Feature: First official Chinese cultural center unveiled in Singapore

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Singaporean Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong unveiled the China Cultural Center here during Xi's recent state visit to the city state, the first official center to promote Chinese culture.

In 2010, Xi, who was vice president at the time, and then Senior Minister Tong attended the ground-breaking ceremony of the center.

COMBINATION OF CHINESE ELEMENTS, MODERN DESIGN

The China Cultural Center is located at 217 Queens Street in Singapore's Arts and Heritage District. The gray and white walls of the building are reminiscent of ancient Chinese architecture.

"When I first saw it, I was really impressed. As director of the center, I am proud of working here. My job also gives me a sense of responsibility to deepen cultural exchanges between the two countries," Ma Hongying, director of the center, told Xinhua.

Close to museums, arts education institutions, galleries and other art facilities, the center aims to facilitate the understanding of Chinese culture abroad, promote people-to-people exchanges and deepen cultural cooperation with China.

Designed by Liu Thai-Ker, the master planner of Singapore, the center is a perfect combination of Chinese cultural elements and modern architectural design.

"From the aesthetic point of view, I think the center should be a modern building first. When people talk about China, they often regard it as an ancient culture. However, China has become a modern country. So I think the design of the center should be a good combination of modern elements and the charm of traditional Chinese culture," Liu said.

The cultural center, which covers an area of about 1,352 square meters, has 10 floors with about 8,900 square meters of construction area. It is comprised of a tower and podium with panorama elevators, an aerial corridor and a main roof, which are considered highlights of the design.

Liu said "dougong," an arch often used in traditional Chinese architecture, is one of the eye-catching parts of the center, which is in "Chinese Red," a typical Chinese color.

As people in different countries have various understandings of colors, Liu said his team has communicated many times with the manufacturer and finally achieved the effect.

"The proportion of doors and windows in ancient Chinese architecture is quite different from that in the West," said Liu. "We tried to follow the tradition as long as the design doesn't affect the use, which allows people to sense the charm of Chinese architecture."

In addition, the aerial corridor is also transparent. People can see the landscape when they walk through the corridor.

PROMOTE CHINESE CULTURE IN SINGAPORE

The center, composed of such units as exhibition hall, theater, library, classrooms and physical training rooms, aims to "tell the story of China to let its voice be heard" by providing high-quality cultural programs in cooperation with related organizations.

An exhibition named "A New Horizon" was launched shortly after the center's inauguration on Saturday to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of China-Singapore diplomatic relations and Singapore's golden jubilee, according to Xiao Jianghua, cultural counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Singapore.

The exhibition showcases 25 masterpieces from Chinese and Singaporean artists, with the support of the National Art Museum of China and the National Gallery of Singapore.

"We need to think it over when carrying out cultural activities in Singapore, where nearly 75 percent of its residents are of Chinese descent," said Ma.

Ma indicated that a series of activities is planned to be held in the center, including those related to such Chinese festivals as Spring Festival and Mid-Autumn festival, lectures such as Discover China, and film screenings, among others.

The center will also cooperate with related organizations to conduct training programs on martial arts, Mandarin, calligraphy and Peking Opera.

The center will pay special attention to training programs to help Singaporean children learn more about China and its culture.

"The China Cultural Center will become a great platform to introduce Chinese culture to Singaporeans," Xiao said. "The center will make contributions to cultural exchanges between China and Singapore by initiating various activities and interacting with cultural institutions."

Calligrapher Tan Siah Kwee, winner of "Brilliance of China: Choice for Chinese Culture Promoters of the Year" in 2014, said the center is of great significance.

"President Xi's visit inspires people engaged in cultural exchanges. There are many organizations introducing Chinese culture in Singapore as Chinese descendants here make up the majority of the population. However, there hasn't been such an official organization before. I think the China Cultural Center will make contributions to promoting Chinese culture," Tan said. Endi