An exhibition to showcase Chinese treasures, which involved the Confucius Institute at Lancaster University, has been featured as part of the British Council's online festival.
The Lancaster University Confucius Institute worked in partnership with Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery (Carlisle), Carlisle City Council, Durham Oriental Museum and Art Fund_ to create the 'Treasures of China' exhibition.
It ran from January to March and then from July to September this year and attracted 7616 visitors.
Last week it was announced by the British Council that the exhibition has been featured in the 2020 UK-China Contemporary Culture Festival 'Connected by Creativity'
Director of Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery Andrew Mackay said: "We are incredibly proud of the 'Treasures of China' exhibition and the work that went into developing it with our partners at Lancaster University Confucius Institute.
"More than 7,500 people visited the exhibition, with more than 1,000 taking part in the accompanying Chinese New Year celebration event.
"It significantly enhanced the profile of our Chinese collections, along with our partnership with CI, and provided a completely unique celebration of Chinese art, culture and history for the City of Carlisle which truly captured the imagination of locals and tourists alike."
During October, the British Council launched #ConnectedByCreativity an online festival for cultural exchange between China and the UK.
This is the first time an online festival, dedicated to celebrating the UK and China's cultural and creative relationship, has been staged.
The festival celebrates the power of the arts and culture in uniting people. It helps to increase and strengthen collaboration between artists and cultural institutions from China and the UK and it introduces new work to wider audiences in China and in the UK.
Confucius Institute staff contributed to the Treasures of China exhibition and Carlisle's Spring Festival celebration in various ways including planning and delivering associated workshops, hosting visitor delegations and developing and translating exhibition labels and visitor guides.
Director of Lancaster University Confucius Institute Professor Jinghan Zeng commented: "Our partnership with Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery is a unique experiment and provides creative opportunities for our Chinese language and culture teaching program to benefit from the museum's rich collection."
