'Beautiful China' photo exhibit draws interest at canal museum
Posted Jul 22, 2010 By Ryland Coyne
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Call it diplomacy through photography.
Ryland Coyne, Smiths Falls EMC
Peter Au (left) of the Chinese and Canadian Heritage Cultural Association in Smiths Falls and Counsellor Lin Difu of the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa unveil a framed photo of 'The Temple of Heaven' in Beijing, part of a 42-photo exhibit entitled 'Beautiful China' now on display at the Rideau Canal Museum.
Friday at the Rideau Canal Museum, a weekend-long exhibit of photographs depicting a variety of stunning scenes of China was unveiled by Counsellor Lin Difu of the Cultural Affairs section at the Chinese embassy in Ottawa.
Peter Au, chair of the local Chinese and Canadian Heritage Cultural Association (CCHCA), emceed the launch and welcomed Counsellor Lin and members of his staff. Also among the group was Shin Li, a reporter with the Xin Hua news agency, whose story could be published across China, Au explained.
A number of invited guests from Smiths Falls brought welcoming words to the Chinese delegation including Rideau Canal Superintendent Don Marrin, acting mayor Ken Graham and museum board vice-chair Joyce Brennan.
"It's so nice to have you in the museum," she said to the special guests.
Counsellor Lin, who was making his second trip to Smiths Falls having attended the signing of last fall's historic sister city agreement with representatives of Xiangfan, China, told the audience how pleased he was to be back in town.
He referred to the unique relationship between the two countries, initiated by Dr. Norman Bethune, the Canadian doctor who traveled to China in the late 1930s where he performed emergency operations on the battlefront during the second Sino-Japanese War. In fact, the surgeon gave his life to his work in China and he remains a national hero to this day.
This year, Counsellor Lin noted, is the 40th anniversary of the opening of diplomatic relations between Canada and China. A year ago, Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited the country while president Hu Jintao returned the visit just a few weeks ago in Ottawa.
He made note of the warming of relations between the two countries and the return of Approved Destination Status for Chinese tourists to Canada.
He complimented Smiths Falls for being "such a beautiful, quiet and historical" community and wished it success with the Canal, Railway and Chocolate Festival.
Au explained how the exhibit at the museum, entitled 'Beautiful China: a Photographic Exhibition courtesy of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China' grew out of the association's ongoing 'Sharing Culture, Building Bridges' initiative. That work, which has strived to introduce more Canadians in the Smiths Falls/Brockville area to Chinese culture, has included Chinese day camps in both communities, cooking classes as well as the annual Chinese New Year celebrations.
The hour-long presentation was capped off by a breathtaking slide show of Canadian landscapes by photographer Bill Pratt. The Almonte-area resident, who also serves as chief engineer of the Rideau Canal, then wrapped up his portion of the afternoon by showing pictures he took in China from a visit last year.
Following refreshments, the group headed up to the third floor of the museum where an exchange of gifts took place followed by an explanation of some of the photos by Au.
ADDITIONAL PRESENTATION
Au will also be on hand at the Smiths Falls town hall lobby next Tuesday, July 27 from 12:15-12:45 p.m. to present more than a dozen of the photos and offer some background to anyone interested in the display.
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