Legends, Romanian traditions and garb, presented to the China Young Cultural Ambassadors

The legend of Manole the craftsman, Miorita, the Romanian garb, traditions and churches, Bran and Peles Castles, were presented on Thursday to the members of the China Young Cultural Ambassadors (CYCA), within an event at the Romanian Cultural Institute (ICR). 

"We talked to them about these things because they are the foundation of our soul, they are tied to the way we view life's events - wedding, death, etc. I hope that now they will better understand the way we think and the way we want to be perceived by those around us," declared for AGERPRES, Sinologist Adrian Lupeanu, who held a lecture in Chinese, about Romania. 

He mentioned that he chose to speak to them about the tradition of "Martisor". "I thought about presenting to them a Romanian traditional holiday and I chose "Martisor" because they will not meet it in other cultures, only perhaps in the Balkan area. I presented to them our castles, our churches, the Table of Silence and the Endless Column of Brancusi. I told them to visit as much as possible in Romania. To go and see our churches, to better understand the Romanian soul," the scholar said. 

In his turn, the head of the Programs General Direction through Representations and in the Historic Communities within the ICR, Irina Ionescu, the host of the event, reminded that the Romanian Cultural Institute has had, since 2015, in Beijing, a very "active representation which hosts numerous cultural events." 

"This visit is yet another piece of evidence that the purpose of having our country, civilization and culture known in China has been fulfilled and we are still on the right path. We want our projects in China to attract as many people as possible, and the collaborations, like today's, with these very young ambassadors of Chinese culture, to bring results that are at least as good as until now. For 2019, ICR Beijing prepared numerous projects of promoting Romanian music, theatre and film, alongside the yearly programs, namely the Romanian Cinematheque, Greater Romanians. The culture, art and national identity will continue to be promoted in China within the Beijing International Book Fair, where Romania was appointed the country of honor next year," said Irina Ionescu. 

A delegation of the Organization of China Young Cultural Ambassadors visited the ICR headquarters on Thursday. The delegation comprised 10 children from 3 cities - Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzen, with ages ranging from 8 to 14 years, the ICR headquarters of Bucharest being the last stage of a tour of Romania which included visits to Oradea, Cluj Napoca, Sibiu and Bran. 

Within the event in the Capital, the children took part in a concert in both Chinese and Romanian language, performed by the "Allegretto" choir. 

ICR Beijing presented projects in partnership with the Organization of China Young Cultural Ambassadors from the beginning of the institute's inauguration, in July 2015. Through the means of the Organization of China Young Cultural Ambassadors, ICR Beijing presented to the children and teenagers information about Romanian culture, the members of the organization thus being a loyal audience of the events of the institute in China's capital.