(September 10, 2019, Zagreb Youth Theatre)
Assistant Minister of Culture of Croatia, Mrs. Iva Hraste Sočo,
Director of Zagreb Youth Theatre, Mrs. Snjezana Abramovic Milkovic,
Mr. Zhao Liang,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good evening!
I am very happy to attend the premier of “Martial Dance” in Croatia. Here I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to this event and welcome all the guests present. I also wish to express my appreciation to the Croatian Ministry of Culture, Zagreb City Government and Zagreb Youth Theatre for the great support for this event.
The “Martial Dance” performance we are about to enjoy is a perfect blend of “dance” and “martial arts”, which in Chinese characters share the same pronunciation as “Wu”. 10 artists will perform Taichi, Zhaquan as well as broadsword play, spear play, cudgel play and sword play, showing the extensive and profound Chinese martial art through the medium of modern dance, so that you can experience the perfect integration and dynamic balance of the hard and soft, yin and yang, departing and emerging, beginning and ending of Chinese culture.
This performance is one of the programmes of the Year of Culture and Tourism between China and Croatia, which was launched by Croatian Prime Minister Plenković and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang when he paid his official visit to Croatia and attended the 8th Summit of Heads of Governments of China and Central and Eastern European Countries this April. Since the beginning of this year, a variety of splendid culture and tourism events and activities have been held. Last week, the Ivan Goran Kovačić Folk Ensemble just finished their touring performance in China. By their folk dances, the Croatian boys and girls have granted an opportunity to Chinese audience to feel the charm of Croatian art at close range. There is a Chinese saying which is “friendship cannot stand always on one side”. That’s the reason why today we have the ZHAO Liang Dance Studio. And this month “Enthusiasm for Ink Wash Painting, the China National Academy of Painting’s Ink Wash Painting Art Exhibition” is also exhibited in Dubrovnik. So many events have continuously pushed the Year of Culture and Tourism between China and Croatia to a climax.
“A bosom friend afar brings distant lands near.” Although China and Croatia are separated by thousands of miles, the past and the present bind us together. Now the relations between our two countries has entered one of the best periods in history. Besides the increasingly frequent political exchanges and the deepened economic and trade cooperation, cultural exchanges play an irreplaceable role. Both China and Croatia have rich history and cultural heritage. I believe that as the people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between the two sides continue to increase, the friendship and affections between our two peoples will be deepened.
Ladies and gentlemen,
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. In this 70 years, China not experienced only rapid economic development, but also evoked unprecedented vitality and enthusiasm for dialogue with the world in the field of culture and art. I believe that Croatian people will experience the beauty of Chinese pioneer art and the charm of Oriental traditional culture from this performance, so as to deepen your understanding of China and enhance our friendship. The artists not only bring the Martial Dance to Croatia but also bring the best wishes of the Chinese people toward the people of Croatia.
In the end, I wish this performance a complete success! Thank you!