Madame Zhao Shi, Executive Vice President of China Federation Literary Art Circles
Although Beijing and Dallas are far apart, traveling between the two cities is very convenient now. We should thank the American Wright Brothers, who invented the first airplane 110 years ago in 1903, making human's flying dream come true. What ignited their interest in flying was a toy “bamboo dragonfly,” a gift from their father when they were kids. This ancient folk toy actually came from China, invented around 500 B.C., and reached the Western countries in the 18th century. This story tells us two things: cultural exchange is extremely important to world civilization, and wisdom comes from the people.
Today, we have the honor to hold China’s folk art exhibition here. Chinese folk artists and crafts men will show the American visitors their exquisite skills and handcrafts of different ethnic groups and regions in China. The ancient folk arts in modern styles demonstrate the boundless creativity and imagination of mankind, which will make our life more beautiful.
Culture and art are images of a country or a nation. China and the U.S. both have rich and brilliant culture and arts, which belong to people of the whole world. These reflect the common pursuit of the American and Chinese people to beautiful things and their yearn for happy lives. The uniqueness and distinct features of the two cultures are the essence for the two countries to well preserve and develop their own cultures and arts. The increasing cultural exchanges and fruitful cooperation between the two countries make people’s lives more colorful and the cultures more prosperous.
China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLAC) is the country’s largest non-profit cultural organization, with 55 coorporate members and more than 100,000 individual member in 12 categories. It aims at promoting domestic art development and public culture, as well as dedicating to the cultural exchanges between countries and regions worldwide. In recent years, the communication between CFLAC and the American art circle has been greatly extended, which has furthered the friendship between art circles and artists and enhanced people’s understanding to each other’s culture. This is significant for the economic and social development of the two countries.
