site.btaFirst "Summer with Chinese Culture in Bulgaria" Unites Traditions, Art and Science

The first "Summer with Chinese Culture in Bulgaria" was presented on Thursday by Dong Xiaojun, Ambassador of China to Bulgaria, and diplomats.

The event has been taking place since the beginning of June and will last until the beginning of August. The programme offers a musical concert by Chinese countertenor Xiao Ma on Thursday evening and the first Dragon Boat Festival in Bulgaria on June 24 and 25. There will be tea ceremony salons, an exhibition of the magical art of tea cups, forums on museum cooperation, lectures on Chinese art and jazz music, an ethnic and folk dance show, a seminar on Chinese musical instruments, a film week, and a presentation of contemporary Chinese dance.

Ambassador Dong said: "There are many events during the cultural season, each one unique and an unforgettable experience. What this cultural season hopes to present is not just a cultural reenactment of antiquity, but the integration of traditional culture and modern aesthetics. It is not just a representation, but a thought collision and in-depth dialogue of bilateral, people-to-people relations and culture exchanges between China and Bulgaria."

The diplomat went on to note: "Chinese culture is as bright as a star from the firmament, as vast as the endless sea. What this cultural season can present is just a drop of the ocean. We will put our hearts into each and every event. And we hope that whether it is a poem, a photograph, a film, a piece of music, a dance, we will be able to provide a unique glimpse through which everyone can be touched by China and Chinese culture."

On Friday, the Chinese Cultural Centre will host a music workshop dubbed "Let's Get to Know Chinese Culture", under the guidance of Georgi Arnaudov and Assen Avramov and with the participation of countertenor Xiao Ma. Zhang Danfan will be on piano and Li Zhongzhi will play the instrument guzheng.

The exhibition "Invitation to Magic - Arts of Tea Cups" will open on June 20. Ceramic products baked on special wooden kilns, made from a specific purple clay from the Yixing region, will be presented. Also included is the famous white porcelain with blue patterns, as well as porcelain made by the reaction of soda with the high temperature of the kiln.

On June 21 at the Toplocentrala hall is a concert by the Chinese group Ling Remix, called "Enchantment from China," a mix of ethnic music and pop rhythms.

On June 21 and 22, the Chinese Cultural Centre will host a series of events under the motto "Tea for Harmony - A Cultural Salon" and a screening of documentaries by journalist and traveller Simeon Idakiev.

A meeting of Bulgarian and Chinese tea companies is planned on June 23.