Scottish, Chinese culture combination shines celebration

Both Chinese and Scottish culture were celebrated on Wednesday night at the University of Glasgow in Scotland's largest city as the Chinese New year falls close to Burns Night in 2014.

At the Chinese Burns Supper hosted by Lord Sasson Kt, the recently appointed Chairman of China-Britain Business Council (CBBC), an eclectic mix of Chinese and Scottish poetry, traditions and cuisine were fused together for a unique evening of corporate entertainment.

In his welcoming remarks, Lord Sasson mentioned the traditional Scottish food Haggis, which was addressed to in a poem of the world famous Scottish Bard Robert Burns who was born on Jan. 25 1759 and died on July 21, 1796.

Sasson said he was told of the alleged links between Haggis and the ancient Chinese food in Tang Dynasty in a joke to show the long history of exchanges between the Chinese and Scottish people.

Sasson made a business visit to China in September last year after the Chairmanship handover to explore the Chinese commercial market and potential cooperation chances for the Chinese and Scottish businesses.

Chinese Vice Consul General in Edinburgh Zhang Huazhong, who was present at the celebration event, recited the "Jiang Jin Jiu" poem of the famous Chinese poet Li Bai in Tang Dynasty and emphasized the culture of drinking wine to promote the famous Scotch whisky.

For her part, Scottish Development International Chief Executive Anne MacColl hailed China as a very important market for Scottish high-quality products, stressing the rapid increase of Scottish product exports to the Chinese market and the openness of Scotland to businesses.

Some guests also highlighted the importance of understanding different culture while doing business in a foreign market, noting that they would like to know more about the Chinese culture.

Usually sung at New Year celebrations worldwide, Burns' famous "Auld Lang Syne" concluded the cultural combination celebration night.

Burns Night celebrations come on Jan. 25 to commemorate the birth date of the great Scottish Bard and are also regarded as the last winter festival event in Scotland, while Chinese Lunar New Year falls on Jan. 31, 2014.

Organized by CBBC Scotland, the Chinese Burns Supper was supported by Confucius Institute at University of Glasgow, attracting some 150 senior business executives and university academics among others, sitting at a total of 17 tables categorized in five Chinese elements of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth, as well as 12 birth year animals.

Since 1954, CBBC has been working with China as the leading organization helping British companies grow and develop their business with China.