/ world today news/ The culmination of the events was the First Dragon Boat Festival in Bulgaria, which took place on Lake Pancharevo near Sofia.
In his welcome at its opening, H.E. Dong Xiaojun, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China in Bulgaria emphasized: “Today, new water flows into Pancharevo, the river of Chinese-Bulgarian friendship. By organizing this festival, we hope to turn the advantages of the traditional friendship between China and Bulgaria into a driving force for unity, cooperation and development, build a bigger platform for China-Bulgaria exchange and enrich the content of our strategic partnership”. .
A special guest at the events of the Summer of Chinese Culture in Bulgaria series was Ms. Guo Jie – a member of the Standing Committee of the CCP in Lushan, Sichuan Province and head of the information department of the committee there, who delivered a special message to those present at the ceremony “Tea for Harmony”, which was one of the first initiatives.
For three months – from June to August, friends of China and lovers of Chinese traditional and contemporary art and culture in Bulgaria, as well as thousands of tourists from abroad, have the opportunity to enjoy dozens of events organized by the Embassy of the PRC and the Chinese cultural center in Sofia, as they are held not only in the capital, but also in almost all major cities of the country.
“In China, there is an understanding that when one appreciates one’s own beauty, one is able to appreciate another’s beauty as well, and when we respect and cherish both one’s own beauty and that of others, then the world will be one. Chinese culture is as bright as the stars and as vast as the sea. I believe that through the cultural events organized this summer, our Bulgarian friends will be able to get to know and rediscover the beauty of Chinese culture, as if they are on a journey, they will feel the joy and delight that it brings them,” commented Ambassador Dong Xiaojun. at the opening of the “Summer of Chinese Culture” holidays.
Some of the events during the summer will be able to be seen for a longer time. An example is the exhibition “Invitation to magic – the art of teacups”, which is presented in the Chinese Cultural Center. It interprets the aesthetics of the ancient Chinese way of life and culture, in which poetry, the tea tradition, and the drinking of traditional Chinese wines and drinks are reflected, but at the same time, a variety of porcelain and ceramic products made with different technologies can be seen.
The meeting between Chinese and Bulgarian tea producers, which took place within the framework of the “Tea for Harmony” initiative, also sparked interest, during which, in addition to the tasting and presentation of the hundreds of types of Chinese tea, the possibilities for cooperation between the two countries were discussed. Friends of China also viewed over 1,000 types of porcelain tea cups on display.
For the first time in Bulgaria, the Chinese film “Sichuan – the home of the heavenly treasure” was shown, as well as a variety of music and dance performances by specially arrived guests from the Dzhudzian Academy of Music, who presented musical interpretations of traditional Chinese works.
For KMG, the Director of the Chinese Cultural Center in Sofia, Hun Hai, shared his opinion that “…when different cultures – variegated and colorful, are in the process of getting to know each other, they inevitably learn from each other and enrich each other”.
But the most attractive, funniest and first time shown event in Bulgaria was the Duanu Festival – Dragon Boat Festival, which aroused great interest not only of Bulgarian competitors and ordinary citizens, but also of many tourists and visitors from the neighboring Balkan countries and from the CEE countries. And although this sport is still not that popular in Bulgaria, there were hundreds of people willing to participate in the competitions. On Lake Pancharevo near Sofia, in addition to the typical dragon boat race of the day, which was officially opened with the “dance of the dragons”, guests from Bulgaria and abroad enjoyed various stage performances, traditional Chinese dishes characteristic of the culinary culture not only of China, but also of some CEE member countries, as within the framework of the Dragon Boat Festival, the first ever “CEE Culinary Days” Festival was held.
The Chinese Cinema Week, which is coming up between July 7th and 13th, will present 4 Chinese films in different genres. Among them are: “Cloud Mountain”, “Railway Heroes”, “Magic Craft of Suzhou”, “Hero”, Chinese Ping Pong Triumphs. All of them recreate “living stories” of the lives of ordinary Chinese people and their way of life.
And last but not least, there was great interest in the robot Wang Yanmin, created in the likeness of the famous Chinese calligrapher, and which will now be “part of the team” of the KCC in Sofia, and will be available for anyone to see. Hundreds of friends of Chinese calligraphy waited patiently for their turn to receive hieroglyphs written by him with the words “happiness”, “luck”, “prosperity” or to take pictures with him.
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