On the morning of May 22, the launching ceremony of 2021 "Focus on Zhejiang" International Culture Exchange Activities sponsored by Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and co-sponsored by Zhejiang Culture and Arts Exchange Promotion Association and Wenzhou Culture Broadcasting and Tourism Bureau, kicked off at Wenzhou Overseas Publicity Center. 

Mr. Xu Peng, Deputy Director and First-class Inspector of Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, Mr. Chen Jiangfeng, Deputy Director of Foreign Affairs Office of Zhejiang Provincial People's Government, and Ms. Hu Jianjin, Minister of Wenzhou Publicity Department of Wenzhou Municipal Committee attended the opening ceremony. Envoys of friendship to "Picturesque Zhejiang" from more than 20 countries and representatives of foreign friends in Zhejiang, representatives of the institutions building Zhejiang international culture exchange bases, experts in the field of international cultural exchange, and media representatives were present at the ceremony as well.

The series of "Focus on Zhejiang" International Culture Exchange Activities by Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism resembles a "window" for the world to listen to Zhejiang's voice, to better understand Zhejiang's diversified culture and to appreciate Zhejiang's spectacular landscape, as well as a "bridge" to promote cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries. 

The 2021 "Focus on Zhejiang" International Culture Exchange Activities will provide foreign friends with rich and in-depth Zhejiang cultural tourism experience activities, including but not limited to world-renowned sinologists along with envoys of friendship to "Picturesque Zhejiang" exploring the "Poetry Roads" in Zhejiang. 

Foreign friends in Zhejiang will have the chance to visit ancient towns and villages and to experience the achievements brought by digital reforms in Zhejiang. Several cities in Zhejiang will also launch various international exchange activities throughout the year, involving culture, tourism, academic exchanges, and other fields.

The logo of "Focus on Zhejiang" was officially unveiled at the launching ceremony. The logo is designed with "Zhe" as the design element, pointing to the four cardinal directions of east, south, west, and north and the four ordinal directions of southeast, northeast, southwest, and northwest, symbolizing that Zhejiang welcomes global visitors in an open and inclusive way. As for the color, the logo uses yellow, black, blue, red, and green to represent Asia, Africa, Europe, America, and Oceania respectively, which means that "Focus on Zhejiang" serves not only as a platform for international cultural exchange but more as a window for the world to know better Zhejiang.

"What a pity that the plum blossoms in full bloom won’t allow an anthomania like me to adore to my heart’s content. And the breeze ripples the shining water, sending me away. I'm afraid that when I finally arrive in Hangzhou, the spring is gone and the trees grow dense green foliage forming a good shade. And then where can I find the beautiful plum blossoms which are as delicate as white jade?”  

Milena Damjanovic, a Serbian soprano, from Zhejiang Conservatory of Music and Matija, a dance teacher, from the Republic of North Macedonia, interpreted "Plum Blossoms across the Stream" or "Gexi meiling" in Chinese by Jiang Kui, a Ci poet of the Southern Song Dynasty, with their singing and dancing. Their performance perfectly integrates modern and classical elements and completely recreated the pureness and nobility of Jiang Kui's lyrics. So amazing!

"The content of Chinese poetry usually implies a double meaning, and this Ci Poetry expresses the author's sentiment of missing one person through adoring the plum blossoms, which fascinates me most.”  Milena, who ardently loves Chinese culture, was captivated by "Plum Blossoms across the Stream·the Plum Blossoms Won’t Allow an Anthomania like Me to Adore to My Heart’s Content" by Jiang Kui, a Ci poet of the Southern Song Dynasty since she first heard it. And Milena composed a song to this Ci poet to pay her tribute to ancient Chinese poetry and Ci poems.

Milena Damjanovic, born in 1994, came to work at Zhejiang Conservatory of Music in 2019. Last year, the envoys of friendship to "Picturesque Zhejiang" including Milena had explored the city, experienced the countryside through a variety of cultural exchange activities, with a better understanding of the cultural heritage in Zhejiang and feelings of the striking contrast between ancient Zhejiang and modern Zhejiang. 

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This year, the organizers have launched a Envoys of Friendship to "Picturesque Zhejiang" recruit order in the hope of attracting more foreign friends to join the list of envoys of friendship to "Picturesque Zhejiang". 

Zhejiang boasts a rich cultural heritage and stunning natural scenery along its four Poetry Roads, which have attracted countless Chinese poets as well as international poets over the centuries. Adonis, a prominent poet, and thinker in the contemporary Arab world has visited Zhejiang many times and has an inseparable bond with Zhejiang. Yesterday, the 91-year-old Adonis sent a video message for 2021 "Focus on Zhejiang" International Culture Exchange Activities.

Thomas or more widely known as "Afu" in Chinese, is an unofficial ambassador for the Sino-German friendship, has more than one million followers on international social media platforms. He has recorded and shared their stories with his wife through the camera so that so many people abroad have seen a "Picturesque Zhejiang" where are emanating cooked smoking, human kindness, and distinctive features. At the launching ceremony, Thomas shared what he saw and felt in Zhejiang and the changes in the city and countryside through "Zhejiang From My Perspective", telling that the enchanting culture and stunning scenery of Zhejiang always make people stay on without the thought of leaving.

The Oujiang River Landscape Poetry Road, as the main tour line of ancient Southern Zhejiang, carries unique beauty and poetic temperament. On the same day of the launching ceremony of 2021 “Focus on Zhejiang” International Culture Exchange Activities, the experience group “Admiring the Fascinating Scenery along the Oujiang River Poetry Road” composed of the envoys of friendship to “Picturesque Zhejiang” and foreign internet celebrities will receive the flag to start their journey. 

They will explore the towns and scenic spots along the Oujiang River Landscape Poetry Road, including exploring the Island of Chinese poetry Jiangxinyu Island, visiting the City’s Study, night tour to Wuma Street, and experiencing movable-type printing at Yongjia Academy and fairs in ancient villages. Members of the tour will present the cultural richness and natural beauty of Zhejiang through their respective platforms.

In order to ensure that people’s communication is not interrupted, the Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism has successively hosted in the past year a series of online and offline theme exchanges events including but not limited to "A Show to the World—'Picturesque Zhejiang’, Overseas Promotion of Golden Name of Zhejiang Culture and Tourism”, “The Waterborne Kingdom — Online Exhibition of Liangzhu Civilization”, “Ten Thousands of Japanese Tourists Visiting Picturesque Zhejiang” and  “A Dialogue between Picturesque Zhejiang and the World--Traveling in Zhejiang”, which have received positive responses. Since the launch of the first edition of “Focus on Zhejiang” International Culture Exchange Activities last year, seven institutions were listed as the first batch of provincial-level international culture exchange bases, and 31 international friends became envoys of friendship to "Picturesque Zhejiang". "Focus on Zhejiang" has grown into a mature IP and a brand-new platform for foreign exchange in our province.

(Edited by Ye Ke)