perspectives, we covered the 70th anniversary of the victory of China's Resistance War against Japanese Aggression and the world's anti-fascist war. There have been more. All these are part of the 30 years of Cultural Dialogue, which in turn is part of Zhejiang's broad and ambitious drive to make the province more flourishing in culture. These reports and more have promoted the core socialist value, positive energy and are therefore instrumental in social progress.

A Voice of China to the World

Over the 30 years, Cultural Dialogue has served as a voice in reporting China to the world. Our journalists follow and cover cultural events and people. The reports and photos over the past 30 years relate to cultural events Zhejiang has held at home, across the straits, and in foreign countries. Take a few examples： the exhibitions of Hemudu Culture and Liangzhu Culture in Taiwan, the joint exhibition of two separate parts of Mountain Dwelling on Fuchun River in Taiwan, respectively in the collections of cultural institutions in Zhejiang and in Taiwan, Shanghai World Expo 2010, Zhejiang Symphony Orchestra's visit to Europe； Red Dowry, a dance drama created by artists in Ningbo, which was staged commercially in March 2014 in New Yorkand later in Australia, New Zealand, and Russia and which is now on a list of the Ministry of Culture for performing on future occasions of international cultural exchanges. Over the past 30 years, more and more international artists and troupes have come to Zhejiang and today their visits are unprecedented. Cultural Dialogue has covered them.

On the other hand, Cultural Dialogue is a window on the world. Some cultural events and people of foreign countries have been covered. World class masters and their works are featured. Heavyweight names such as Shakespeare, Dickens, Tolstoy, Chekov, Sholokhov, Balzac, Rousseau, Monet, Marquez, Andersen, and Hemingway, just to name a few. The list of masters and their masterpieces covered by Cultural Dialogue is much longer.

第八届“舟山群岛·中国海洋文化节”闭幕式上海洋歌会情景A moment of the closing ceremony at the 8th Zhoushan Archipelago-China Ocean Culture Festival in 2012

New Beginning, New Journey

No sooner had the 12th Five-Year Plan ended than did the 13th Five-Year Plan start. In the CPC Central Committee's Proposal on Formulating the Thirteenth Fiveyear Plan （2016-2020） on National Economic and Social Development, adopted at the Fifth Plenary Session of the Central Committee of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party, innovation, harmony, greenness, opening to the outside world and share as five major development concepts are put forward and the guideline for cultural growth is proposed. The Proposal showcases the essential ideas for the future of China and is of far-reaching significance for reform and opening up under new historical conditions.

In the next five years, Zhejiang is going to build a high-level moderately prosperous society in an all round way： a province with greater comprehensive strengths, more balanced urban and rural growth, more beautiful ecology and environment, better life for people and much improved governance system.

In compliance with the major development concepts and the guideline, we will continue to implement the essence of Comrade Xi Jinping's congratulatory letter, adhere to the guidelines for the publishing and content-positioning of Cultural Dialogue, and boost the fine tradition of Chinese culture, so as to make contribution to the development of socialist cultural undertakings.

We will continue to highlight cultural heritage, traditional arts and crafts, and Chinese classics, and to promote cultural activities at grassroots level. We will continue to report cultural trends and movements in cultural heritage, folk culture, cultural industry, arts and crafts, archaeology, painting and calligraphy in our columns.

Hangzhou will be hosting the 11th G20 Summit in September 2016. This is of national and international significance. This is an opportunity for both Hangzhou and Zhejiang since the city and the province will be in the world's spotlight again. As a window on the world, Cultural Dialogue will utilize this opportunity to share the beauty of the West Lake and the charms of Zhejiang with our readers.

The Confucius institutes around the world promote and spread the fine tradition of Chinese culture. We will continue to push Cultural Dialogue through them so that overseas Chinese and international friends can access the magazine.

We will continue to carry out the essence of the Fifth Plenary Session of the Central Committee of the 18th National Congress of the CPC. That is, we will continue to adhere to the direction of the advanced socialist culture, adhere to the work principle that focuses on serving the people, adhere to upholding the social benefits as the top requirement, adhere to the balancing of social benefits and economic benefits, deepen our awareness of and confidence in Chinese culture, speed up cultural reform and growth, strengthen the construction of socialist spiritual civilization and build China into a strong cultural nation.

Thirty years have passed like a resounding symphony. The celebration of the 30 years is like an arrival and a beginning.

At the new beginning, we hear the sound of the bugle for the new journey. Contributing to the mission of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and promoting cultural exchanges between China and the rest of the world, off we go!