Tibetan culture to take center stage

The 2014 Canada China Tibetan Culture Week opens Sunday evening at the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Vancouver. More than 400 dignitaries attended and were treated to a performance (above) of The Spirit of Tibet. Events featuring folk songs, art and film will take place in Canada from Nov 2-15. Danwei Bu / For China Daily

Vancouver kicked off Tibetan Culture Week with a grand opening ceremony at the downtown Fairmont Hotel on Sunday.

More than 400 guests, government and media representatives attended the party. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was followed by a 20-minute preview of upcoming performances and events.

The 2014 Canada China Tibetan Culture Week will take place in Vancouver, Ottawa and Toronto from Nov 2-15.

Doje Cezhug, vice-chairman of the Tibet autonomous region; Teresa Wat, British Columbia's minister of international trade, who is also responsible for Asia Pacific strategy and multiculturalism; Lu Guangjin, director-general of the State Council Information Office of China; Geoff Meggs, acting mayor of the City of Vancouver, and Mao Runlong, acting consul general of China in Vancouver were among the dignitaries in attendance.

"British Columbia and Tibet have one thing in common - both of us have ethnically diverse communities," said Wat, who spoke of her enthusiasm for the upcoming presentation of art, songs and dances.

Cezhug said the event will provide Canadians an opportunity to "walk close to Tibet" and to appreciate its cultural charms. He also welcomed Canadians to travel to Tibet to experience the beauty of its landscape and the vitality of its contemporary development.

The first Canada China Tibetan Culture Week was held in Toronto in 2002, with a series of cultural appreciation activities specifically designed for the Canadian people.

This year's Culture Week will feature Tibetan performers, painters and filmmakers. The show is organized by the State Council Information Office of China, the government of Tibet autonomous region, the Chinese Embassy in Canada, and the Consulate General of China in Vancouver and Toronto, along with local organizers, including the Association of Chinese Cultural Promotion-Canada.

"A friend of mine made a movie about Tibet," said Michael Harding, a guest at the event. "I am very interested in the culture, the music, the dance, and the art - especially the thangka. I would really love to go there in the future."

John Donnelly, whose company organized several large-scale Chinese culture-related events in Vancouver and is also helping to organize Tibetan Culture Week, said the event will show why Tibet "is definitely a great place to visit".

Craig Amundsen, another staff member from the company, is looking forward to learning about current life in Tibet through films and performances.

The Culture Week features three main parts: the Glamorous Tibet folk song and dance show; the Inspiration from Plateau painting and thangka exhibition; and the Journey to the Roof of the World Tibetan film festival.

The folk song and dance performance will be at the Centre for Performing Arts on Nov 3 and at the River Rock Show Theatre Nov 4. Performers from the renowned Tibetan Lhoka Art Troupe will perform in colorful traditional costumes but with a modern interpretation. The painting and Thangka exhibition will open Nov 5 at the University of British Columbia's Asian Centre Auditorium. The film festival, a new aspect of the event, will feature three films: Roof of the World, Thangka and Dekyi Metok.

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