When Chinese culture meets Danish fairytales

The on-going cooperation between Denmark and China's cultural authorities will result in highly-anticipated cultural centers in both countries this year.

Situated at Hans Christian Andersen Boulevard, right in the heart of Copenhagen, a newly-painted yellow building has been particularly attracting public attention here. This is where the new Chinese Culture Center will be located, after its grand opening on June 11.

The building which was designed by the architect Christian L. Thuren and erected in 1906, has until recently housed the Royal Danish Academy of Music.

CULTURAL INHERITANCE

Asked why to choose Denmark as the first Nordic country to build a Chinese Culture Center, Li Jinsheng, Cultural Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Denmark, told Xinhua that China and Denmark had developed excellent bilateral relations in these years, and "now it is the best period in history."

Li noted that Danish culture was unique. "Chinese people are especially interested in Danish culture. The very first Dane we got to know is Hans Christian Andersen, who has a great influence in China. Moreover, Danish modern design, environmental protection and green development concepts are also very popular in China. So for bilateral relations, cultural exchange and complementarity, Copenhagen is just a natural choice," he said.

China and Denmark have had considerable development in humanities recently. Prominent universities like Copenhagen University and Aarhus University have begun offering Chinese as a major. With joint effort, the Confucius Institute for business, innovation and music has been established in Denmark as well.

Chinese language has become an option in Danish middle schools; some schools even make Chinese language courses mandatory. Even the Danish royal family has a Chinese version of its official website. Chinese people have got to know Denmark a lot more, and choose to study or travel to Denmark more than ever.

In the spring of 2010, the statue of Little Mermaid was brought to the Shanghai World Expo 2010 as a token of friendship between Denmark and China, which also marked the first time the statue left its perch at Copenhagen harbor in almost a century.

The 2,434-square-meter building was home to the Royal Danish Academy of Music for over 100 years, within a stone's throw of the New Carlsberg Sculpture Museum and the world's second most popular seasonal theme park, Tivoli.

Li views the purchase of this historic building as a coincidence. "A lot of people asked if we have chosen this building because it is located on H. C. Andersen Boulevard, as H.C. Andersen is well known in China. As a matter of fact, it is quite by chance, a pure coincidence," he said with smile, adding that the location and the deep cultural atmosphere around makes the building a fantastic choice.

He stressed the importance of the functionality as well. "The building of the Royal Danish Academy of Music has a large concert hall which suits our needs well. It was a building of music and a building of culture, so the new Chinese Cultural Center is a kind of culture inheritance."