The thematic exhibition “Beijing’s ‘Dual Olympics’ and Chinese Culture” hosted by the Beijing Olympic City Development Association (BODA) opened at the Serafio Sports Centre in Athens on the evening of 11 November. George Mavrotas, Secretary General of Sport at Greece’s Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, Spiros Kapraros, President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, and Fu Xiaohui, Vice President and Secretary General of BODA, delivered remarks via video link. Officials who addressed the exhibition in person included Adonis Georgiadis, Greece’s Health Minister; Lai Bo, Minister Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy to Greece; Isidoros Kouvelos, President of the International Olympic Academy; Amalia Androulidaki, General Director for the Restoration, Museums and Technical Works in the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Greece; Eugenia Manolidou, head of the Elliniki Agogi school; and Wang Kun, Deputy Secretary General of BODA. After the speeches, the VIP guests together unveiled the exhibition.

Lai Bo (3rd from left), Amalia Androulidaki (3rd from right), Wang Kun (2nd from left), Eugenia Manolidou (2nd from right) and Isidoros Kouvelos (1st from left) unveil the exhibition, along with Ding Jun (1st from right), Deputy Director of the Beijing Olympic Park Central Area Management Committee

Opening Ceremony of the exhibition

Addressing the Opening Ceremony, Adonis Georgiadis noted that Greece and China, as two ancient civilizations, have both made significant contributions to Western and Eastern civilizations, leaving behind rich cultural heritage and exerting profound impacts on the world. Greece is the birthplace of ancient and modern Olympic Games, while China has also played a pivotal role in promoting the spirit and development of modern Olympic Movement. Beijing wrote history as the only city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics. Both countries have hosted the Olympic Games and carried on the Olympic traditions. He thanked BODA for hosting this exhibition in Greece, which presents to the Greek public the exciting moments of the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics and the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. He also praised the links between the two countries through the Olympic Movement.

Adonis Georgiadis delivers a speech

Lai Bo said in his speech that over the course of exchanges and mutual learning between Eastern and Western civilizations, Chinese traditional culture and the Olympic spirit originating from ancient Greece demonstrate the common aspiration to promote global cooperation and solidarity, each in their unique ways. The Olympic spirit emphasises cooperation and solidarity, which resonates with China’s proposal to build a global community of shared future. Both China and Greece are active supporters and participants in the Olympic Movement and have forged close cooperation through the Olympics. He hoped that this exhibition will open a new chapter in Olympic cooperation between the two countries, promote mutual understanding and people-to-people exchanges, enhance exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations and contribute more to building a global community of shared future.

Lai Bo delivers a speech

George Mavrotas stated that sports have the power to build bridges between the peoples of different nations rather than impose barriers, and this is what the world needs more than ever before in today’s international landscape. As the birthplace of sports and the Olympic spirit, Greece will spare no effort in promoting and carrying on the Olympic spirit. Beijing, the only city to have hosted both the Summer and Winter Olympics, is committed to promoting and carrying forward the Olympic legacy. Today’s event exactly exemplifies the Olympic spirit and the goal of Olympism.

George Mavrotas delivers a speech

Spiros Kapraros said that as President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee and a member of the International Olympic Committee, he has paid special attention to the relevance and importance of this exhibition, which strengthens sports and cultural exchanges between China and Greece through the Olympics. He was delighted to see that BODA has come to Greece to promote the Olympic spirit, taking Chinese traditional culture as a bridge. He believes that this exhibition will have a sizable impact on the Greek public, boost China-Greece political and diplomatic relations through the Olympics and facilitate communication between the two peoples.

Spiros Kapraros delivers a speech

In his speech, Fu Xiaohui noted that China and Greece are Belt and Road partner countries and enjoy a long history of exchanges. In recent years, the relations between the two countries have embarked on a new chapter within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. The opening of this exhibition marks another milestone in the history of China-Greece cultural exchanges, injecting new vitality into the longstanding friendship. It is a testament that the Olympic spirit has once again closely connected the two sides, and marks a new starting point for both sides to move into the future together. Beijing and Athens, both members of the World Union of Olympic Cities, shoulder the shared responsibility for carrying on the Olympic spirit and promoting city development. As members of the Olympic Museums Network, the Beijing Olympic Museum and the Athens Olympic Museum are entrusted with the mission to record history and inspire future generations. BODA plays a distinctive role in connecting the two Olympic cities and facilitating global dialogue. Through this exhibition, BODA looks to deepen exchanges between the two Olympic cities of Beijing and Athens, strengthen the interaction and cooperation between Olympic museums, collaborate with the International Olympic Academy on education, training and research and work together to advance the Olympic Movement.

Fu Xiaohui delivers a speech

Isidoros Kouvelos pointed out that this exhibition not only celebrates the cultural legacy left by the Olympic Games to the city of Beijing and its citizens, but also demonstrates the passionate pursuit and firm commitment of Beijing citizens to the Olympic spirit and values. BODA was established with strong support from the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality and the Chinese Olympic Committee and plays a key role in preserving and utilising the Olympic legacy. With a mission to “Carry on Olympic Spirit, Build a Better City”, BODA has carried out a series of programmes in the field of Olympic cultural legacy. Noting the shared values and vision with BOAD, he looked forward to fruitful cooperation outcomes in the fields of Olympic education and the promotion of the Olympic values.

Isidoros Kouvelos delivers a speech

In her speech, Amalia Androulidaki stressed the intrinsic and profound cultural connections between Greece and China as ancient civilizations. Greece highly values culture, as evidenced by the Cultural Olympiad of Athens from 2001 to 2004. The four-year event featured a legion of cultural activities and collaborations, including partnerships with countries like China. Now friends in China can enjoy the two Greece themed exhibitions in Beijing, namely, “The Countless Aspects of Beauty in Ancient Art” at the National Museum of China and “The Greeks: Agamemnon to Alexander the Great” at the Capital Museum. The Chinese exhibition in Greece signifies that with cultural exhibitions as a bridge, the two countries have embarked on a new chapter of cultural exchanges.

Amalia Androulidaki delivers a speech

Eugenia Manolidou said that tonight’s exhibition presents a unique opportunity to illuminate the enduring relevance of ancient values in contemporary society. Having had the privilege to participate in the two Olympic Games in Beijing as both a musician and Director of Education on Greece, she discovered similarities in the cultural legacies shared between China and Greece. This exhibition underscores how we can empower our children by drawing on historical and cultural traditions and use our rich legacies to inspire them to build a better world. She thanked BODA for staging the exhibition, which not only strengthens Greece’s connection to China’s impressive achievements in delivering two successful Olympic Games, but also offers the public a chance to carry on and promote the common values of humanity.

Eugenia Manolidou delivers a speech

Wang Kun said in his address that the great success of Beijing 2008 and the Beijing2022 Games not only showcased the ancient and modern charm of Beijing, but also presented the unique charm of Chinese culture to the whole world. This exhibition is expected to allow Greek friends to more intuitively feel the unique charm of Chinese culture and the profound interplay of Olympic culture and traditional Chinese culture. He hoped that China and Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Olympic Movement and the promoter of the modern Olympic Movement, could deepen mutual understanding and strengthen friendship through the Olympic Movement and work together to take the exchanges and cooperation between China and Greece and between the two Olympic cities of Athens and Beijing to the next level, notably in such areas as sports, culture and education.

Wang Kun delivers a speech

At the end of the Opening Ceremony, Wang Kun and Isidoros Kouvelos exchanged gifts and expressed intentions to strengthen cooperation in the future.

BODA and the International Olympic Academy exchange gifts

Covering an area of 480 square metres, the exhibition consists of three parts: “Opening and Closing Ceremonies of Beijing 2008 and Beijing 2022 Games”, “Look of the Games of Beijing 2008 and Beijing 2022 Games” and “Venue Design of Beijing 2008 and Beijing 2022 Games”. The exhibition delves into and creatively showcases the rich Chinese cultural elements embedded in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Look of the Games and venue designs of the two Olympic Games in Beijing. These elements include the Four Great Inventions of ancient China, thought of Confucius, the 24 Solar Terms, the vision of a global community of shared future, the Twelve Animal Signs (Zodiac), Chinese characters, bamboo slips, movable type, the Beijing Central Axis, and the Silk Road and Maritime Silk Road. There are also artistic elements like fou, guqin, calligraphy, seal carving, stamps, mounting techniques, Chinese ink painting, Kunqu opera, Tai Chi or Taijiquan, paper cutting, auspicious clouds, the Great Wall, Chinese knots, peach blossoms, apsaras, ruyi, glazed tiles, qipao, window and door designs, auspicious patterns and willow twigs.

Elegant Chinese-style flower umbrellas are hanging from the ceiling. There is a designated area featuring mascots for visitors to take photos. The exhibition displays authentic medals from the two Olympic Games in Beijing, along with reproductions of famous ancient Chinese paintings such as “Along the River During the Qingming Festival” and a 13-metre-long replica of “A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains” using printed silk fabric and Song brocade mounting techniques. Also on display are silk-printed patterns featuring the Look of the Games and 16 gigantic photos of the Great Wall, the Beijing Central Axis and the two Opening Ceremonies.

The exhibition aims to artistically present the two Olympic Games in Beijing and Chinese culture through diverse formats including images, text, physical objects and video.

To give Greek visitors a more intuitive experience with traditional Chinese culture, the host of the exhibition invited Chinese and Greek masters and professionals to demonstrate intangible cultural heritage such as paper cutting, Beijing embroidery, interior painting, shadow puppets, guzheng, Tai Chi and martial arts (Wushu). Visitors can get hands-on with calligraphy, tea art, paper cutting, liushajian (flowing-sand notepaper) and other intangible cultural heritage items.

Guzheng performance at the exhibition

Tai Chi performance

Wushu performance

After the Opening Ceremony, the guests immersed themselves in the fantastic exhibition showing the Olympic culture and Chinese cultural elements, appreciating the exhibits and taking photos of them. Moreover, the intangible cultural heritage display and experience area was teeming with visitors who wanted to try it out themselves, applauding the masters for their exquisite skills from time to time.

Isidoros Kouvelos visits the exhibition

Visitors at the exhibition

Isidoros Kouvelos experiences tea art

Visitors experience tea art

Visitors hold calligraphy works

Visitors learn to write calligraphy

Adonis Georgiadis holds a piece of calligraphy featuring his first name written in Chinese characters

Lai Bo experiences liushajian

A visitor tries to read famous quotes from Confucius on bamboo slips with the aid of translation software

Visitors get a taste of paper cutting

A total of 200 people attended the Opening Ceremony. Greek officials present included Wang Jiangtao, head of the China Cultural Centre in Athens; Euthymios Athanasiadis, Public Diplomacy Counsellor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece; Elina Pechlivanidi, Director of the Athens Olympic Museum; Christos Papachristos, President of the Hellenic Wushu-Kungfu Federation; Dimitris Kyriakides, President of the Hellenic Athletics Federation; and Aristides Kontogeorgis, deputy head of the Department of Photography and Audiovisual Arts, University of Western Attica. BODA officials present at the opening ceremony included Li Haihong, Vice Director of the Development Research Department, Cui Zheng, Vice Director of the Project Department and Qi Xuan, Deputy Director of the Media and Communications Department. Other attendees included representatives of various museums and sports associations, universities, parliaments, the Confucius Institute and Chinese-funded enterprises, as well as overseas Chinese, reporters and ordinary people in Greece.

The exhibition is open to the public for free and will last until 14 November. After that, some of the exhibits will be transferred to universities or educational institutions, where they will remain on display for the public.