Insights | Brazilian professor who writes to President Xi: Experience in China is life-changing
By Hao Yunhui, Wu Xinru
(ECNS) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping left Brasilia on Thursday after attending the 19th G20 Leaders' Summit and paying a state visit to Brazil.
Before President Xi left Beijing, he received letters from friendly personages from all walks of life in Brazil including Cecilia Mello, professor in the Department of Film, Radio and Television at the University of São Paulo, and her students.
In their letter, Mello and her students expressed their eager anticipation for President Xi's visit to Brazil.
They have visited China many times and these experiences are said to have changed her life. They hope to share their love for Chinese culture and admiration for China's development with President Xi. Receiving the reply letter from President Xi, they felt very honored and happy about this. Mello said, "It means a lot to us."
From "Looking China" to "visiting" China, cultural exchange requires first-hand experience
Hosted by the Academy for International Communication of Chinese Culture of BNU (AICCC) and sponsored by Huilin Foundation, "Looking China" is a cross-cultural experience program for Chinese and foreign youths. The University of São Paulo has been taking part in the program for eight consecutive years since 2016.
An online 3D exhibition themed "Young Filmmakers' Perspectives on China" (https://vr.chinanews.com) was officially launched during a China-Brazil youth storytelling event held at the University of São Paulo in Brazil on November 12. Short films produced out of the "Looking China" program were displayed at the exhibition.
As the coordinator of the Looking China program at the University of São Paulo, Mello has been actively participating in the program, taking her students to China and visiting many provinces and cities.
"We have met different people and seen different landscapes. So we really felt that the program is something that is absolutely life-changing and an extraordinary project," said Mello.
Before coming to China, they not only watch Chinese movies but also delve into Chinese history and culture. After setting foot on the land, they use cameras to record what they see and hear and make documentaries. In their exchanges with Chinese youth, they further understand the unique perspectives of Chinese youth and deepen their understanding of Chinese customs and cultures.
From movies to culture, Pakistan and China will deepen their friendship
As a professor in the Department of Film, Mello has been dedicated to cultural cooperation in the audiovisual industry. Mello pointed out that the two countries have been exchanging “audiovisual memories” since the 1980s, especially through Brazilian soap operas and other Brazilian music and films that have been going to China. Brazilians have also been watching Chinese cinema since the 1980s, especially the films of the Fifth Generation directors.
Melo believes that film is a powerful medium that plays an indispensable role in deepening mutual understanding and promoting friendship. The film and television cooperation between the two countries has shown great potential. These cooperative projects can not only tell the unique stories of Brazil and China, but also get the stories representing the cultures of the two countries integrated. People can seek common ground while reserving differences, and find connections and resonances with each other. In this process, bilateral friendship is deepening and exchanges are becoming more frequent.
The 19th G20 Summit has just concluded in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. China and Brazil signed 38 cooperation agreements during Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Brazil outlining plans for collaboration across a wide range of sectors, including audiovisual industry and other cultural exchanges.
Mello hopes that with the platform, Brazil and China will continue to promote joint production in audiovisual media and other fields of culture in the future, implement specific cooperation projects, and promote common development in the cultural field.