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US-China relations
ChinaDiplomacy

Can cultural exchange bridge the growing gap in China-US ties?

  • Successive blockbuster exhibitions of ancient artefacts are a rare chance for American audiences to delve into Chinese culture

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Dewey Sim
In a climate of deepening competition between China and the US, where opportunities for cooperation have been few and far between, art exchanges have become an important arm of diplomacy, according to analysts.

Such exchanges – even as their numbers have dwindled in the past decade – can help to build trust, start conversations, and even “heal the gap” between the two rival nations, they said.

A stunning example of the power of soft diplomacy is the expansive exhibition in San Francisco – organised with the Hubei Provincial Museum – of more than 150 Bronze Age Chinese artefacts, some of which have never been seen outside China until now.
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The Asian Art Museum has devoted some 3,000 square metres (10,000 sq ft) to “Phoenix Kingdoms: The Last Splendour of China’s Bronze Age”, which runs until July and features archaeological finds from the Zhou dynasty that ruled from 1050-256 BC.

Jay Xu, the museum’s chief executive officer, said the exhibition came at a time when facilitating cultural exchanges between China and the US was “crucially important”.

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“Over the years, we’ve presented more than a dozen exhibitions sourced from China – most highlighting the finest examples of Chinese art across the ages, and many featuring recent archaeological discoveries on view for the first time in the West,” he said, adding that the Phoenix Kingdoms exhibition was a part of this legacy.

Art from China’s Bronze Age art comes alive at the Phoenix Kingdoms exhibition in San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum. Photo: Xinhua
Art from China’s Bronze Age art comes alive at the Phoenix Kingdoms exhibition in San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum. Photo: Xinhua
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