Building a Cultural Bridge to China

I have already mentioned how my first-time visit to China was a memorable one and has been a fruitful experience all throughout. Attending the workshop thanks to the invitation by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of the People's Republic of China (SAPPRFT) was a truly momentous event that sparked many ideas and paved the path for possible future opportunities. On that note, I have come up with a unique initiative named “The Road to China” which will not only boost the already established relationship between China and Bangladesh, but also build a bridge between the two countries to allow better cross-cultural exchange of ideas.

In its essence, “The Road to China” will be a joint venture platform where China and Bangladesh can bolster cultural practice among both countries. It will include screening of Chinese films in Bangladesh and vice versa, screening of Bangladeshi films in China. Cultural shows of the respective country will be shown on the TV channels of the other country. Such ventures will improve the international reach of both countries' films and shows, and will definitely boost viewer engagement across the nations.

Workshops, seminars and exhibitions can be held in both countries which will feature prominent works and include participation of painters, writer, journalists, filmmakers, linguists and artists of all varieties from both China and Bangladesh. Programs can be held every month on an exchange basis, which would mean China featuring Bangladeshi shows for one month, and Bangladesh featuring Chinese shows the next month. Such joint venture programs can be an active and vibrant source of cross-cultural exchange which will help China, as well as Bangladesh, immensely in both educational and cultural sectors.

The 24 participants from the 10 participating countries of the workshop were very interested in this project, and have contributed valuable insight to improve this idea further. I personally deem that, from my experience, a joint collaboration between Bangladesh and China, or any of the other Silk Road countries, would be a great sign of friendship. Such an initiative would also help improve the quality and media reach of the future Silk Road Film Festivals. Since the Chinese Government is involved in the planning of this festival I am sure they are already advancing towards improvement with utmost caution.

There are two main benefits of such a wide-scale initiative. As mentioned earlier, it will allow the perfect platform for cross-cultural exchange between China and the other Silk Road countries with Bangladesh, and of course, vice versa. Direct communication with China will also improve and each country will get to know about each others' current media situation, state and possibility of joint ventures and cultural similarities. Hosting intercultural exchange and programs hosted via joint collaboration between the Silk Road countries would only provide boons.

If such an initiative is adopted, the most benefits can be reaped if it is continued for at least 5 years. To spread the Chinese culture globally, journalists, academicians and scholars can be given fellowships or research scholarships so they can learn about the Chinese history, craft, arts, culture, films, etc. Culturally, academicians being granted such an opportunity would make both the countries quite rich culturally. Current technological advancements have blurred the boundaries between nations, thus in my opinion, it the perfect time to invest in joint ventures to maintain a proper balance of cultural exchange and strengthen international relationship. The concept of Silk Road was such that it would tie the whole world together in one place. “The Road to China” suggestion proposes the exact same idea: being able to bolster connection between countries, especially on the same continent.