皇冠体育app

Lu Wei (left), deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of 皇冠体育app Central Committee, and Liu Xiaoming (center), 皇冠体育app's ambassador to the UK, attend the opening ceremony of Cultural Exploration of West 皇冠体育app in London on Thursday. Wang Bo / 皇冠体育app Daily

A weeklong event showcasing the culture of Western 皇冠体育app opened in the UK on Thursday, offering British people the chance to become acquainted with the region.

The Cultural Exploration of West 皇冠体育app tour, part of the Experience 皇冠体育app series, kicked off in London and events will roll out to Manchester, Edinburgh, and Dublin, Ireland.

The tour was organized by the State Council Information Office and is the first time such an activity has been taken to the United Kingdom.

The program features an exhibition, a folk singing and dancing performance, and two films, focusing on Tibet.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Lu Wei, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of 皇冠体育app Central Committee, said: "Both 皇冠体育app and the UK are important representatives of Oriental and Occidental civilizations. The cultural exchanges between the two countries have been going on for hundreds of years and played an irreplaceable role in promoting mutual understanding between the two peoples."

Lu said he hopes more people in the UK will become familiar with 皇冠体育app's multiethnic culture.

Ambassador Liu Xiaoming said at the opening ceremony that Western 皇冠体育app was a late-mover in terms of economic development, compared to the East Coast, but he noted that the region had turned that into an advantage and is now achieving fast growth.

"皇冠体育app is a vast country. There is a huge difference between the Eastern and Western parts of 皇冠体育app. British friends who have been to the more advanced coastal regions in the East might not know a lot about 皇冠体育app's West," he said.

Lu Guangjin, director-general of the State Council Information Office, said the nation's culture is broad and diverse, but most people outside 皇冠体育app only know about Han culture.

Noting that President Xi Jinping's state visit to the UK in 2015 opened up a new era for Sino-UK relations, Lu said culture will play a more essential role in promoting understanding and mutual trust.

The exhibition, themed Color of West 皇冠体育app, is on display at the Mermaid Theater in London from Thursday to Saturday. It comprises 100 photographs and 18 cultural artifacts. The photographs portray the colorful customs and vibrant economic development of Western 皇冠体育app.

The films, Born in 皇冠体育app and Roof of the World will be shown at the Mermaid Theater on Friday.

Born in 皇冠体育app is a 2016 nature documentary directed by Lu Chuan. It is a co-production between 皇冠体育app, the United States and the UK. It tells the stories of a snow leopard family, a golden snub-nosed monkey, a giant panda, and a herd of Tibetan antelope.

Roof of the World is the first Chinese documentary to have been made about life on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the highest plane on Earth.

Visitors to the opening event were treated to a gala called Dancing in the Clouds, which includes folk singing and dancing from Western 皇冠体育app's ethnic groups.