Welcoming Remarks from the Ambassador
Dear Readers, dear Literary Friends,
I am pleased to welcome you to the by now 6th – yet once again online – edition of the EU-China Literary Festival.
Our EU-China Literary Festival is the place where European authors enter into a creative dialogue with their Chinese counterparts. The featured writers from the EU and from China nurture new artistic visions through unique cross-border intellectual dialogues.
In keeping with the tradition of exploring every year a different angle pertaining to the world of literature and creative writing, we dedicate this year's Festival to the diversity and creativity of women writers across the EU and China.
This sixth edition of the EU-China Literary Festival has invited leading female novelists, short story writers, poets, screenwriters, non-fiction writers, playwrights, and spoken word performers from the EU and from China to discuss their work, their creative ideas and the world that inspires them.
Putting the spotlight on female writers gives audiences the chance to discover the extraordinary value attached to women's writing and cultural production: a value, which has long been ignored and which has only gradually gained recognition over the last century. There is no better moment than now to highlight the contribution of women and women's writing to shaping and enriching our culture and our civilisation. At this critical moment of change, women's engagement in the economic and social recovery of today's world is essential.
With your eyes and ears, through articles, videos and podcasts, you are invited to dive into the world of books and inspiring written words and explore the cultural perception of women about today's world. Let us celebrate together the value of literature in our lives and encourage the aspiring women writers in Europe and China.
Our Festival would not be a success without the support of our partners and friends. I would like to thank the 27 embassies of the European Union Member States, the organisers of the Festival, as well as all the outstanding writers from across the EU and China who are contributing to the artistic wealth of this Festival.
I invite you to lean back, reflect, read between the lines and try to see the world "Through Women’s Eyes – 女性视角".
Nicolas Chapuis, Ambassador of the European Union to China
Presented by the Delegation of the European Union to China and supported by the
EU Policy and Outreach Partnership Project (EUPOP) in China.