NPC deputies: Culture connects Yunnan to the world

In 2011, Smile Of Angkor, a made-in-Yunnan artistic performance show, was launched in Cambodia. It was the first program of the state-owned art troupe in China to perform in a foreign country. To date, it has been performed more than 2,000 times, generating a total revenue of 200 million yuan.

Awarded by the Cambodian Government, the program was seen as “a model of Chinese culture going global” by China’s Ministry of Culture. The Chinese enterprise invested to set up a stage for Cambodian actors to perform, so that audiences from all over the world can appreciate the beauty of Cambodian culture.

Such practice benefits others and is for all to share. “Sharing” is a key word in the Belt and Road Initiative, because the initiative follows the principle of achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration and aims to build a community of shared future for mankind.

Through localization, Smile Of Angkor brings China closer to Cambodian folks, said Tao Chun, deputy of the Chinese National People's Congress (NPC), who is also an art director of Yunnan Culture Industry Investment Holding Co, Ltd. and the chief director of the program.

Under the Belt and Road Initiative, Yunnan is China’s pivot of opening up to South and Southeast Asia, and culture can play a leading role in facilitating people-to-people ties. Only by strengthening cultural exchanges and cooperation, can the Belt and Road Initiative take root and result in fruitful outcomes.

Li Guowei, inheritor of Yongzi (Go pieces in Southwest Yunnan’s Baoshan City), is also a NPC deputy. Li believes that Weiqi (the Go game) is a Chinese national treasure, as well as a signature of Chinese civilization and wisdom. Yongzi carries forward excellent Chinese traditional culture, being our precious cultural resource and cultural brand.

“Yongzi is a cultural and sports brand that China brings to the world. By digging deeper into the cultural, tourism, sports, and economic values embodied in Yongzi, we will find Yongzi conducive to enriching the taste and connotation of Chinese culture. The Go pieces display the positive image of China’s opening to the outside world, so that people all over the world learn and understand the essence of Chinese culture.”

In the eyes of Fan Yongzhen, a deputy of the National People's Congress and the deputy director of the Lijiang City Cultural Center, Yunnan culture’s going global requires an effective integration of traditions with the culture of countries and regions along the Belt and Road. 

“Through cultural innovation, we create and form rich and varied cultural boutiques.” Fan Yongzhen said that they must cultivate branded cultural products in the “inviting in” and “going global” process, paying attention to the use of innovative means of communication and carriers, passing on the “Belt and Road” cultural spirit, and giving a strong pull to Yunnan’s opening up to the outside world.

Editor: Wang Shixue