'China Today' arts week held in South Australia

The "China Today" arts week was launched in Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, on Saturday in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Australia.

Co-hosted by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the Chinese embassy in Australia, the Consulate-General of China in Adelaide and the Adelaide Festival Center, the arts week runs till March 19.

It features an exhibition of ceramic artwork from China's Jiangxi province and paintings and prints from the northeastern Heilongjiang province.

The 50 items from Jingdezhen, a world-famous porcelain town in Jiangxi, were created by three generations of inheritors of an intangible cultural heritage, while the 39 works chosen from traditional Chinese paintings, oil paintings, prints, watercolor and other forms of art showed the scenery of northeastern China as well as people's life there.

Frances Adamson, governor of South Australia, said in her speech that having worked in China for years, she had developed an appreciation for Chinese art forms.

"Previously as a diplomat and now a governor, I have seen the important role the arts can play in diplomacy, and strengthening people-to-people relations," she said.

Douglas Gautier, CEO of the Adelaide Festival Center, noted that cultural collaboration between China and Australia helped enhance understanding between peoples.

"Our audiences here get to see those wonderful items. And equally, the whole cultural sector of Australia over years has been taking Australian artists to China," he added. "That collaboration is a positive thing."

"Culture works as a bridge," said Song Yanqun, minister-counselor for culture at the Chinese embassy in Australia.

He believed that the exhibition, launched for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties and during the Chinese Lunar New Year, had special significance, hoping that many Australian people could visit.