First US-China Forum on Arts And Culture Held

Last November 17， China’s National Center for the Performing Arts witnessed a sparkling and glamorous show put on by well-known Chinese and American artists attending the First US-China Forum on the Arts and Culture. Among them were the Oscar Award winner Meryl Streep， the famous cellist of Chinese origin Yo-Yo Ma， film director Joel Coen， winner at the Cannes Film Festival of award for direction as well as a BAFTA award and two Oscars， the world renowned female writer of Chinese origin and author of The Joy Luck Club Amy Tan， the 45-time Emmy Awards winner and television producer David Fanning， the American historian specializing in Chinese history Jonathan Spence， photographer of the Magnum PhotosSusan Meiselas， the famous painter Eric Fischl， winners of the Best Leading Actor of the China Golden Rooster Award Ge You and Liu Ye， the well-known directors Lu Chuan and He Ping， Chinese famous painters Xu Bing and Liu Xiaodong， and the well-known journalists Zhang Yu and Cheng Gang.

The four-day forum was jointly organized by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries， and the Asia Society and the Aspen Institute of the United States.

State Councilor Liu Yandong Meeting the US Artists

Chinese State Councilor Liu Yandong met with the US Artists Delegation before the opening ceremony. She said: “China， a country with a history of 5，000 years， is one of the world’s oldest civilizations. Its splendid culture not only belongs to China but also to the world as an important contribution to human civilization. The United States is a young country full of vitality. It has created a unique and influential culture in the 300 years of its development. Culture transcends national boundaries. It can serve as a bridge for mutual understanding between our two peoples. The Chinese and the American people can deepen mutual understanding and enhance their friendship through cultural exchanges. It will not only benefit both peoples， but also play a very important role in the development of bilateral relations and the cultural development of the world.”

Liu Yandong spoke highly of the forum， referring it as a pioneering mechanism and constructive platform for arts and cultural exchanges. It should continue to be held and endeavor to attract more personages from cultural circles as well as ordinary people， especially the young， to promote bilateral friendship. She hoped Chinese and American artists would use their influence and actively participate in and push forward cultural exchanges， contributing their wisdom and efforts to the cause of friendship and the development of Sino-US relations.

New Highlight of Sino-US Cultural Exchanges

Chinese and American artists held discussions in the panels about such themes as Growing Up in Two Worlds， Director’s View: The Challenge of Film Making， Food as Culture: Attitudes on Food and Sustainability， Culture Commerce: The Arts and the Marketplace， The Power of Narrative Story Telling: Covering the World through Photography， Film and Print， On Film and Performing: The Actor’s Perspective. They shared with each other the present situation of the related areas in their countries and exchanged views on possibility of cooperation. Through discussions they deepened understanding of each other’s cultures.

Recalling his own experiences， Yo-Yo Ma said that， at first he just wanted to grow up， later he wanted to be a musician， and only finally did he decide to become a cellist. He had felt much confused by the world around him since childhood， and tried to find answers. He had never had a specific goal towards which he could work. However， he always had a great love for humanity and eventually found that music was the best choice to express his feelings. He believed that one should not make judgments on different cultures but simply try to understand their core values. Music had always been his way of interpreting the confused affairs of the world.

At the food culture panel， Dr. Shi Yan， a pioneer of China’s Community Supported Agriculture， said the concept of “modern agriculture” today differed fundamentally from the earlier concept of “agriculture modernization”. It not only referred to agriculture， but also included multifunctional features such as carrying on the heritage of culture and tradition， environmental sustainability， etc.

At the film discussion， Director Joel Coen said， “The American film industry is quite broad， with different facets allowing people like myself and my brother to make the kind of movies we want… American filmmakers are both curious about Chinese culture and Chinese movies， but they are also interested in being able to show their own movies.”

Writer Mark Danner said culture and arts did not refer to music and arts alone; they influenced a country way of expression in the world arena and its interaction with other countries and perceptions of the world. China and the U.S. had different historical backgrounds but had common and specific interests. It was necessary to uncover these common interests and achieve better mutual understanding based on them. Cultural differences sometimes blinded people to the existence of common factors， so that cultural exchanges were very important. The more these occurred the deeper would be the exploration of their common characteristics， so that misunderstanding and barriers caused by cultural differences could gradually be removed.

Documentary director David Fanning said the purpose of the forum was to create a starting point and a convergence， and through arts find grounds for exchanges and the discovery of common interests. Especially in today’s world， with its gloomy economic situations， China and the U.S. needed to make even more efforts to seek common ground while reserving differences， so that temporary conflict of interests would not keep them apart. Culture as part of the exchanges represented an important step towards understanding and consensus.

The Chinese and American artists spoke frankly and what they said showed personal charms and their care for arts and humanity. The sparks of wisdom appearing in their eloquent speeches and good humor brought about meaningful enlightenment.

Besides the panels， the forum also included two film screenings of True Gift directed by Joel Coen and The Iron Lady with Meryl Streep as the leading actress， and the closing concert A Musical Dialogue performed by Yo-Yo Ma， Wu Tong among other Chinese and American artists at the concert hall of the National Center for the Performing Arts.

During the panel discussions， film screenings and the concert， the interactions between the audience and the artists were free and enthusiastic， filled with applause and laughter and showing mutual understanding and appreciation. The US-China Forum on the Arts and Culture has attracted over 100 Chinese and foreign media， and an audience of more than 3，000.