The cultural season will have the title Freedom, Love.
Katalin Bogyay, who is in charge of international relations at the Ministry of Education and Culture as well as being one of the Hungarian Cultural Season's directors, said the slogan "Freedom, Love" was chosen because of the popularity of the Hungarian poet Sándor Petőfi, who penned it, among the Chinese. Most Chinese can recite Petőfi's poem containing the line from memory, she said.
Bogyay stressed the importance of cultural diplomacy at the press conference to unveil plans for the season. She added that the Chinese were no strangers to Hungarian culture.
"I'm glad to say that the Chinese are waiting for Hungarian artists with great anticipation," she said.
Preparations are going well, and it appears the cultural season will be very popular, Bogyay said.
"We have been able to agree with our partners there on some of the smallest details over the past several weeks....One moment we can be a bit afraid about filling such a big theatre, but the facts calm us: the tickets are already being sold and it looks as if their will not be an empty seat," Bogyay said.
The Hungarian Cultural Season will focus on four cities in China: Beijing and Shanghai in 2007, and Hong Kong and Shenzen in 2008. Hungary has a good chance of becoming the guest of honour at both the Shanghai International Festival in November 2007 and at the Hong Kong International Arts Festival in the spring.
"We want to establish partnerships in all areas...we want cooperation to be felt on the stage too," said Bogyay. The Cultural Season programme could even include some stage productions involving both Hungarian and Chinese actors.
Bogyay noted that Hungary's most important musical export to China is the work of Zoltán Kodály, and the work of the composer - as well as exhibitions about his life - will feature prominently on the Cultural Season programme. Other classical music concerts will feature works by Liszt and Beethoven.
Folk, jazz and pop music will also be on the programme. Among the folk music performers will be Márta Sebestyén, Bea Palya and Balázs Szokolay Dongó. Gábor Presser, one of Hungary's most famous pop musicians, will give a piano concert.
One of the most successful events at the recent Hungarian Cultural Season in London was an exhibition of Roma painters. An expanded version of the exhibition will now travel to China. The work of some of Hungary's best contemporary artists, among them László Fehér, will also be shown.
Other events on the programme include a Hungarian film week, operettas, dances, a show of Hungarian gastronomy and puppet theatre. The Chinese Association of Writers has also invited Zoltán, Egressy, László Krasznahorkai, György Spiró and Krisztina Tóth, some of Hungary's best known authors, to China.
One of the highlights of the Cultural Season will be the unveiling of a statue of Petőfi by the sculptor Gábor Szabó in Shanghai.
Author: György Kerékgyártó
