On September 25, 2024, the temperature in Chongqing at noon remained at 36 degrees Celsius. The Greek theatrical group of the Railway Carriage Theater to Treno sto Rouf, consisting of six people, led by the famous Greek director and founder of the Railway Carriage Theater Tatiana Ligari and the actress Evelina Arapidi, visited the Center of Ancient Greek and Chinese Culture, presenting the monologue "Women of Passion, Women of Greece".
The Center for Ancient Greek and Chinese Civilization was established at the initiative of Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Greek Government and was officially inaugurated in February 2023. The center was created in collaboration between Southwest China University, China People's University, Shandong University and Sichuan University on the Chinese side, as well as the Universities of Athens, Patras, Aristotle and Crete on the Greek side. Since its inception, extensive academic exchange has taken place in many fields such as history, philosophy and archaeology, with significant results.
At the Center for Ancient Greek and Chinese Culture, the Deputy Dean of the School of History of Southwest China University, Wang Yong, and Secretary General of the Center for the Chinese Side, along with young students of the university, held a discussion with the members of the Greek troupe.
The members of the Greek theatre group presented the characteristics of the play "Women of Passion, Women of Greece" and shared their experiences from the tour in China. It was their first visit to China, where they visited Beijing, Shijiazhuang, Pengzhou, Chengdu and Chongqing, performing on many stages. From modern airports, high-speed trains, and mobile payments to the famous Forbidden City, the Great Wall, and ancient cities, from food to folk customs, every experience during the trip allowed them to constantly reshape their impression of China. The words on paper gradually turned into a three-dimensional image. Despite cultural and linguistic differences, they were impressed by the love, enthusiasm and warm welcome of the audience.
The students of Southwest China University showed great interest in the visit of the Greek troupe, asking questions in English and exchanging views with the members of the troupe. The students' deep knowledge of Greek history and ancient theatre positively surprised the members of the troupe.
The theatre ensemble of Southwest China University presented a scene from Shakespeare's classic play, "Macbeth", impressing the audience with their acting skills and the pronunciation of the ancient English language. The student of the postgraduate program in Chinese-Greek culture, Kang Bixiao, presented and performed traditional Chinese music with traditional instruments.
The compositions of the bands of the university amazed the Greek artists, while the Greek musician of the troupe, Fotis, participated in the musical performance playing guitar and singing traditional Greek songs together with Evelina. Student Jing Cai, who had participated in an exchange in Greece, joined them singing Greek songs, thrilling the audience.
The discussion, originally scheduled for an hour, was prolonged due to the great interest of the students. After the discussion, when asked about their experience of exchanging with the students of Southwest China University, the members of the Greek troupe stressed that the students' sincerity and their love for Greek culture moved them greatly. They look forward to future student exchanges through the Centre and expressed the wish to have exchanges also for teachers to teach and transfer knowledge in each country, further promoting cultural dialogue.
(Source: Sino-Hellenic Information Post)
