“Belt and Road”Art Exhibition Opens in Beijing

An international art exhibition opened on July 25 at the National Art Museum of China， displaying nearly 200 pieces of art work by artists from China and other countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative.

The exhibition， organized by the China National Academy of Painting， displayed works crafted in various forms including traditional Chinese painting， oil painting， and sculpture.

All the art work is sponsored by the Academys international art project，“The Belt and Road，” which was initiated in 2014.

According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism， the exhibitions sponsor， the works featured were inspired by the rich landscapes and cultural customs of the countries along the Belt and Road.

Chinese Embassy in Thailand Awarded for Promoting Thai Language

Thailands Ministry of Culture awarded the title “Benefactor of Thai Language Use” to the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok on July 29， the day marking the National Thai Language Day.

In a statement released by the Ministry， the award is given to individuals or organizations who have made significant contributions to the promotion of the use of the Thai language.

The Thai governments Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration spokesman Taweesin Visanuyothin was also honored by the Ministry with this years special distinction， “Creative Use of Thai Language during a Crisis Situation，” for his role in the pandemic.

Chinese Nobel Laureate Mo Yan Publishes New Book

A Late Bloomer， Mo Yans first book after being awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2012， was recently published by the Peoples Literature Publishing House.

Breaking the boundary between reality and fantasy， Mo Yan sets the spotlight on ordinary people， and depicts life after winning the Nobel Prize with 12 separate stories in his new book.

Mo Yan is a prolific novelist. His well-known books include Red Sorghum， Frog， and Big Breasts and Wide Hips. Some of his works have been translated into foreign languages to reach a wider audience.

30th Medellin International Poetry Festival Begins Virtually

The 30th Medellin International Poetry Festival， one of the largest events of its kind in the world， opened virtually for the first time on August 1.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic， organizers launched the new digital version of the event through social media platforms like YouTube， which will be available until October 10.

Almost 200 guests from over 100 countries recited their works for thousands of online viewers this year.

Jidi Majia， a Chinese poet， read his poem “Split Open Planet，” composed after witnessing the rise of the pandemic， at the opening ceremony of the festival.

“In a difficult time for human beings， poets and poetry should undertake the noble mission of guiding the human spirit. We need to use poetry to break barriers and isolation， and make our contribution to building a more equitable， fair， and humane world，”said the Chinese poet during his opening speech.

Jidi Majias poetry has been translated into more than 20 languages and published for distribution in 30 countries.

Festive activities include interviews and conversations with guests， as well as concerts， panels， courses， and workshops， which， for the first time， can be viewed from anywhere in the world thanks to a digital platform capable of hosting hundreds of thousands of viewers.

Chinese Artists Join Concert to Celebrate the Reopening of New Zealands Historic Cathedral

The Old St. Pauls housewarming concert， also participated in by three Chinese artists， was held on August 1 in Wellington， capital of New Zealand， to welcome the reopening of one of the countrys oldest heritage locations.

The 154-year-old wooden cathedral was closed on May 3， 2019， in order to do some repair on it to strengthen it against earthquakes.

Featuring live performances and local food， over 600 locals gathered in the housewarming event to celebrate the end of the 15-month-long wait.

Combining classic Western music with traditional Chinese instruments， artists from the Wellington Chinese Cultural Center received a big round of applause from the audience.

Chinese artist Yan Shu presented the well-known Ave Maria with the Chinese flute， while Quarrelling with Myself， a duet of Erhu， a Chinese two-stringed musical instrument， and the Chinese flute， was performed by Zoe Li and Jeff Lin in a cheery， lighthearted rendition.

“It is a fascinating intersection of Eastern and Western cultures，”a listener from the audience Daniel Huang said.

The celebration also featured popular local musicians， including the New Zealand String Quartet， local baroque orchestra， and the Queens Closet.