刘晓明大使在伦敦2014年“秋季文化季”发布活动上的致辞（中英对照）

中文版：驻英国大使刘晓明在伦敦2014年“秋季文化季”发布活动上的致辞.doc

英文版：Speech by H.E. Ambassador Liu Xiaoming at the Launch of the London Autumn Cultur.doc

注：中英文翻译并非一一对应。

驻英国大使刘晓明在伦敦2014年“秋季文化季”发布活动上的致辞

Speech by H.E. Ambassador Liu Xiaoming at the Launch of the London Autumn Cultural Season 2014

 

2014年8月14日，英国泰特美术馆

Tate Britain, 14 August 2014

 

各位来宾，

女士们、先生们，

 

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

今晚，英国文化界人士在此欢聚一堂，共同庆祝伦敦2014年秋季文化季发布活动。我谨代表中国驻英国大使馆表示热烈祝贺，对伦敦发展促进署和各位已经和即将为此付出的辛勤努力致以由衷的敬意。

Good evening!

 

It is a real pleasure for me to join you at Tate Britain.

 

I feel honoured to be part of this grand gathering of museum curators and gallery directors.

 

On behalf of the Chinese Embassy, I warmly congratulate the launch of London Autumn Cultural Season 2014. I also thank London & Partners and all those who have contributed to this event.

 

伦敦作为世界文化和创意之都，其魅力不仅在于拥有众多博物馆、美术馆和精美绝伦的展品，也在于每年内容、层次极尽丰富的文化活动，更在于使这一切成为可能、焕发更加璀璨光彩的大批专业人士。我在伦敦工作、生活已经四年有余，但这里丰富多彩的文化生活仍让我感到惊喜不断。

 

London is very fortunate to be the home of a large number of museums, galleries and every kind of cultural venue. Those living in London have the benefit of easy access to many rare exhibits. London also stages a great variety of cultural activities each year. More importantly London has a large contingent of professionals in these sectors. I have worked and lived in London for more than four years. But the cultural life of London never stops surprising me!

 

作为驻英外交官，我们既是文化欣赏者，也是文化使者。加强中英文化交流，为伦敦乃至全英提供文化产品，是中国驻英使馆的一项重要工作。我很高兴地看到，在各位的支持和协助下，今年以来全英各地开展了不少与中国有关的文化活动。从年初在维多利亚和阿尔伯特博物馆举办的“中国古代绘画精品展”到特拉法加广场中国新年庆典，从6月在苏格兰国家美术馆开幕的《明朝：黄金帝国》展到中国爱乐乐团在皇家阿尔伯特音乐厅参加BBC逍遥音乐节，这些活动不仅介绍了古代中国的文化成就，也展现了当代中国的时代风貌。

 

As diplomats in London, we are both consumers of cultural products and cultural envoys. It is an important mission of the Chinese Embassy to promote China-UK cultural exchange and provide cultural products for London and the entire UK.

 

I am very glad to be here this evening. It gives me an opportunity to express my gratitude for the support and help you have given to a number of events featuring Chinese culture. This has been a most valuable way to introduce Chinese culture to the public across the UK.

 

These cultural events include:

 

· The Masterpiece of Chinese Painting 700-1900 at V&A museum early this year.

 

· The Chinese New Year Celebration at Trafalgar Square.

 

· The exhibition Ming: The Golden Empire at the National Museums of Scotland in June.

 

· And the concert performed by the Chinese Philharmonic Orchestra at Royal Albert Hall as part of the BBC Proms in July.

 

These events not only display the achievements of ancient Chinese culture but also present a live picture of modern China.

 

接下来，作为伦敦“秋季文化季”的重点内容之一，九月中旬在大英博物馆即将举办《明朝：改变中国的五十年》特展，重点展示公元1400至1450年——即明朝最鼎盛时期的陶瓷、珠宝、画作和家具等珍贵文物，其中不少是首次在中国境外亮相。

 

In this coming September, China features as one of the highlights of the London Autumn Cultural Season. This is the exhibition ‘Ming: 50 years that changed China’ at the British Museum. This exhibition will show a rare collection of porcelain, jewelry, paintings and furniture. These treasures are from between 1400 and 1450 which was the zenith of the Ming Dynasty. Many of them are shown out of China for the first time.

 

明代是中国古代历史上倒数第二个朝代，在继承中国古典文明的基础上实现了创新和发展，为世界贡献了许多大家熟悉的中国文化元素。我们今天看到的长城、北京紫禁城、被《不列颠百科全书》誉为“世界有史以来最大的百科全书”的《永乐大典》、中国古代“四大名著”中的三部，以及著名的“郑和下西洋”都是明代先人的传世遗产，深深影响了当代中国人的民族记忆和身份认同。追寻那段光辉的足迹，不仅有助于了解古代明朝，更有利于解读今日中国。

 

Ming is the second last dynasty in the Chinese history. Building on previous dynasties Ming people made bold explorations. They also contributed many elements of the Chinese culture that we know today. These are some of the highlights:

 

The Great Wall that spans northern China.

 

The Forbidden City at the heart of Beijing.

 

The Yongle Encyclopedia, which is described in Encyclopedia Britannica as the world’s largest known encyclopaedia.

 

Three of the four classic Chinese novels.

 

And the seven sea voyages by Admiral Zheng He that reached as far west as the shores of Africa.

 

All these have created a lasting cultural legacy that runs through the collective memory and identity of the Chinese nation.

 

Reliving those glorious days will help visitors gain a deeper understanding of ancient China. It will also give visitors a better reading of today’s China.

 

女士们，先生们，

 

Ladies and gentlemen,

 

中国明代思想家王阳明曾说过“知是行之始，行是知之成”，意在强调知行合一的重要性。我们对文化的追求不应仅止于品鉴玩味，更应用于在实践中增进理解、扩大共识，指导合作。我相信大英博物馆《明朝：改变中国的五十年》展览将为此发挥重要推动作用，并为2015年中英文化交流年打下良好基础。

 

A famous Chinese Ming dynasty philosopher Wang Yangming said:

 

“Knowledge is the beginning of action. Action is the knowledge in application.”

 

We should never cease to admire culture. Then we can apply what we know about a culture to increasing mutual understanding, broaden common ground and expand cooperation.

 

I have no doubt that the exhibition Ming; 50 years that changed China will play a big role in all these aspects. This exhibition will also lay a good foundation for the 2015 China-UK cultural exchange year.

 

我预祝伦敦秋季文化季及其各项活动取得圆满成功，为伦敦开启一季又一季的无限精彩，为中英文化交流谱写一曲又一曲辉煌乐章！

 

In conclusion, I wish London Autumn Cultural Season a great success!

 

I look forward to many more excellent cultural events in London and more splendid chapters in China-UK cultural exchanges!

 

谢谢！

 

Thank you!