On 25 - 27th April 2014, the second session of Chinese Culture Tour for Diplomats in China -- Henan Station, was held under the leadership of Li Zhaoxing, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of China and President of the China Public Diplomacy Association. Li Zhaoxing and his spouse, Mrs. Qin Xiaomei, Shu Yi, Vice President of the China Public Diplomacy Association. Jean-Jacques de Dardel, Ambassdor of Switzerland to China, Gonzalo Gutierrez Ambassdor of Peru to China, Loh Ka Leung, Ambassador of Singapore to China, Vickey Tchong, Ambassdor of Timor-Leste to China, Ureerat Ratanaprukse, Minister of Thai, Marta Betanzos, Minister Counsellor and DHOM of Spain to China, Jose Maria Pons Irazazahal, Consul General of Spain to China, Giuseppe RAO, Counselor of Italy to China, Yohana Kokosso, First Counselor of Chad to China, Peraza Aguilar Paula Andrea, Counselor of Costa Rica to China, Ram Prasad Subedi, Counselor of Nepal to China, Marat Kenzhetayev, Counselor of Kazakhstan to China, Zhang Yuanyuan, Former Ambassador of China to Belgium, Chen Mingming, Ambassador of China to Sweden, Zhao Suping, Zhao Suping, Member of the standing Committee of Henan Provincial Party Committee and Director of Publicity Department of Henan Province, Zhang Jian, Deputy Director of Publicity Department of Henan Province and President of Henan Daily Press Group, Chen Jiping, Director of Foreign Affairs Office the People’s Government of Henan Province, etc. attended the trip.

Henan, with its long history and splendid culture, is one of the main birthplaces of Chinese people. Since ancient times, Chinese ancestors and sages of the Chinese nation have flourished in the Central Plains. In the history of China's 5,000 years of civilization, Henan has been the political, economic and cultural center of the country for more than 3,000 years, with more than 20 dynasties having established their capitals there. There are four of the eight ancient capitals in Henan: Luoyang, the ancient capital of nine dynasties, Kaifeng, the ancient capital of seven dynasties, Anyang, the ancient capital of Shang Dynasty, and Zhengzhou, the capital of Shang Dynasty. Henan has the most underground cultural relics and collections, and the second above-ground cultural relics. It is known as "the natural museum of Chinese history”. The two world cultural heritages, Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang and the Yin Ruins in Anyang, as well as the Shaolin Temple, Songyang Academy, the White Horse Temple in Luoyang and the Kaifeng Prime Minister Temple are famous overseas.
 

Led by Li Zhaoxing, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, the diplomats visited famous cultural sites such as Henan Museum, Longmen Grottoes, Shaolin Temple, etc. They also visited modern facilities such as Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone and the second phase of Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport, experiencing the unique cultural characteristics of Henan Province in Chinese history as the center of Chinese culture, and the historical and civilizational inheritance of the over 5,000 years of China.
 

Xie Fuzhan, Governor of Henan Province, attended the welcome dinner and introduced Henan's economic and social development

The Henan Museum is one of the four major museums in China. It was founded in 1927 and was formerly known as the Henan Provincial Museum. In terms of collections, apart from the Palace Museum (Beijing and Taipei), the Henan Museum is the second largest museum in China. The number of cultural relics in its collections is over 130,000, with prehistoric relics, bronze wares in Shang and Zhou, ceramics and jade being the most distinctive. There are more than 5,000 pieces of first grade cultural relic and second grade cultural relics with great value of history, culture and art. The overall layout and structure of the museum is rigorous, taking the nine tripods as the symbol of the Central Plains, with a novel architectural form and majestic momentum, fully reflecting the long-standing culture of the Central Plains. The main exhibition hall takes the image of the most ancient astronomical observatory extant in China - Dengfeng Astro Observatory as the prototype and artistically exaggerated into a crowned pyramid shape. The buildings are in a neat and special shape, which is a rare landmark building condensed Chinese cultural characteristics and the spirit of modern times.

   

  

Li Zhaoxing, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and other guests visited the Henan Museum

 

 

Diplomats enjoyed Guqin concert at the Henan Museum

The Longmen Grottoes are located between the east and west cliffs of Longmen Canyon in Luoyang City, Henan Province, China. It is located at a major transportation hub, with beautiful scenery and a pleasant climate, making it a popular tourist destination for literati and tourists. The Longmen Grottoes lasted for a long time and spanned many dynasties. With a large number of physical images and written materials, it reflects the development and changes in many fields such as ancient Chinese politics, economy, religion, and culture from different perspectives, and has made significant contribution on the innovation and development of Chinese grotto art. It was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000.
 

 

Diplomats visited Longmen Grottoes and had a group photo

 

Shaolin Temple is located in Songshan Mountain in Dengfeng, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, China. It is the birthplace of Shaolin martial arts, built in 495 AD by Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty for the eminent Indian monk Buddhabhadra. Shaolin Temple got the name because it is located at the foot of Shaoshi Mountain. Shaolin Temple enjoyed a great reputation during the Tang Dynasty, and is also known throughout the world for its Zen Buddhism and martial arts. There are Shaolin Temples, Tower Forest, Da Mo Cave and other interests in the temple. It also has Shaolin "Zen, Martial Arts and Medicine" culture that has been in the  succession for thousands of years. Shaolin Temple is famous all over the world because of Shaolin Kungfu, and is known as "the First Famous Tmple under the Sun".
 

 

Showing the Shaolin Kongfu to the Diplomats

 

 

 

Diplomats visited Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone

 

After the Culture Tour, CPDA and the People’s Government of Henan Province co-hosted a Forum on Ancient Central China Culture and Modern Henan Development. On the Forum, guests exchanged ideas, communicated views, and put forward many meaningful suggestions for the cultural development of Henan.
 

 

Forum on Ancient Central China Culture and Modern Henan Development