"CHINA NOW" was the largest festival of Chinese culture ever in the UK. It launched in February 2008, with a series of high-profile events to mark the beginning of the

Chinese New Year Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar and solar Chinese calendar. In Sinophone, Chinese and other East Asian cultures, the festival is commonly r ...

About the festival

Throughout the first half of 2008, until the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, China Now coordinated over 1300 events, performances and activities. It showcased of art, design, cuisine and culture, science, business and technology, education and sport – an inspirational celebration of vibrant, dynamic 21st-century China. As a non-profit organisation, China Now aimed to build partnerships between artists, cultural leaders, schools, businesses and communities across the UK and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. Through an array of participatory events and activities, China Now offered insight into China’s heritage and brought the diversity of modern Chinese culture to life. The organizers hope that new connections and relationships developed over the course of the festival will cement partnerships between China and the UK that will last long into the future. China Now was conceived by the business community and was chaired by Stephen Green, Group

Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

HSBC Holdings plc HSBC Holdings plc is a British multinational universal bank and financial services holding company. It is the largest bank in Europe by total assets ahead of BNP Paribas, with US$2.953 trillion as of December 2021. In 2021, HSBC had $10.8 tril ...

. It was supported by the Premier of the People’s Republic of China,

Wen Jiabao Wen Jiabao (born 15 September 1942) is a retired Chinese politician who served as the Premier of the State Council from 2003 to 2013. In his capacity as head of government, Wen was regarded as the leading figure behind China's economic policy ...

, the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the United Kingdom, Madame Fu Ying, and the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, as well as that of all its founding partners and sponsors. ‘Between the

celebrations next February and the

opening ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly-constructed location or the start of an event.

of the Beijing Olympics, the UK will be bringing together a festival of celebrations showcasing the very best of modern China.’ said Stephen Green, Group

, HSBC Holdings plc in 2007. Madame Fu Ying,

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

of the People’s Republic of China to the United Kingdom believes that ‘China Now has a very positive purpose as it seeks to advance the UK public’s understanding of contemporary

.’

Events of the festival (incl. other China-related events in London in 2008)

* Opening by Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London * China-UK Women's Cultural Festival, incl. display of photographs *

The First Emperor ''The First Emperor'' is an opera in two acts with music by Tan Dun and a libretto written in English by Tan Dun and Ha Jin. The opera received its world premiere at the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center in New York City on 21 December 2006, co ...

, exhibition at the British Museum * Chinese New Year events at the British Museum (9 Feb 2008) - incl " Monkey Suite" by

Damon Albarn Damon Albarn (; born 23 March 1968) is an English-Icelandic musician, singer-songwriter and composer, best known as the frontman and primary lyricist of the rock band Blur and as the co-creator and primary musical contributor of the virtual ...

and Jamie Hewlett * China Design Now, exhibition at the V&A * Icons of Revolution, Mao badges then and now, exhibition at the British Museum * Manhua! China Comics Now, exhibition. * Poems by

Bei Dao Bei Dao (, born August 2, 1949) is the pen name of the Chinese-American writer Zhao Zhenkai (S: 赵振开, T: 趙振開, P: ''Zhào Zhènkāi''). Among the most acclaimed Chinese-language poets of his generation, he is often regarded as a candida ...

and Yang Lian displayed on the London underground * Olympic torch relay in London (6 April 2008) * China Media Festival, at SOAS (18-19 June 2008) * China in London: Spotlight on Beijing - season of contemporary Chinese cinema and a special focus on the work of film-maker Tian Zhuangzhuang, at the ICA

References

{{Reflist

External links

China Now
* ttps://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0802/08020603 / China Now at UCL Cultural festivals in the United Kingdom