The Ministry of Culture said on Tuesday, Jan. 26, that the 2016 China-Latin America Cultural Exchange Year will be launched late in March at the Beijing Tianqiao Art Center. The ceremony will have performances by artists from Cuba, Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Uruguay.
Being the biggest ever all-year-round cultural exchange program between Latin America and China, 30 Latin America and Caribbean countries will take part, according to China Daily.
Many activities, including exhibitions, performances, tourism promotions, movie screenings and literary events, will take place to promote understanding and association between Chinese and Latin American people. Furthermore, there will be exchanges in the fields of art, literature, films, historical heritage, media, books and travel.
Besides the activities, there will be cultural exchanges between academic institutions, artists and universities.
According to Zhu Qi, the assistant director of the Bureau for External Cultural Relations of China's Cultural Ministry, the agenda will also include seminars, lectures and translation contests.
The famous Chinese pianist Lang Lang was named image ambassador for the ceremony. He will go to Argentina, Chile and other countries in the region in August this year for touring performances in addition to joining "Chinese Culture Talk" to give lectures to Latin America teenagers.
Speaking to the publication, Lang said: "It's very meaningful for me to be the image ambassador of the culture exchange year. I will try my best to contribute to the cultural exchange and friendship between our peoples."
Lang added that the passion and love for music and the Latin American life made a big impression on him. It served as comfort when he was tired from his tight schedule during his trip to Mexico, Columbia, Peru and Chile in 2013.
Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the culture exchange in July 2014 when he was attending the China-Latin American and the Caribbean Summit in Brasilia.