The year 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the European Union, and also the 10th anniversary of the founding of the China Cultural Center in Brussels. Over the past 50 years, China and the EU have continuously enhanced political mutual trust and deepened mutually beneficial cooperation; meanwhile, over the past decade, this small center has also become an important garden for China-EU cultural exchange and deepening understanding.
Brussels, the capital of Belgium, is the "crossroads of Europe" and also the seat of the EU headquarters. The China Cultural Center in Brussels is located within the core EU administrative district. This means that among those attending the center's events are not only local Belgian residents but also many staff members from EU headquarters institutions. Gong Yi, Director of the China Cultural Center in Brussels, stated that this places a greater responsibility on the center. They hope through various efforts to disseminate excellent Chinese culture in ways more easily understood by locals, enabling more Europeans to understand and fall in love with Chinese culture through this platform, thereby enhancing China-EU friendship.
New Year Concert enjoys high popularity
Cultures may differ, but art knows no borders. Every year during the Chinese New Year period, the Center organizes events, inviting locals to watch an edited version of the CCTV Spring Festival Gala. "The dance performances with dynamic movements, or singing performances, and the more visually engaging ones, are especially well-received... They also put on their own impromptu performances," Gong added.
Gong also noted that the center's own New Year concert is one of its most popular events. In 2024, this event was fully booked immediately upon release. "We only had 150 seats available, and they were basically taken in seconds." Gong also revealed that an Italian lady once complained to the center after failing to register multiple times. Consequently, the center staff made a point to notify her early for future registrations.
At the New Year concert, foreign audiences enjoy performances combining Chinese traditional instruments like the erhu and yangqin with Western instruments, thereby experiencing the charm of traditional Chinese folk music.
Furthermore, the center's Chinese language classes, Qigong classes, Tai Chi classes, and calligraphy and painting classes also attract foreigners of different age groups. The center organizes participants into different classes based on their age and foundation. "The youngest students start at five or six, joining the children's classes. Then they grow up little by little together with the China Cultural Center, and later move on to the youth classes. This means they are growing up alongside our cultural center and Chinese culture."
Gong also mentioned that a female student who previously studied Chinese culture courses at the center has made "going to China to experience and study for half a year" an important next step in her life plan.
Telling China's story in a way 'foreigners can understand'
Since 2023, the China Cultural Center in Brussels has launched a series of Chinese storytelling lectures, held 2-3 times per year. Gong explained that this series primarily invites local Belgians with connections to China to personally share their stories, or invites domestic Chinese experts and scholars to explain specific cultural fields like Chinese cuisine or painting.
Gong gave an example: the center once invited the Belgian architect Nicolas Godelet, who participated in designing the Shougang Big Air ramp for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and is known as a "China hand," to share his story of connecting with China and his experiences living and working there. Simultaneously, the center also invited Godelet to serve as a translator for other lectures.
"Having lived in Beijing for more than a decade and with a deep understanding of Chinese culture, we had him step in as an impromptu translator, and it turned out remarkably well," Gong said.
The lecture series also unexpectedly catalyzed the incorporation of Chinese elements in Belgium. Eric Domb, founder and chairman of Pairi Daiza zoo, was captivated by the stories of the Monkey King, his mother told him as a child, fostering a strong curiosity about Chinese culture. He subsequently introduced giant pandas and golden snub-nosed monkeys from China to Pairi Daiza, aiming to educate more people in Belgium and Europe about Chinese culture. Through the lecture platform, Domb met Godelet. They hit it off immediately and began planning to design and build an exquisite Chinese village within the Pairi Daiza zoo.
Gong emphasized that cultural exchange has always followed the model of "the government provides the platform, and the people can put on the show." Against the backdrop of the steady advancement of the China-EU High-Level People-to-People Dialogue, the China Cultural Center in Brussels will leverage its unique geographical advantage to serve as a platform for European people to understand China and to enhance China-EU friendship.
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