Cultural Center promotes clearer understanding

He noted that cities have been keen working with the center for tourism promotions while Spanish intellectuals are proactive in exchanging ideas on current affairs. Spanish publishing houses have been keen on presenting China-related books and electronic materials to the center. Moncada also said Spanish professionals she knows are eager for exchanges, particularly about China's happenings at the present time and their thinking about today's world.

More artists, scholars, and researchers like to talk with one another either face to face, or via web chat.

"The Spanish will be more interested in the views of famous figures from China about their own country's development today," Moncada said. "It will be beneficial to increase the interaction between both during the center's activities".

Moncada has stayed in China for about eight years and obtained a doctoral degree in Chinese political thinking at Fudan University in Shanghai. In Spain she has been working intensively for Spain-China exchanges.

"The exchanges are passing mutual feelings on China among the public and let more people know and even love China," she said. The more you learn of China the more you want to learn and the more affectionate you become toward China".

She noted that although China has different social values to countries in the West, the Chinese culture has been inclusive and China has taken an open attitude toward the rest of the world, taking in many aspects of Western culture in the past decades and making rapid changes, which have benefited peoples of both countries.

Many Spanish have expressed admiration for China through arts or business, noted Xinyi Tao, chief executive and editor-general of El Mandarin, a bilingual publication by Ouhua Communications Group of Spain.

Whatever trade one is involved in, either in arts, business, commodities or catering outlets, "the Chinese have to refine and perfect their end products by absorbing local elements and polishing their image affected by cheap and low-grade commodities," said Tao. "That will be conducive to the acknowledgement of Spanish-speaking peoples if one can locate the exact meeting point between different Chinese and Spanish cultures".