Speech at the Opening Ceremony of the 2021 China Today Arts Week 

Mr. ZHANG Yanbin, Member of the Executive Board of CFLAC 

(November 8, 2021, BEIJING) 

　　Your Excellency Mr. Leonardo Kam, Ambassador of the Republic of Panama to China, 

　　Mr. GAO Anming, Vice President and Editor-in-chief of China International Publishing Group, 

　　Mr. QIU Xiaoqi, Vice President of China Public Diplomacy Association, 

　　Dear friends, ladies and gentlemen, 

　　Good afternoon to all. 

　　Today, we gather here at the Home of Chinese Writers and Artists to witness the grand opening of the 2021 edition of China Today Arts Week (CTAW). Commissioned by Mr. LI Yi, the executive vice president of CFLAC, I would like to extend, on behalf of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLAC), the warmest welcome to all the distinguished guests present at this opening ceremony, the most sincere greetings to all our friends from all walks of life, who view this live-streamed ceremony as well as all the events of CTAW online, and the most cordial gratitude towards those peers who have offered great support for the success of this edition of CTAW. 

　　As an annual exchange event sponsored by CFLAC to showcase the contemporary Chinese culture and arts abroad in an all-round way, CTAW aims to facilitate overseas public to access the latest achievement of China's culture and art circles and promote friendship between Chinese artists and foreign counterparts. Since its first edition in 2004, CTAW has completed 16 successful editions in the 21 countries and regions all over the five continents, all of which have brought about considerable outcome. Due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, this edition of CTAW is obliged to take place online. Despite lack of face-to-face passionate atmosphere, this edition, as for its contents, formality and characteristics, is far more abundant and colorful than ever. In particular, the partnership of China International Publishing Group has imbued outstanding capability into those events. Within a week starting from today, audiences both at home and abroad will, through Selected Chinese Short Films Panorama, Art Exhibition on Decorative Patterns of Chinese Porcelain from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Photo Exhibition of Changes of the Chinese People's Livelihoods, Promotional Videos of China's Cities, the China-Japan Friendship Original-Poem Calligraphy Exchange Exhibition and so on, enjoy the glamour of those current Chinese excellent artworks, experience the magnificent landscape of various regions and ethnic groups in China, and find out the rapid urbanization in China and Chinese people's better-off lives. 

　　At present, the pandemic still plagues the world and severely hinders human communications between different countries. Nevertheless, we have been always holding our firm belief and persevering to transcend this barrier to continue and strengthen our exchanges with the outside world. As a well-known line from a poem in the Tang Dynasty goes, "writing is complied out of social responsibility, while arts are created out of humanitarian concern". At this very moment, all the people throughout the world aspire for arts to exorcise the plague depression, warm up each other's hearts, encourage perseverance and build up confidence for ultimate victory. At this core moment, artists of the whole world need to stay together in solidarity through thick and thin. With their works full of integrity, virtue and humanitarian solicitude, they shall break through the current difficulties and mobilize the entire world to fight against the pandemic in powerful ardor. 

　　Besides the Covid-19 pandemic, human civilizations are also confronted with risky challenges from varied complications. We need the courage to cope with those challenges, but moreover we need the strength to overcome them. As a community that shares common weal and woe, only by promoting exchange and mutual learning increasingly, can all the countries in the world converge into the invincible power as an eternal driving force for the development of the world civilizations. This is the inexorable trend in historic evolution, and the very inevitable course to make a more beautiful world and a more wonderful life for its people. 

　　Yesterday it was November 7, also the day of "Li Dong" (literally "Start of Winter"), one of the 24 traditional Chinese Solar Terms, which certainly indicates the quiet arrival of winter. Naturally, a famous line by English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley occurs to my mind. "If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind"? CFLAC would like to take CTAW as a platform to stay together with the artists all over the world to celebrate a better spring of arts in the future. 

　　I whish the 2021 edition of CTAW a great success. 

　　May all the artists and our colleagues in arts enjoy everlasting friendship and a peaceful and joyous life. 

　　Thank you.