A puppet show was held here at the China Puppet Theatre to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan.
According to China Economic Net (CEN), it was arranged on the occasion of World Puppetry Day. “There were a lot of characters, [and] many of them I didn’t know before, but it was a very interesting thing and I’d go home and read the whole story,” said the 11-year-old Pakistani boy Ali Aaryan after enjoying the puppet show held in conjunction with the celebration of the Pakistan-China civilization and cultural heritage by puppets and related art here at China Puppet Art Theater (CPAT).
Pakistani Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque welcomed the audience and congratulated Rafi Peer Art Theatre and CPAT on the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance collaboration in puppet art and cultural exchanges.
The ambassador also stressed the need of cultural exchanges and people to people contacts between the two countries. “It is the first time ever that traditional art of puppetry from our two countries has come together,” noted Haque, adding that most importantly, this pattern of tradition and fraternity has been passed on to the next generation with the presence of so many children from China and Pakistan.
The puppeteers of the Lahore-based Rafi Peer Theatre enthralled the audience with online performance while CPAT presented excerpts from Mermaid, Crane and Tortoise, The True Monkey King and Happy New Year, of which The True Monkey King was rated highly by the audience. “Puppetry will create some synergies for our children because most of them like the show very, very much,” commented Muhammad Junaid, a diplomat form Pakistani Embassy in China. “The show was amazing, especially The True Monkey King. It’s now becoming famous in Pakistan as and it’s just like our folklore,” he added.
“Pakistan and China share a very rich history of culture and heritage. Both civilizations date back to thousands of years. The puppet shows are just the latest examples of the rich heritage both countries have,” said Agha Hunain Abbas Khan, the third secretary form Pakistani Embassy in China, adding that he really like The True Monkey King and he put A Journey to the West into his todo list.
Other diplomatic delegations were present at the show, including Malaysian Ambassador to China, Raja Nushirwan Zainal Abidin, Cambodian Ambassador to China, Khek Cai Mealy Sysoda, and Himalchuli Gurung, cultural program officer of UNESCO Representative Office in China.
On March 2, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Chinese Foreign Minister and Foreign Minister Wang Yi launched 70 years of celebrations via a simultaneous virtual ceremony Islamabad and Beijing. The two countries also issued a logo to celebrate the occasion. This event officially started a series of commemorative activities throughout the year. The diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on 21 May 1951.
