Britain's Prince William has recently been making the headlines with news of a second baby. But today, HRH made his first visit to China, accompanied, not by his wife Kate, but by a new-found love.
Coinciding with the Chinese zodiac year of the sheep, Prince William and his re-animated darling together kicked off the first China-UK Year of Cultural Exchange. |
Almost as white as snow, Shaun the Sheep awakens to Prince Charming, HRH, the Duke of Cambridge. Coinciding with the Chinese zodiac year of the sheep, Prince William and his re-animated darling together kicked off the first China-UK Year of Cultural Exchange.
The year comprises two seasons of culture--a UK season in China from March until July, and a Chinese season in the UK in the second half of the year. Both will see a carefully curated series of contemporary, adventurous, multi-disciplinary and innovative works, highlighting modern cultural creativity.
The past two years have been marked by a surge of high-level exchange between China and the UK, demonstrating closer relations between the two countries. Yet, how will the arts and creative industries help deepen the relationship.
CCTV talked to Mr. Sajid Javid, UK's Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sports for more insights.
Q1: China and the UK have demonstrated a close relationship in the past two years. In what ways is the UK-China Year of the Cultural Exchange going to help deepen the relations?
Q2: Traditionally, cultural exchanges have taken the track of swapping traditional arts and crafts, but the focal point of THIS is on modern cultural creativity. What are you hoping to achieve by putting the emphasis on creativity?
Q3: Tell us a little bit about the Great Festival of Creativity.
Q4: If a country's economic and political prowess can be measured in GDP, and in its ability to set the rules of the game among nations, how would you measure a country's cultural prestige?
That's exactly what Prince William hopes to achieve through his visit to China. Following a tour of the Forbidden City, the prince will head over to Shanghai for the Great Festival of Creativity between March 2nd through the 4th which showcases UK innovation in sectors such as fashion, luxury, health, technology, education and entertainment.