From bears to ballet, ‘the doors to China are swinging open’

SCOTLAND and China have agreed a series of cultural agreements as part of First Minister Alex Salmond’s diplomatic trip to the Far East.

The SNP leader said the links were helping to open doors between the countries, bringing “lasting benefits”. His visit coincides with the arrival at Edinburgh Zoo of the two giant pandas, loaned from China.

Mr Salmond met Chinese vice-premier Li Keqiang to discuss further business links, and personally thanked him for sending the pandas Tian Tian and Yang Guang to Scotland.

The first of three memoranda of understanding commits the governments in Beijing and Edinburgh to greater exchange and collaboration across the arts, heritage and national collections.

The SNP leader also witnessed the signing of an agreement on the arts between Edinburgh International Festival and the China International Culture Association. Historic Scotland and China’s state administration of cultural heritage formally adopted a plan to digitally map the historic Eastern Qing Tombs, an ancient resting place for Chinese emperors.

Mr Salmond is on his third trip to China, having already discussed ways to strengthen links with China’s minister of culture, Cai Wu.

The First Minister said: “Since I met Mr Cai last year, the opportunities for increasing the scope and level of cultural exchanges between our two nations have multiplied.

“Across a wide range of cultural and heritage activities, doors are swinging open, enabling people in both countries to discover more about our respective cultures.

“These links add value to educational, scientific and business activities that can bring lasting benefits to Scotland and to China.”

Mr Salmond said the loan of the pandas and other cultural exchanges would help to “enhance mutual understanding”.

The National Ballet of China and Shanghai Peking Opera Troupe performed in Edinburgh this year. In 2009, Scottish Ballet toured China.

To mark the new agreement on culture and the arts, Scottish Opera and students from Beijing No 4 School performed an opera, Tale O Tam, based on the Burns poem Tam O’Shanter in a reception last night held to celebrate the cultural MoU.

Scottish Opera, which also performed at the Beijing Caledonian Society St Andrew’s Day Ball on Saturday, have been rehearsing with the pupils for the past week. It follows a similar Scottish Opera outreach workshop and performance in September, with the English Schools Foundation, of Bizet’s Carmen, at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.

Mr Salmond added: “Such examples of cultural exchange help to enhance mutual understanding between countries, creating an atmosphere of respect, trust and celebration.”

Jonathan Mills, director of the Edinburgh International Festival, said: “Having introduced festival audiences in Edinburgh to the stunning, astonishing and articulate performances of the National Ballet of China and the Shanghai Peking Opera Troupe in Festival 2011, we wish to maintain artistic links with China and deepen our relationship with this incredibly rich, diverse and profoundly important culture.”

Scottish Opera general director Alex Reedijk said: “Our work with No 4 School is a great illustration of the cultural collaboration our countries aspire to.

“We’ve been able to share our best practice in arts education, built up over 40 years, and have been impressed by the pupils’ commitment to achieving so much in such a short period of time.”

Lloyd Anderson, director of British Council Scotland, said: “With offices in five of China’s biggest cities, the British Council is uniquely placed to help build the cultural connections between Scotland and China, which we hope will flow from the memorandum of understanding.

“Just last week we hosted a nine-strong delegation of Chinese museum curators on a high-profile visit to a number of our top museums, including the new Riverside Museum of Transport in Glasgow and the refurbished National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

“We’re very hopeful the trip will result in more exhibitions from China coming to Scotland and vice-versa – a tangible expression of the kinds of links we can expect to see more of.

“And in 2012, the British Council is managing the exciting UK Now programme, the biggest-ever celebration of UK arts in China, which will include a significant contingent from Scotland.”

THREE DEALS

A MEMORANDUM of Understanding agreed between the Scottish Government and the ministry of culture of the People’s Republic of China covers all performing and visual arts, museums and collections, literature, publishing, film, crafts, built heritage and creative industries.

A separate Memorandum of Understanding was also agreed between Edinburgh International Festival and the China International Culture Association to expand artistic dialogue further.

A formal agreement was also signed between Historic Scotland and the Chinese State Administration of Cultural Heritage to incorporate the Eastern Qing Tombs, east of Beijing in Hebei province. into the “Scottish 10” digital mapping project.

Mr Salmond visited the tombs at the weekend.