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Peace and Harmony Along the Silk Road

ByTan Xingyu

Through cultural exchange and calligraphy, CIPG Vice President Lu Cairong champions greater dialogue between China and ASEAN countries

At the “Experience China” media forum in Indonesia, CIPG Vice President Lu Cairong (left, front) presented Bambang Suryono, chief editor ofHarian InHua, a Chinese language newspaper based in Indonesia, with a copy ofChina Report ASEANspecial edition commemorating the 25th anniversary of China-ASEAN dialogue relations.

“I was in Jakarta for the fi rst time in September 2016 to take part in the ‘Experience China’cultural exchange program in Indonesia,” said Lu Cairong, Vice President of the China International Publishing Group (CIPG) in an interview with China Report ASEAN.

“Jakarta was very clean and tidy. I was quite impressed,” Lu said, recalling his time in the Indonesian capital with delight.“At ‘Experience China’, we were warmly received and supported by our Indonesian partners. We had in-depth exchanges with them. I was deeply moved by their enthusiasm for promoting cultural and people-to-people exchanges between our countries. That was in a way a reminder that there remains a lot for us to do.”

Lu said he hopes cultural exchanges between China and ASEAN countries, including Indonesia, will further strengthen the people-to-people bonds among the countries in the region, which will in turn consolidate the foundation for cooperation on the Belt and Road.

Impressions of Indonesia

The September 2016“Experience China” event, which was sponsored by China’s State Council Information Office and organized by CIPG, took place in both Thailand and Indonesia. Lu led a task force to conduct the planning and formulate programming for the whole event. Indonesia is the fourth largest country in the world in terms of population, and geographically lies fairly close to China. Lu believes that the mutual understanding between the two peoples will be of great signif i cance for safeguarding regional peace and promoting economic development.

“Experience China” in Indonesia consisted of a photo exhibition, a book exhibition, a media forum and a concert of Indonesian and Chinese music. On September 27, the Chinese Library at Al Azhar University was inaugurated. The Chinese side donated over 6,000 copies of periodicals and books on politics, economics, humanities, social sciences, military af f airs, history and various other topics, which will open a window for Indonesian young students tolearn about and understand China.

Lu emphasized the special signif i cance of this cultural exchange program against the backdrop of China’s implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative. “Indonesia is an important country on the Maritime Silk Road,” Lu said. “Historically, the people of the two countries achieved regional peace and common prosperity with cooperation on the Maritime Silk Road. It was in Indonesia in October 2013 that President Xi Jinping fi rst proposed the initiative of jointly building the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, which has been well received by people and governments across the world. The initiative also expanded the space for China-ASEAN cooperation. Chinese books and periodicals are quite popular in Indonesia, meaning that there’s a solid foundation for the cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. That’s why we should further promote exchanges in press and publication with Indonesia.

CIPG traditionally maintained close association with Southeast Asian countries. China Pictorial, a periodical affiliated with CIPG, used to publish an Indonesian edition of its magazine. Foreign Languages Press also published books in Indonesian. Many elderly readers in Indonesia still remember those publications. During his stay in Jakarta, Lu met with some senior Indonesian readers who would like to read CIPG publications in Indonesian language again.

Lu Cairong’s elegant calligraphy.

In January 2016, CIPG launched China Report ASEAN, a monthly periodical designed to meet the needs of the peopleto-people exchanges between China and ASEAN countries in the new era. The magazine is circulated in all ASEAN countries, with its main content focusing on China-ASEAN cooperation.

“During my short visit, I realized that there’s a strong demand for information on China in Indonesia,” Lu said.“Therefore, I have high hopes for China Report ASEAN. I hope the publication will play the part of a window for ASEAN countries to understand China, and accomplish the important task of promoting the cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and ASEAN countries.”

Fragrant Flowers on the Silk Road

In Lu’s office hangs a couplet of elegant Chinese calligraphy. Chinese calligraphy often features poetic phrases that are written in an artistic and creative way. “Peace is valuable on a sea without surging waves, and general welfare will be glorif i ed by fragrant fl owers on the Silk Road,” reads the couplet.

Calligraphy is Lu’s hobby in his spare time. Practice since childhood has made him an accomplished calligrapher, and he is now a member of the Chinese Calligraphers Association. The couplet hanging in his office was created on the eve of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, which he believes is of great signif i cance to the relationship between China and ASEAN as the regional bloc is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

“‘A sea without surging waves’is a Chinese idiom, implying that currently, the sea is calm and the world is peaceful, and the global environment is conducive to economic and trade exchanges between countries,”Lu explained. “In this context, I’m referring to the environment of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. ‘Peace is valuable’is an important traditional Chinese concept. The Chinese people have always cherished this concept and peaceful coexistence. I think this concept remains relevant in the world today. In the implementation of the Belt and Road, we should also adhere to this concept for common prosperity. ‘Fragrant fl owers on the Silk Road’embodies our wishes for mutual success.”

When the couplet was completed, Lu asked Professor Xu Yuanchong at Peking University to translate it into English. Xu is a renowned translator and scholar who enjoys a high reputation in the world of translation for having translated Chinese classics such as Classics of Poetry and Chu Ci (Qu Yuan) into English.

Before the couplet entered a Chinese calligraphy exhibition abroad, Lu thought it would be a good idea to fi nd an accomplished translator for his piece.

“From this perspective, translation is very important for the mutual understanding of the whole world,” Lu said. “As China’s largest international communication organization, CIPG will continue to present China to the world, so that the world knows more about China, and China knows more about the world.”