2016年CRI European Cultural Project for Children Launched in Beijing

Hungarian folk dancers entertained a crowd of journalists at the EU delegation 1's Beijing office on Tuesday, presenting a rare scene for any EU press conference.

But this, along with other similar activities is what families with children can expect at the upcoming events co-sponsored by the EU and the European National Institutes for Culture, or EUNIC.

The EUNIC Europe Project will include 11 workshops, aimed at teaching youngsters in Beijing through presentations and other activities about the cultures of EU member states.

The topics will cover their traditions, music, literature, visual arts and even food.

The EU's Ambassador to China Hans Dietmar Schweisgut says the events aim to demonstrate Europe's cultural diversity.

"While the European culture reflects different national traditions, different histories, different backgrounds, I think we can still see when we talk about culture from different European countries, immediately that we are talking about a piece of European culture. I think it's also culture which lies at the heart of our motto for the European Union, which is Unity 2 in Diversity."

The Ambassador says the targeted audiences of these events also sets them apart from other programs.

"I think the other new feature of this is that this is not a cultural project for the elites 3. It's a cultural project for families, for children, for those we want to address much more directly with different demonstrations 4 of what culture in Europe is about. And I'm very happy that we have quite a number of member states who are participating in this project."

Participating countries include Hungary, Spain, Bulgaria, Austria, Romania, the Netherlands and Poland.

Hungary's Ambassador to China Cecilia Szilas says targeting children now will help create a better future between China and Europe.

"We all know that children represent hope. They will create our future and determine what our planet will become. We are very happy to join the EUNIC Europe project, to introduce the wonderful European culture and customs to Chinese parents and children. We aim to build a solid foundation for the cultural exchange between Europe and China, and to help the Chinese public better understand Europe. "

EUNIC is a network of cultural organizations from all 28 EU member states. President of the network's China cluster Dr. Szonja Buslig says EUNIC aims to promote European values around the globe.

"Our mission is to promote European values and to contribute to cultural diversity inside and outside the EU, through collaboration 5 between European cultural institutes around the world. Our aim is to expand the role of culture in Europe, and to strengthen dialogue, exchange and sustainable cooperation with countries outside the EU."

The events in Beijing will run from now to the end of June. More information can be found on the Weibo account of the EU delegation to China.