French Ambassador to China Monsieur Laurent Bili (first from left), EU Ambassador to China Nicolas Chapuis (second from left) and Jonathan Choi unveil the Choi Center in Beijing
On April 25, the Choi Center at Beijing “Baiyunguan”（the Cloud House） was officially opened, including France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Switzerland, Norway and other 20 Envoys from different countries and from the European Union in China were present to witness the event.
Jonathan Choi, member of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC and chairman of the Hong Kong SUNWAH Group, revealed to reporters on the same day that the Choi center will have three major functions, including promoting people-to-people diplomacy, promoting economic and trade investment cooperation between China and Europe, and more importantly, helping people-to-people bonds through cultural and artistic exchanges. In addition, the exhibition “Rebirth”, which focuses on natural and environmental elements, was launched on the same day as the first event after the opening of the Choi Center.
It is understood that the “the Cloud House”(where Choi Center located) was officially taken over by the Jonathan Choi Foundation in 2021 and funded the renovation. In March 2021, the Jonathan Choi Foundation reached a strategic cooperation with the French Embassy and the Cultural Association of European Union countries on the operation of the center, and will hold various forms of art and cultural activities including dialogues and exhibitions at the Jonathan Choi Cultural Exchange Center located in the “the Cloud House” in the future, so as to build a new bridge of friendship for Chinese and foreign people-to-people exchanges.
The reporter saw that in addition to the artistic decorations in the Choi Center, there are gifts from France, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Belgium and other countries, or a lamp with a strong sense of artistic atmosphere, or a transparent and bright crystal vase. Jonathan Choi introduced: ‘This is also a small embodiment of China-EU exchanges, and we hope that this can be a place where Chinese and European cultures can blend together.’
There is also a room where you can see the green trees and grass, the huge floor-to-ceiling window glass makes people estranged from nature, ‘We will invite the world’s best artists to live here, for a period of 1 month, recommended by the embassy and submitted an application, after the review can be moved in,’ Jonathan Choi said, ‘I hope they inspire more creative inspiration here, perhaps related to Chinese elements.’
It is reported that Jonathan Choi has set up nearly 10 cultural centers around the world, which are located in Vietnam, Canada, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Japan, France, Beijing and other places. This center in the Cloud House is the second cultural center in Beijing after the Choi Film Culture Center in Beijing.
Jonathan Choi deliver a speech
Talking about the purpose of insisting on the establishment of cultural centers, Jonathan Choi said that there is only one purpose, that is, to promote friendship through cultural exchanges. “I firmly believe that regardless of cultural heritage, race, political system and religious beliefs, we all have a lot in common, we all live on the same planet, we all cherish the future, and most importantly, we all love peace, and the differences between different cultures in the world should be shared and appreciated.” He believed that cross-cultural exchange was the best way to promote dialogue, mutual appreciation and friendship, which brought peace, which was conducive not only to business, but also to various forms of cooperation in science, technology and the arts.
exhibition “Rebirth”
It is understood that before the official opening of the Choi Center, an exhibition from Slovenia has been held – “The Beauty of Mountains and Rivers: A Dialogue between Slovenia and Chinese Cultural Symbols”. On the opening day of the center, the allegorical exhibition “Rebirth” was unveiled from April 25 to July 31, with the main line of presenting natural elements Through installations, photographs, paintings and videos, 10 Central European artists have explained the symbolic relationship between man and nature and the essence of various natural elements.