"Experience and Witness - My Story with the Centre for International Exchanges" Writing Competition Concludes_Express

The closing ceremony and awards ceremony of the "Experience and Witness - My Story with the Centre for International Exchanges" Writing Competition, hosted by the Beijing Municipal Foreign Affairs Office and organized by Beijing Radio & Television Station (BRTV) Beijing Time, was held online on the afternoon of December 2.

As an important part of promoting the center for international exchanges in 2022, the competition is open to the builders and contributors of the center for international exchanges. Focusing on themes including "serving China's overall diplomacy, pooling high-end international resources, improving the international service environment, and establishing Beijing's image as the capital of a major country", it aims to discover the touching moments in the development of the center for international exchanges and tell heartwarming stories of serving the country's foreign exchanges from the perspective of those who have engaged in the endeavors.

(Highlights)

Since its kick-off, the competition has drawn wide attention from people of all walks of life, including service providers for major international events, volunteers, ordinary citizens, and foreigners in Beijing, who share stories of their work and changes in their lives in vivid language, and explain their role on the glorious journey in building and serving the center for international exchanges. Some are about how cohesive teams provide high-standard and high-quality service support for major foreign affairs activities; some are about how they become the backbone of their specialties through international platforms; some show their commitment to telling the Beijing story through reception services for foreign affairs; some show their hearts of gold to bring warmth to everyone; and some express their love and best wishes for Beijing by sharing their experiences in the city. All these personal stories are testimony to the great changes and precious memories of what Beijing has achieved in improving its role as a center for international exchanges in recent years.

Photo from award-winning work

Xu Jing, professor at the School of Journalism and Communication, Peking University, made the following comments on behalf of the panel: The authors, who come from diverse backgrounds, have a deep understanding of the center for international exchanges. They are passionate, proud of their organizations and their work, and have good stories to tell. In addition to the ever-changing, even amazing, development of Beijing over the years, what comes across in these entries is the writers' careful observation and sensitive feelings, and how they perceive the meaning of the people they have met and the things that have happened in their lives.

After evaluation by the panel of experts, 38 articles out of nearly 100 were awarded prizes. The First Prize went to "A Country Is Made up of Millions of Families - My Story with the Center for International Exchanges" by Wang Lin from the China National Convention Center, "How a Foreign Affairs Docent Sees the Center for International Exchanges" by Zhang Huawei from the Temple of Heaven, and "How an Exhibition Virgin Became a Curator Good at Telling China's Stories" by Zhang Jie from the Capital Museum. Gao Si and other four people from the National Centre for the Performing Arts won the Second Prize, followed by Zhao Taotao and other nine people from the Summer Palace, who won the Third Prize. Eight organizations, including Beijing North Star Industrial Group LLC, Beijing Municipal Administration Center of Parks, and Beijing Language and Culture University, won the Organization Award. Later, the winning works will be displayed in various ways.

Winners List

First Prize

Second Prize

Third Prize

Excellence Prize

Organization Award

The host, the organizer, and the representatives of the prize winners and the Organization Award winners attended and addressed the awards ceremony.

Wang Lin (China National Convention Center): The high-standard and high-level exhibitions enable us to feel the charm of China as a responsible major country. The staff grew from curator novices to professionals during the reception for these international exchanges and have embraced greater self-respect, self-confidence, and self-improvement thanks to such experiences.

Zhang Huawei (Temple of Heaven): I find good reception for foreign affairs at the Temple of Heaven, a place with a strong Beijing culture, could contribute to the interactions between countries. Friendship, which derives from close contact between the people, holds the key to sound state-to-state relations. More cultural dialogues and deeper mutual understanding among peoples will help increase Beijing's international influence.

Zhang Jie (Capital Museum): My article has reviewed my journey of engaging in inbound and outbound exhibitions as an entry-level museum curator - from doing what I was told and passively taking over foreign exhibitions, to proactively improving foreign exhibitions, to organizing reciprocal exchange exhibitions, to going abroad to promote China's history and culture and help shape Beijing's image as an ancient capital. With the ever-increasing international influence of the Capital Museum, I have also achieved personal growth.

Ju Hongbo (Beijing Municipal Administration Center of Parks): Most of the authors are docents and staff members who are engaged in foreign affairs reception in their respective institutions. As service providers for major diplomatic missions and participants in international exchanges, they have vividly expressed through their first-hand experiences and everyday "short stories" that the center of international exchanges is right around us and in our hearts.