“2021-22 Korea-China Year of Cultural Exchange,” a campaign jointly organized by the governments of both countries, ended on Dec. 28.
At the livestreamed closing ceremony, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Park Bo Gyoon, Ambassador to Beijing Chung Jae-ho, and Chinese Minister of Culture and Tourism Hu Heping celebrated the successful completion of the two-year campaign and presented the results of bilateral cultural exchange over the last two years.
The program’s opening ceremony was held last year on Sept. 15 in Seoul, after which the two countries hosted a range of cultural events under the slogan “Friendship Shared through Culture, Partnership Opening the Future” (unofficial translation).
This year on Aug. 24, which marked the 30th anniversary of bilateral relations, the culture ministries of both countries jointly hosted a concert online featuring each side’s traditional music.
In October, young artists from both sides staged the creative play “Moonlight Evening Toward One Path” (unofficial translation) at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul’s Jung-gu District. And last month, pianists Sunwoo Yekwon of Korea and Lang Lang of China put on a joint performance of classical pieces at Seoul Arts Center in the city’s Seocho-gu District.
Both countries also conducted online exchanges amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
From January to March, they hosted a virtual cultural tour featuring regional cultures in both countries; online exchange for Korean and Chinese contemporary artists from August to October; and bilateral events such as exchanges in tourism and of writers of children’s books and talks on intellectual property.
At the closing ceremony, Minister Park said, “This meaningful period built a ‘cultural bridge’ that expanded bilateral relations in culture and arts,” adding, “We will support various policies to allow people in both countries, especially the younger generation, to share their curiosity in each other’s culture.”
Source: Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism