EU cultural event brings a taste of Europe to Beijing

EU Ambassador to China Hans Dietmar Schweisgut (R) poses for a photo with a visitor at the "Europe Street" event held on Saturday, September 23, 2017 in Beijing. [Photo: China Plus]

The European Union (EU)'s Delegation to China launched an event in Beijing on Saturday, September 23, 2017 to showcase the rich, diverse cultures and tourism industries of EU member states.

Titled "Europe Street," the one-day festival was held at the Sanlitun Soho and featured booths representing all 28 EU member states, displaying their unique heritage, education and tourism opportunities.

(From second left to right) Portugese Ambassador to China Dr. Jorge Torres-Pereira, Irish Ambassador to China Eoin O’Leary, the EU Ambassador to China Hans Dietmar Schweisgut, Maltese Ambassador to China John Aquilina, Belgian Ambassador to China Marc Vinck and Deputy Head of Mission at the Dutch embassy to China Bas Pulles cut the ribbon at the launch ceremony of “Europe Street” in Beijing on Saturday, September 23, 2017. [Photo provided to China Plus]

EU Ambassador to China, Hans Dietmar Schweisgut, helped to launch the event, saying it is part of a larger campaign by the delegation to introduce European cultures to China.

"What we thought, when we approach sixty years of the founding of the European Union, how can we also explain a bit more what Europe is about? It's not only about policies or the economy, trade. I think we also want to draw attention that Europe is a unique experience. And this is why we started a campaign, which is called #ExperienceEurope, and this is sort of an integral part of it, where we also wanted people in Beijing to come and look a bit around and see the diversity and feel a bit more what the European lifestyle is," explained Schweisgut at the fair. 

Visitors show their "EU passports" at the "Europe Street" event held on Saturday, September 23, 2017 in Beijing. [Photo provided to China Plus]

Visitors to the fair had the chance to sample the many authentic European products on display, such as Czech liquor, French biscuits, Luxembourgian sparkling wine, Croatian sweet treats and much more from all EU member states. 

Dancers perform traditional European dances at the "Europe Street" event held on Saturday, September 23, 2017 in Beijing. [Photo provided to China Plus]

Musicians and performers also took to the stage throughout the day to show visitors the richness of Europe’s heritage in living colour, with pop music from Germany, dancing Smurfs and traditional Irish songs. 

Visitors enjoy musical performances at the "Europe Street" event held on Saturday, September 23, 2017 in Beijing. [Photo provided to China Plus]

“Europe Street” is a part of the two-year #ExperienceEurope campaign initiated by the Delegation of the European Union to China. The campaign is aimed at entertaining Chinese audiences as it informs them about the history, policies, values, economy, culture and lifestyle of the EU through a series of 24 monthly topics in the form of social media posts, online competitions, podcasts, infographics and animated videos, as well as featured cultural events, policy forums and a series of public lectures on issues such as peace and prosperity, the environment, education, trade and other topics of interest.

"Europe Street" comes ahead of the 2018 China-Europe Tourism Year. 

According to the European Travel Commission, around 10.6 million Chinese tourists made overnight visits to Europe last year, demonstrating a growing Chinese interest in Europe as a travel destination.