Text/Dong Guangqiang
Bonjour means "hello" in French, and in the past few days, Shandong, as a major cultural province and economic province, has said "Bonjour" to romantic Paris, France......
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, and China and France have continuously deepened cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, culture and achieved fruitful results. From May 1st to May 12th, the 2024 Paris International Exposition will be held in Paris. CIPG (China International Communication Group) was invited to participate in the exhibition and held a series of activities such as "Encountering China - Chinese Culture Theme Exhibition" and "Sino-French Dialogue on Promoting Exchanges and Mutual Learning among Civilizations". On the morning of May 1, local time, the Yellow River Cultural Exhibition, sponsored by the China Public Relations Association and the Information Office of the Shandong Provincial People's Government, and undertaken by Shandong Radio and Television Station and Shandong International Communication Center, made a wonderful appearance.
The Yellow River is the mother river of the Chinese nation. In recent years, important progress has been made in the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin, which has attracted extensive attention from the international community. This year coincides with the 120th anniversary of the establishment of the Paris International Exposition in France, and it is of great significance to choose all these points of the Yellow River culture to let the world understand the magnificence and charm of the Yellow River.
How to tell the story of the Yellow River meeting the Seine?
Focusing on the theme of "Nine Songs of the Yellow River, One Tradition", the Yellow River Cultural Exhibition Area highlights the three characteristics of regional branding, digital presentation and international expression in the overall design.
The regionalized brand is mainly reflected in the theme of focusing on the Yellow River culture not only in Shandong, but also along the nine provinces (regions) along the Yellow River. Whether it is a video exhibition or an object exhibition, they are both different and complementary. For example, the dragon head handicrafts made by Shandong Weifang craftsmen are carefully hung, implying the prosperity of the dragon and symbolizing Shandong's efforts to raise the "dragon head" of the high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin.
In recent years, Shandong has made every effort to build a regional public brand of "Hospitality Shandong, Good Product Shandong". The Yellow River Cultural Exhibition specially exhibited a lot of good products from Shandong, including the "Jiaolong" manned submersible model, China National Heavy Duty Truck model and other major heavy equipment, as well as Boshan glazed phoenix peacock bottle, luodian lacquerware, Heze peony and other intangible cultural heritage handmade products. In addition, it also jointly displays the iconic intangible cultural heritage and cultural and creative products along the Huangjiu provinces (regions), such as Qinghai blue embroidered purse, Sichuan silver filigree butterfly pendant, Gansu Tianshui carved lacquer jewelry box, etc., to show the unique charm of the Yellow River culture to visitors outside the exhibition.
Digital presentation is a major feature of this event. The on-site LED screen rotates a number of documentaries and short videos such as "The Continent of the River", "The Story of the Yellow River", "Let the Traditional Culture "Tide"" and "Inspiring the Yellow River" carefully produced by Shandong Radio and Television Station and Shandong International Communication Center, presenting the natural beauty, cultural beauty and historical beauty of the Yellow River. The video has not only the ultimate footage shot in a long-term squatting position, but also the creative footage generated by innovative forms and AI technology. The immersive L screen creates a romantic atmosphere of "the water of the Yellow River comes from the sky", which attracted many guests to "check in".
The Yellow River Cultural Exhibition is another appearance on the international stage after the establishment of Shandong International Communication Center in November 2023 and the promotion activities held in South Korea and Japan. International expression is naturally an unavoidable topic. In addition to the ingenuity in the construction design, all the videos on the exhibition use Chinese and French bilingual subtitles, which is convenient for French friends to experience intuitively. At the same time, it is also released simultaneously on overseas social platforms to enhance the appeal of international communication. The short video "River Harmony" focuses on Louis, a French student studying and working in Shandong. He is also an authentic Yantai son-in-law, and the picture of his son reciting "The Yellow River Flows into the Sea" in the video is very warm, and it can be said that Louis's story is the epitome of the friendship between the Chinese and French peoples.
France is the first major Western country to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China at the ambassadorial level, and Sino-French relations have long been at the forefront of Sino-Western relations. The "Sino-French spirit" of independence, mutual understanding, foresight, mutual benefit and win-win results allows us to be "friendly neighbors" even though we are separated by mountains and seas. The Brittany region of France is the first provincial-level sister city established by Shandong in a European country. Since 1985, the cooperation between the two sides has been deepening and the friendship has been deepening.
Last year, the famous French musician Jean Nuo wrote the song "I'm going to Shandong" especially for Shandong, which was impressive. In recent years, Shandong has strengthened the external propaganda work of the "five friends" of sister cities, schools, enterprises, media and friends, and actively built a "circle of friends" and "partner groups" around the world. From May 2nd to 12th, Shandong International Communication Center will successively hold theme day activities such as "Yujian" Beautiful Village, "Yujian" Traditional Chinese Medicine Culture, and Yanhuang Partner Day, bringing friends at home and abroad to appreciate the love of the Yellow River in Jiuqu, and telling the story of China's development and opportunities in an international language.
The natural choice of taste buds makes "sister cities" more connected, the same frequency resonance of youth makes "sister schools" know each other better, open development opportunities make "friend enterprises" more close, cultural exchanges make "friend media" more integrated, and the two-way flow of the soul makes "friends" more connected...... On May 4th, Shandong International Communication Center and Lightning News will also plan to launch a global live broadcast of "The Yellow River Meets the Seine", which will take you to experience the wonderful "blending" between the Yellow River in China and the Seine River in France, and witness the Sino-French friendship that has gone through a long time.
The two major civilizations of China and France have become models of exchanges and mutual learning between Eastern and Western civilizations. The Yellow River meets the Seine River, which is a romantic encounter and a beautiful expectation. Welcome more and more French friends to Shandong to experience the cultural charm of "one mountain, one water and one saint", appreciate the hard core power of high-quality development, and witness the fashion vitality of Sino-foreign cultural exchanges......